SEREMBAN: Heavy floods in Mambau near here in the wee hours today claimed the lives of 54 dogs and puppies when an animal shelter was inundated.
Staff at the Furrykids Safehaven saved 30 other dogs and puppies, which were taken to the roof of the facility during the 3am incident.
Furrykids Safehaven donor and consultant Margaret Chin said the staff tried to rescue the dogs as the rain was was heavy and water began rising quickly.
"The shelter manager, Lisa, called me regarding the incident. The staff members helped to take the dogs to the roof. They also let the dogs out by opening the gates leading to higher ground.
"The flood waters rose to two-storeys high, or about 30 feet (9m). The heavy rain began at about 2am and it flooded very quickly. The flood only began to recede about 9am today," said Chin, 71, when speaking to the New Straits Times.
When asked about the dogs which drowned, she said they were buried at a designated plot.
She said much of the facility had been destroyed in the flood, and the management had to relocate the surviving dogs and puppies.
She said the surviving dogs were traumatised as they had been in the same cages as the dogs which had drowned.
The tragedy has prompted the shelter to send out an SOS as they are pleading for donations to help them tide them through the disaster.
"A few people donated immediately after the incident. We did not receive any donations yet from the government as their hands are full right now with the flood situation in Seremban.
"Seremban member of parliament Anthony Loke donated to the shelter last year to help with the neutering of strays," she said.
Chin said Furrykids Safehaven relies heavily on donations even prior to the tragedy as it needed allocations to accommodate an increasing number of strays being brought into the shelter.
The shelter also needs donations to help replace electrical items such as fridge, freezer, fans, rice cookers, and T-shirts and jeans of their workers.
She said other items they needed were blankets, mattresses, beds, and dog kibbles as all the food stored had been destroyed in the flood.
Established in 2017, FurryKids Safehaven is a non-governmental organisation that takes in stray dogs, nurses them and gives them for adoption. It initially had 1,800 dogs and puppies at the facility.