Dear Friends,

Thank you for the overwhelming support for our work on Pulau Ketam, and our rescue and relief efforts at Pulau Selat Kering for the helpless abandoned dogs. This is a quick e-mail update on our first rescue & relief effort on the 6th of May, 2009. We are so touched with the response from the public and media for the dogs during their time of need – funds have been pouring in, and donations of dog food, cages and other supplies have been arriving at the animal shelter since yesterday afternoon. Volunteers with a variety of skills have also contacted us, offering their help – an animal communicator and reiki healer, boat owner, vet, bloggers, and many experienced dog-handlers and rescuers.

Our immediate concern is to provide food and clean drinking water for the 100-200 dogs daily. While we attempt to recover as many dogs from the island as possible, we are also in the midst of formulating a long-term strategy to address the staggering stray dog population on Pulau Ketam – involving mass sterilization and an educational campaign for the villagers on responsible pet ownership and the importance of neutering to prevent unwanted litters.

The dogs were very nervous, and untrusting – making it almost impossible to catch them. The team could only manage to slowly wade through the mud, with thick branches and roots tripping them or blocking their path. The dogs however managed to scamper away swiftly every time someone came too near for comfort. The rising tide also forced the dogs further inland. Fishermen nearby warned that there are wild boars and snakes on the island too. (Thankfully, we didn't bump into either)

By afternoon, we had managed to only catch 2 dogs. Wowow is a friendly, short black dog. BooBoo is an intimidating looking dog who doesn't trust us one bit. Both are very skinny, and settle down into their cages looking exhausted but grateful. On the trip back, they lie flat on their sides and sleep.

As of today, 5 dogs have been successfully recovered – 3 by Furry Friends Farm and 2 by us. We have paid a worker to feed the dogs on Thursday with food we left behind , we hope this regular feeding will draw more dogs towards the fringe of the island.

Overall, using nets and graspers proves impossible – using a nylon leash is much faster. The mangrove is slowing down our movement, we will bring a machete tomorrow to help clear away branches and make a path.

We will try using sedatives (mixed into food) and 4 dog traps tomorrow, we hope to bring more dogs back safely. The team will be beefed up a little – Committee Member E-Ching, Inspectors Cunera & Murugan, Kennel Worker Sugen, PR Officers Jacinta and Shahrul, and Volunteers Jorg and Lynette will be going.

A very generous supporter has offered to help us ferry the dogs back and forth on his boat, while the PAWS Animal Shelter in Subang Jaya have kindly offered to provide temporary shelter for some of the dogs rescued in the following days.

We will be bringing more water cans, bags of dog food, and tempting treats like boiled liver and meat strips.

Thank you all again for your support and concern, we hope to update you all again on Day 2 of our rescue and relief work tomorrow evening through our website.


Best Regards,
The Team @ SPCA Selangor