KUALA LUMPUR: A former Manjung council member revealed that dozens of dog carcasses, along with live puppies, were left in a pit after allegedly being captured and shot by local authority officers in Sitiawan.
He uploaded several videos which showed shocking images of the dogs, some still wearing collars, left trapped in a roughly four-foot-deep hole at a garbage disposal site.
Some of the puppies could be heard whimpering, unable to escape as they were left to die among fresh and decaying carcasses.
In a series of revelations, Khairil Azhar Khairuddin, 48, said revealed there was also a new modus practice of a council where stray dogs are shot in outskirt areas and then dumped in mass graves.
The incident is alleged to have taken place in Sitiawan, Perak.
In one video, an acquaintance of Khairil's is seen walking along a road before discovering a shallow grave, containing the carcasses of more than a dozen dogs and puppies.
Some of the dogs appeared to have been dead for some time, with newer carcasses also dumped in the same pit.
In another video taken at the same pit, three puppies were rescued after they were thrown in with their mother and left to die.
The puppies could be heard whining fearfully, even after being saved.
At a different location, about nine dog carcasses were discovered in another video.
Rubbish and plastic water bottles were also discarded into the pit.
In yet another video, around 10 dead dogs are seen.
The man, an animal activist, could even recognise some of the dogs, saying they were ones he had been caring for over the past three days while awaiting their owner's arrival to collect them.
However, the dogs, four of them, who were still in their collars were shot dead instead.
The New Straits Times reached out to the Manjung Municipal Council (MPM), chairman Muhammad Faizal Shah Safian Suri for his response but he has yet to respond.
Last month, there was public outrage after a stray dog named Kopi was shot by local council authorities in Terengganu, just two days after World Animal Day.
The death of the dog, known among locals for her harmless and gentle nature, sparked an uproar among Malaysians after videos of the dying dog, left bleeding, circulated on social media.
Kopi's killing, which also attracted international media attention, was defended by Besut Member of Parliament Datuk Che Mohamad Zulkifly Jusoh, who reportedly said that the action was part of efforts to address the growing problem of stray dogs in the area.
He said the council's actions were also intended to protect public safety from possible illnesses related to stray animals.
However, Kampar Member of Parliament Chong Zhemin said under the Animal Welfare Act 2015, such actions are not permitted without following proper procedures.
"According to Section 29(1)(a) of the Animal Welfare Act 2015, you cannot kill a dog like that," he said.
"You must follow the standard operating procedures (SOP). Even if it's a stray dog, it must be captured humanely. You cannot harm the dog."
However, Besut District Council chairman Sukeri Ibrahim said the move aligned with the SOPs established by the Housing and Local Government Ministry.
He said the operation was done according to the Dog Licensing By-Laws (Besut District Council) 1990 which stated that any dog, whether licensed or not, whose owner cannot be located, can be destroyed or disposed of as instructed by the council president or authorised officer.
The council's actions, he said, were also aligned with Section 30 of the Animal Welfare Act 2015, which permits the use of firearms under certain circumstances.