THE department in charge of wildlife and national parks, Perhilitan, has recently come under fire from the public after it was revealed that they had been trapping wild panthers using live puppies as bait.
The issue was initially revealed on Sept 18, when Sinar Harian revealed that at Kampung Ulu Beting in Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan.
Three puppies were used as bait, ending the panther’s reign of terror. Furthermore, on Sept 27, a second panther was captured.
Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Haji Aminuddin Harun stated that another panther was captured on Oct 1 in a Facebook post published on Oct 5.
Since then, there was uproar over the contentious technique when it became known that puppies were utilised as bait to entice the panthers into the trap.
Animal rights organisation Persatuan Haiwan Terbiar (SAFM), president, R Kalaivanan, questioned why more “humane” techniques, like using raw meat from goats, chicken, cows, or turkeys, were not used, criticised the move.
Moreover, the director-general of Perhilitan, Abdul Kadir Abu Hassan, gave an assurance to FMT regarding the criticism, saying that the department had adhered to the operation’s SOPs.
He mentioned that Perhilitan had tried to catch the panther in the past with a live goat, but it was unsuccessful.
“We utilised the puppies’ barking and scent to draw the panther in this instance since there were signs that the animal had attacked dogs in the past. We couldn’t fit an adult dog into the trap, so we had to use puppies.” He asserted.
He added, “As soon as the panther was caught, the puppies were released from the cage, and none of them sustained any injuries.”