The Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia (Perhilitan) has defended its controversial use of puppies as live bait to capture a wild black panther in Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan last month.
Following animal rights groups protesting the method used by the department and appealing for the use of other means, Perhilitan clarified that it resorted to using puppies after earlier attempts to lure the black panther with a goat failed.
The use of puppies as live bait for the black panther was made public by a report by Sinar Harian on 18 September, whereby 3 puppies were used as live bait for a week to successfully lure the black panther into a trap.
As reported by the Associated Press, Perhilitan Director General Abdul Kadir Abu Hashim said that it’s standard procedure to use live animals and revealed that the puppies were not physically harmed in the process and that officials adhered to the operating procedures.
Furthermore, the trap — a cage with a separate compartment to hold the puppies — is able to swiftly release the canines once the panther is caught.
He added,
“In this particular case, there was an indication that the panther had attacked dogs (before), so we used the puppies for their barking and scent to attract the panther,”
Last month, farmers in a village in Beting, Kuala Pilah were terrified after spotting a black panther near their home. They then lodged a complaint with Perhilitan after the wild animal mauled their dog at a fruit orchard in the state on 4 September.
On 4 October, Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Aminuddin Harun took to Facebook to share the chronology of events and how the black panther was safely captured by Perhilitan.
So, what do you guys think of the whole situation? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
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