It is imperative that all pets, as well as strays, are fully vaccinated against rabies to help curb the spread. — Photo from pexels.com

IF you’re addicted to catching up with the latest news, you’d have noticed that besides the round of global and local political headlines, we’ve had more than our usual share of news items concerning three subjects from our vast animal kingdom: pre-historic pests (crocodiles), porcine politics (pigs) and hazards of pets (dogs and cats).

Let me start off with the crocodiles.

Did you know that the estimate of crocodiles in Sarawak is 25,000, almost doubling the 13,500 recorded in 2014?

If you spread this figure across 4,500km of river systems, it would average out to more than five crocodiles per kilometre.

In heavily populated river systems like the Bako estuary, one can expect the number to far exceed this average.

I personally saw no less than half a dozen of them, of varying sizes, during a short boat ride towards Bako National Park.

This explosive population growth has been the result of our very own conservation and strict protection carried out under Sarawak Forest Corporation (SFC)’s Wildlife Protection Ordinance 1990.

Some local taboos against the killing and eating of crocodiles have also contributed to this population explosion.

Official statistics show about six cases of deaths by crocodiles per annum, but recent news headlines have definitely seen an upward swing in that figure, and we can expect the number to increase in the coming years.

In response to this, the government through the SFC, has introduced four measures to help curb the population of crocodiles:

i. The Crocodile Rules 2025 – new legislative measures created with Wildlife Management International (WMI) to implement science-based population culling and control;

ii. Commercial culling – Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) regulations have downgraded crocodiles in Sarawak from Appendix I protection to Appendix II; thus, allowing controlled commercial hunting and trade of skins and other products;

iii. Sarawak CrocWatch App – a government-backed mobile application designed for the public to monitor high-risk zones and directly report local reptile sightings to the authorities; thus improving faster action being taken by them, and;

iv. Crocodile Removal Zones (CRZ) – the dedicated target areas where aggressive reptiles are captured and relocated to isolated, protected sanctuaries like the Kuching Wetlands and Rajang Mangrove to preserve public safety.

Hopefully these measures would, in time, be able to control and curb the surge in the crocodile population and preserve public safety near our densely populated waterways.

Another recent development in a peninsular state, which has banned the breeding of pigs and the abolishing of all piggeries there, promises to be an economic booster and a major windfall for us here in Sarawak.

Sarawak produces around 350,000 pigs annually. Its primary integrated hub at the Pasir Puteh Pig Farming Area (PFA) in Simunjan maintains an estimated standing pig population (SPP) of 135,000 head at any one time.

Since 2017, Sarawak has been exporting an average of between 2,500 and 3,000 live pigs weekly to Singapore, making it the only Malaysian state licensed to do so.

Its value has totalled RM312 million up to date.

We also export our pigs to other Malaysian states like Selangor.

According to our state’s Ministry of Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development, Sarawak is rapidly expanding even further its commercial porcine sector and have targeted the following milestones by 2030:

i. Target Standing Stock – out to achieve a total capacity of 500,000 SPP from the current 135,000;

ii. Target Annual Production – scaling up to be able to produce 860,000 porkers annually, which will be worth up to RM1.29 billion based on current values, and;

iii. Three-Farm Strategy – this growth will be driven by the full commissioning of three major designated zones for piggeries:

Pasir Puteh PFA in Simunjan – expanding to 250,000 SPP,
Selangau PFA (Sibu) – to develop into a holding 125,000 SPP,
Ensengei modern pig farm in Serian – a privately held 519-acre farm capable of accommodating 50,000 SPP.

Sarawak started its shipment of live pigs to Selangor in July last year, and has plans to start shipping to Penang and Johor very soon.

The state government has also announced plans to establish a new School of Veterinary Medicine in Semenggok through collaboration with Universiti Putra Malaysia Sarawak.

Finally, the subject of rabies and its linkage to stray dogs and cats.

The situation today in Sarawak remains a critical public health crisis; we have, since the first outbreak in July 2017, recorded a total of 93 human cases and 86 deaths.

It appears that we have not been successful at managing this crisis so far.

Due to a high population of roaming stray dogs and cats, there is a very low canine vaccination rate of officially nine per cent (far below the 70 per cent herd immunity target) and a very dramatic shift where nearly half of all rabies exposure cases now involve domestic pets rather than just strays.

There has been in recent times a changing pattern of transmission.

While it was stray dogs that had initially brought the virus across the very porous borders of Kalimantan, recent data from Sarawak Health Department showed that roughly 60 per cent of animal bite and scratch cases involved cats; of these, nearly 68 per cent of all incidents involved domestic pets.

Unvaccinated pets interact with rabid strays frequently, contract the virus, and then inadvertently transmit it to their owners through minor scratches or bites.

In Sarawak, there is a very high bite frequency. The statistics averages 375 animal bite cases every week.

We have an estimated dog population of 66,500.

The current regular vaccine coverage is still severely low.

Indiscriminate culling of strays by authorities often creates a ‘vacuum effect’ – meaning these emptied territories are quickly occupied by unvaccinated, potentially-infected strays from the surrounding or adjacent areas, and the vicious cycle continues.

There is still widespread public ignorance when it comes to seeking medical care for minor scratches or bites; many still falsely believe that only deep stray dog bites are dangerous.

Any bite or scratch, no matter how small or superficial, needs immediate urgent attention and medical assistance.

If you are bitten or scratched by any dog or cat, you must take these immediate lifesaving steps before symptoms appear:

i. wash the wound immediately under running water with soap for at least 15 minutes to wash out the animal’s saliva;

ii. go straight to a government clinic or hospital to receive a free post-exposure rabies vaccination.

Once the symptoms such as hydrophobia, hallucinations and fever manifest, the virus is virtually 100 per cent fatal.

Do not wait!

On a brighter note – as we are celebrating either the Kaamatan in Sabah and Gawai Dayak in Sarawak, may I take this opportunity to wish all my dear readers and friends a most enlightened, emboldened, safe, peaceful and happy family bonding.

The post Of pest, porcine and pets – all making recent headlines appeared first on Borneo Post Online.