KUCHING: Three people have been compounded for their failure to effectively control their dogs in rabies infected areas.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas told The Borneo Post that the authorities would not hesitate to take action against those caught breaching the law.
The first offender, a 22-year-old man, was found to have been in violation of the law in a residential area in Demak Laut.
The second offender, a 65-year-old man was issued a compound for the offence at Lintang Park, Kuching while the third individual is a 34-year-old woman residing in Lorong Kepayang, Kuching.
All three were compounded RM250.
Uggah called on pet owners to ensure their dogs are confined within their house compounds and given anti-rabies vaccinations in rabies-infected areas.
Failure to do so is an offence under Section 40 of the Veterinary Public Health Ordinance 1999, which calls for a fine not exceeding RM2,500.
Any dogs found roaming in such areas will be caught if there was no proof of anti-rabies vaccinations, he said.
Uggah, who is also the Sarawak Disaster Management Relief committee chairman, said the special anti-rabies operation carried out in Kuching was completed yesterday, and about 70 per cent of the estimated 40,000 dogs have been vaccinated.
A press conference is scheduled to be held tomorrow after the special operation’s post-mortem meeting.