KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysia’s Wildlife Division defended its use of puppies as dwell bait to seize black panthers noticed at a Malaysian village after animal rights teams protested the tactic and appealed to the federal government to make use of different means.
The division resorted to utilizing puppies after earlier makes an attempt to lure the panthers with a goat failed. It is normal process to make use of dwell animals, Wildlife Division Director Common Abdul Kadir Abu Hashim mentioned in remarks revealed Wednesday, noting that the puppies weren’t bodily harmed within the course of.
“On this explicit case, there was indication that the panther had attacked canine (earlier than), so we used the puppies for his or her barking and scent to draw the panther,” he advised the Free Malaysia At the moment on-line information portal.
Farmers in a village in southern Negeri Sembilan state have been terrified after recognizing a panther close to their dwelling in September. Villagers lodged a grievance with the Wildlife Division after a panther mauled their canine at a fruit orchard within the state on Sept. 4, in line with a Facebook publish by Negeri Sembilan Chief Minister Aminuddin Harun.
Aminuddin mentioned the Wildlife Division instantly put in a entice for the large cat, which was believed to have come from a forest reserve close by. The division managed to entice three panthers on Sept. 18, Sept. 27 and Oct. 1, he mentioned.
The operation, nonetheless, sparked controversy after native media reported that puppies have been used as dwell bait to lure the panthers. Malaysian Animal Welfare Affiliation slammed the transfer as surprising, and mentioned it will have been extra moral for the division to make use of uncooked cattle meat. The Animal Care Society additionally appealed to the federal government to cease utilizing dwell animals in such operations.
Abdul Kadir defined that the entice — a cage with a separate compartment to carry the puppies — is ready to swiftly launch the canines as soon as the panther is caught. He mentioned the pups have been unhurt and that officers adhered to working procedures.
Abdul Kadir didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark by telephone and e-mail.
Wildlife officers in Negeri Sembilan advised native media that the primary panther caught was a feminine weighing about 40 kilograms (90 kilos). The division has caught a dozen panthers within the state for the reason that begin of the yr, together with the three caught in September.
Aminuddin beforehand mentioned the panthers have been handled and appeared wholesome, although he didn’t say whether or not they have been launched again into the forest. He mentioned the Wildlife Division was additionally conducting aerial investigations utilizing drones to seek out out why the panthers had strayed into the village.
Black panthers, present in tropical forests in Asia, Africa and Central and South America, are solitary animals that hunt at night time and barely hassle individuals. Conservation researchers mentioned panthers are a protected species and face threats of habitat loss and poaching in Malaysia.
In Might, an grownup black panther was hit by a automobile and died after it strayed on to a highway from a forest reserve and the driving force could not cease in time.
The Malay-language Utusan Malaysia reported that in August, wildlife officers trapped a male black panther utilizing the carcass of a calf in northern Terengganu state after farmers mentioned it attacked their herd.