My Letter to the Editor on restricting the retail sale of pets and banning the sale of wildlife (see previous entry, dated March 27) has elicited this official response from the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment:
Pet shops: Laws being reviewed for better control
By DR AMERJIT SINGH, for Natural Resources and Environment Ministry
10 April, 2008
WITH reference to the letter "Restrict sales to certain shops" by Wong Ee Lynn (NST, March 28), I wish to make some clarifications based on the input provided by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks. Licensed pet shops can only trade in limited species of wildlife listed in the "protected" category of the Protection of Wildlife Act 1972. They are not allowed to buy and sell any "totally protected" species such as the mongoose.
However, the public should also be aware that many pet shops buy and sell wildlife that is not protected under the act. If exotic foreign wildlife is traded, the department ensures that provisions of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) are followed.
It is acknowledged that more professionalism is needed among pet shop owners, especially in the care of animals in captivity. The Wildlife Department sees it as one of its main responsibilities and priorities. In addition to providing guidelines, regular awareness programmes are also carried out to ensure traders comply with the guidelines. Together with the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, the department is at present reviewing the Protection of Wildlife Act. Therefore, the writer's suggestion to make such guidelines binding will given due consideration.The writer mentioned that there are pet shops that are illegally selling protected wildlife. The department urges the writer and members of the public to pass on such information to us for immediate action.
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Very encouraging indeed. We may be on our way to attaining developed nation status after all.
Whiskey Echo Lima – Out.
Thursday, 10 April 2008
Monday, 7 April 2008
Felicity and other new family members.
There was good news when I arrived at the SPCA today around noon. Apparently Chelvy has been making steady improvements since being discharged from hospital a week ago, and yesterday she had visited the SPCA for about an hour. She isn’t fit to return to work just yet, but at least she is really keen to and looking chipper! I am sorry that I had missed her by one day.
I went to the food stall across the road from the SPCA to have a coffee and found a kitten begging for food. One of her eyes was glued shut with discharge. In its early stages, eye infection in young animals is highly treatable, but without medical attention, the virus soon attacks their eyesight. This explains the number of blind strays in the streets.
I brought the kitten back to the shelter and asked Dr. Pushpa if she could administer medicine, as I intend to keep the kitten. Kind Dr. Pushpa cleaned the kitten’s eyes and we were relieved to see that she still has vision in her infected eye. I applied eye ointment and Dr. Pushpa gave her a vitamin B jab. The good doctor then gave me some Doxycilin to administer to my new kitty daily and then I housed kitty in a pet carrier with food and water so I could continue with my animal shelter duties. I have decided to name her Felicity because that is my wish for her – Happiness.
Rose and I bathed all the dogs from the Maternity kennels as the new arrivals had brought ticks with them. We soaked all the dogs with tickwash and checked them for signs of any other infection or injury. We also bathed and tick-washed all other new arrivals and other kennel dogs who were in need of a wash.
At 1700 hours, Reve and I locked the gates, let the dogs out to play in the shelter compound and began cleaning. I scrubbed and disinfected the Cattery, Mummy Kennels, Central Area, Puppy Area and Reception / Administrative areas. Then I put away the donated items and newspapers, took out the trash.
It was while Reve and I were cleaning the cooking area that we had a conversation about snakes. I like all non-poisonous snakes, but Reve, being Belgian and civilised, was repulsed by snakes.
“There was a banana snake in my house the other day,” she reported.
“A banana snake?” I echoed, mystified.
My mind raced through every page of my Field Guide to Reptiles of Southeast Asia but I have never read or heard of a banana snake. If it were a black and yellow snake, it could be either a cat snake or coral snake of some sort, though I have never heard of those snakes being near human habitation. We normally find only keelbacks, bronzebacks and whip snakes in the city.
I asked Reve for a description and she described it as being a long, slender, green snake with a triangular head. It was an Oriental Whip Snake after all! I wonder how she came up with a ‘Banana Snake’. I was half expecting a yellow snake with black speckles, and which peels its own skin off periodically. A banana snake, forsooth!
As I was rinsing off the soapy shelter floor, Reve asked if I could find a foster home for a month-old puppy. If not fostered, the little guy would be too weak to make it in the shelter without a mother, and would have to be euthanised by next week. The puppy is brown and cuddly and has a rounded and ursine appearance. We had to save him by tonight. I agreed to take him home, but because I could not risk him contracting Felicity’s flu and eye infection, I had to get him a foster home immediately. And so I made urgent appeals by text message to friends, asking if they could foster a tiny puppy for a month.
