About 50 dogs at a Kajang industrial estate have died in a string of poisonings over three weeks, and business owners are putting up RM1,000 for information that catches the culprit.
Shopkeepers and factory operators in the Sungai Chua Industrial Area pooled the reward money after workers began finding dead dogs across the site from 9 July, Sin Chew reported. A second wave of deaths followed on 16 July, with more animals killed in subsequent incidents.
The perpetrator is believed to have mixed pesticides into food to lure the dogs. After consuming the bait, the animals suffered severe neurological symptoms including convulsions, full-body tremors, and unsteady walking before dying one after another. The poisonings have left strays virtually extinct along Jalan SC5A, SC6, and SC8, with only about five dogs surviving.
Most of the victims were originally abandoned in the area by former owners before local workers and shopkeepers stepped in to feed and care for them. A female factory worker, who requested anonymity, told Sin Chew she had been looking after the strays since 2018, paying out of pocket for food and arranging spaying, neutering, and vaccinations. All seven dogs under her care, including three seven-month-old puppies and four adults, were killed in the poisoning.
Kajang Municipal Councillor Kwan Say Hong met with ten factory owners and merchants on 27 July to address the crisis. The meeting produced two immediate actions: a police report and a formal memorandum submitted to Kajang police, as reported by Sin Chew. Separately, The Rakyat Post confirmed the case was also reported to the Department of Veterinary Services.
Kwan said the identity of the poisoner remains unknown due to a lack of leads, and the DVS cannot take enforcement action without concrete evidence. He urged all factory and shop owners equipped with CCTV cameras to review their footage from the relevant dates and submit any suspicious recordings to police.
The business owners plan to distribute flyers to all factory operators in the industrial area, urging workers and employers not to harm stray animals. TRP reported that Kwan framed the issue in plain terms: stray dogs are a recognised problem on council complaint lists across the country, but poisoning is not a solution. It is a crime.
Under Section 31 of the Animal Welfare Act 2015, poisoning an animal is an offence carrying a minimum fine of RM20,000, up to RM100,000, and up to three years in prison, or both penalties.
