The mark on a stray cat’s ear (left) shows it has been neutered.
Stray cats at Joyce’s shop.
Stray dogs at Joyce’s shop.
A cat injured as a result of an accident being taken care of at Joyce’s shop.
SIBU: Sibu Animals Rescue Society (SARS) was officially registered on July 7 last year in an effort to reduce stray dogs and cats in town.
With a view to encouraging members of the public to adopt stray dogs and cats, volunteer Joyce Yong said SARS would carry out a Trap, Neuter, Release (TNR) project in selected residential and commercials areas.
“Our short term goal is to promote awareness on spaying and neutering by encouraging the local community to spay and neuter their pets.
On their long term goal, she said SARS hoped to own a place for rehabilitating rescued animals and reduce the number of unwanted dogs and cats by spaying and neutering them.
Yong, who owns a pet shop, said she had been keeping stray dogs and cats since 2012.
“I’ve been taking in stray dogs and cats, brought them to be neutered, they will stay here for about 10 days to recover, then I will offer them for free adoption,” she added.
If they were not adopted after a certain period, she said she would release them at the place where she took them.
It was in 2013 that a group of friends including Yong gathered together to work on the project.
“If I do it alone, I can only do so much,” she pointed out.
Since she started the project on her own, she said many abandoned cats and dogs had been adopted.
“However, I did not do any record. I only started keeping a record recently. Since January, about 80 cats and dogs have been adopted,” she said.
According to her, all stray dogs and cats that had been neutered and spayed would have a mark on their ears.
“This is an international standard. The mark would tell us that these animals that had been released to the street again had been neutered, so we do not have to catch them again,” she explained.
She also said SARS would conduct some awareness programme on the importance of neutering and spaying pets, and encourage adoption of abandoned dogs and cats.
“It will be a long term process, but it has to be done,” she said.
Another volunteer, Doreen Ting, said one of the problems that SARS faced was the lack of volunteers.
She said it was a good thing that SARS was finally established in Sibu, but there must be volunteers to help take care of the stray dogs and cats.
“I am talking about releasing back those stray dogs and cats after neutering. We cannot let them go scavenging for food, there must be people feeding these animals.
“I am feeding 15 cats now at my area. It is a lot of work, but somebody has to do it,” she said, adding that she placed the food in three spots.
Ting, who has been catching stray dogs and cats since 2015, said it took her a lot of patience and time.
She said it always started with feeding of the animals before setting up a trap to catch them.
SARS has not started the subsidy plan for the public to spay and neuter their animals.
In striving to accomplish the mission, SARS needs more animal loving volunteers on a regular basis.
SARS needs about RM5,000 for monthly expenditures – RM600 for rental, RM3,000 for spaying and neutering, RM1,000 for medical and RM500 for feeding.
Those interested to help may give their donation to Sibu Animal Rescue Society through Maybank account 511-056-629-348.
Those requiring receipt should send the transaction or bank-in slips to [email protected]
Members of the public may also make cash donations at Joyce Pet Paradise in Ling Kai Cheng Road and request for a receipt.