Rabies in Sarawak: Local authorities can actually do more, says Dapsy Kuching member  

KUCHING (Jan 9): The local authorities could do more in handling rabies cases in Sarawak, said a local youth member of the Democratic Action Party (DAP).

DAP Socialist Youth (Dapsy) Kuching committee member Lesley Chong observed that the number of rabies cases had remained the same, even with the ongoing mass culling of stray dogs undertaken by the authorities.

“It becomes increasingly evident that the current strategy has not been yielding the desired results. One cannot help but wonder whether authorities are genuinely unaware of the ineffectiveness of mass culling, or if there’s a reluctance to explore more effective alternatives for the sake of convenience,” she said in a statement yesterday.

Chong opined that the continuation of mass culling, despite an abundance of studies advocating for more humane and successful methods like mass vaccination, had raised questions about the authorities’ awareness or willingness to adapt.

“Take, for example, Bhutan’s recent success in achieving the sterilisation of all strays through intensified vaccination campaigns and responsible pet ownership initiatives – a beacon of hope and a model worth considering,” she pointed out.

She said while the authorities had discussed punishing irresponsible pet owners, it remained unclear if any concrete actions had been taken in addressing this issue.

In this regard, she said more surveillance and a shift in incentives such as rewarding those reporting on irresponsible owners, could be explored.

Adding on, Chong said in December, a white paper on ‘Moving Towards a Rabies-Free Southeast Asia’ was presented at the Federation of Asian Veterinary Association (FAVA) Congress 2023, which emphasised the significance of pet vaccination, public awareness and surveillance in rabies control.

She said the white paper strongly discouraged culling, noting that indiscriminate killing, which would also eliminated the vaccinated dogs, could actually reduce the herd immunity.

“The irony lies in the fact that this symposium took place in Kuching, yet the local authorities seem to disregard its findings, persisting with mass culling.

“This raises some concerns about the disconnection between experts’ recommendations and local policy implementation,” she said.

According to Chong, a recent conversation with a council worker hinted certain resistance to change.

“When I questioned about the ineffectiveness of mass culling, the response was dismissive, with a claim that they did not have to follow everything that the United Nations (UN) did.

“The simple truth is that after six years, the current approach is clearly not working.

“Suggestions such as neutering and releasing strays have been met with resistance, raising questions about the inconsistency in the application of rights and responsibilities,” she said.

Chong also posed the question as to why the authorities had claimed about having no right to neuter dogs without the pet owners’ approval, but they seemed to have the right to cull the animals.

“If you’re not equipped with the necessary knowledge to respond to the public, just admit it – it would probably make yourself look better,” she added.