Did You Know Ipoh City Council Places Captured Stray Dogs at Dumpsite With No Food & Shelter?

By Karissa Lund  •  18 Mar 2021 in News

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According to Malay Mail, the Ipoh City Council (MBI) has been placing strays it caught at the Papan landfill with no food, water or shelter. Volunteers that help take care of these abandoned dogs say that this has been going on for years and the animals are left to fend for themselves.

Fortunately, a group of caring people who calls themselves ‘feeders’ are providing these dogs with fresh food and clean water almost daily.

A Facebook page called ‘The Forgotten Souls at Papan Dumpsite‘ claims that Papan dumpsite which is located at the Ipoh-Lumut Highway, is where MBI would leave captured strays. There are approximately hundreds of stray dogs at the landfill and the number is increasingly growing.

One of the volunteer feeders, Loh Khuan Kheong told Malay Mail that he sometimes uses his own money to buy food if there are no donations. Loh, who goes on every Monday, said he spends at least two hours feeding the dogs.

“Besides the dogs, I also feed the monkeys there,” he said.

Appealing to the council to treat the strays humanely rather than dumping them at a “no man’s land”, Loh said there were better ways to solve the problem.

“Dumping them there is akin to killing them. There is no food or water,” Loh said while adding that they even had to put up with irresponsible dog owners who dumped their pets there too.

A fellow feeder, who wished to be known as Shue, suggested the council subsidises the neutering or spaying cost to reduce the city’s strays. Shue mentioned that some of the dogs end up either poisoned by irresponsible people or mowed down by rubbish trucks.

Pet taxi operator Juvena Chan who also is a feeder said she started feeding the dogs last year after she was asked by a friend to help out. She comes to feed the dogs every Thursday come rain or shine.

Chan noted that her first feeding spot is at Taman Bistari, a housing estate located opposite the landfill.

“I start my day at 11am by going to three places to pick up food donated by donors before heading over to Papan… The dogs are those that crossed the road from the landfill after they were released by the council. From the traffic light junction to the entrance of the landfill, we make at least five stops to feed,” she said.

The feeders would also help wash the water bowls and refill them with clean water.

During feeding, Chan said feeders would look out for dogs that needed medical attention too and if it was really bad, they would send them to the vet.

While the volunteers are doing the best they can with their own time, money and donations – the Papan Landfill is not a safe haven for dogs and many have died from the poor conditions.

If you wish to assist or help in any way, you can visit the Facebook page of The Forgotten Souls at Papan Dumpsite for more info.