Twin Bro responded within minutes, having passed on the message to his friends and receiving the response from his old buddy Prahasan that they would like to foster the puppy. With much relief, I brought both Felicity and the teddy-bear puppy home.
I put up cages for Felicity and Bear in a sheltered area in our porch at the Officers’ Quarters, and gave them fresh food and water and clean bedding. Felicity crunched up her kitten kibbles and Bear stuck his entire upper body into the dish of puppy food and started lapping heartily, much to my housemate Jessica’s delight, because this means Bear would have a higher chance of survival without his mother.
I cleaned the Bachelor Officers’ Quarters while waiting for the Twin and his Girl to come over. They arrived around 2300 hours and were thrilled with the puppy, although I am surprised to see how little the Twin knew about the care of young animals. He had expected to bathe and walk the puppy, and I had to inform him that the former would weaken the puppy and possibly kill him, while the latter would injure the puppy’s neck and spine and possibly kill him, too. The Twin hadn’t realised that at 1 month, puppies have no use for baths and walks yet, and both would do them harm.
I handed the Bear (in a carrier) to the Twin’s Girl and the foldable cage and puppy food to the Twin. We bade Bear goodbye (Jessica was missing her Bear already) and I went back in to tend to the Rowdies’ needs.
I cleaned the Quarters, got my things ready for the workweek and retired to bed with a copy of the Sunday papers. It has been a rewarding day. Together, we managed to save two little lives today. Who knows how many we will be able to save next week.
Whiskey Echo Lima – Out.
I went to the food stall across the road from the SPCA to have a coffee and found a kitten begging for food. One of her eyes was glued shut with discharge. In its early stages, eye infection in young animals is highly treatable, but without medical attention, the virus soon attacks their eyesight. This explains the number of blind strays in the streets.
I brought the kitten back to the shelter and asked Dr. Pushpa if she could administer medicine, as I intend to keep the kitten. Kind Dr. Pushpa cleaned the kitten’s eyes and we were relieved to see that she still has vision in her infected eye. I applied eye ointment and Dr. Pushpa gave her a vitamin B jab. The good doctor then gave me some Doxycilin to administer to my new kitty daily and then I housed kitty in a pet carrier with food and water so I could continue with my animal shelter duties. I have decided to name her Felicity because that is my wish for her – Happiness.
Rose and I bathed all the dogs from the Maternity kennels as the new arrivals had brought ticks with them. We soaked all the dogs with tickwash and checked them for signs of any other infection or injury. We also bathed and tick-washed all other new arrivals and other kennel dogs who were in need of a wash.
At 1700 hours, Reve and I locked the gates, let the dogs out to play in the shelter compound and began cleaning. I scrubbed and disinfected the Cattery, Mummy Kennels, Central Area, Puppy Area and Reception / Administrative areas. Then I put away the donated items and newspapers, took out the trash.
It was while Reve and I were cleaning the cooking area that we had a conversation about snakes. I like all non-poisonous snakes, but Reve, being Belgian and civilised, was repulsed by snakes.
“There was a banana snake in my house the other day,” she reported.
“A banana snake?” I echoed, mystified.
My mind raced through every page of my Field Guide to Reptiles of Southeast Asia but I have never read or heard of a banana snake. If it were a black and yellow snake, it could be either a cat snake or coral snake of some sort, though I have never heard of those snakes being near human habitation. We normally find only keelbacks, bronzebacks and whip snakes in the city.
I asked Reve for a description and she described it as being a long, slender, green snake with a triangular head. It was an Oriental Whip Snake after all! I wonder how she came up with a ‘Banana Snake’. I was half expecting a yellow snake with black speckles, and which peels its own skin off periodically. A banana snake, forsooth!
As I was rinsing off the soapy shelter floor, Reve asked if I could find a foster home for a month-old puppy. If not fostered, the little guy would be too weak to make it in the shelter without a mother, and would have to be euthanised by next week. The puppy is brown and cuddly and has a rounded and ursine appearance. We had to save him by tonight. I agreed to take him home, but because I could not risk him contracting Felicity’s flu and eye infection, I had to get him a foster home immediately. And so I made urgent appeals by text message to friends, asking if they could foster a tiny puppy for a month.
Twin Bro responded within minutes, having passed on the message to his friends and receiving the response from his old buddy Prahasan that they would like to foster the puppy. With much relief, I brought both Felicity and the teddy-bear puppy home.
I put up cages for Felicity and Bear in a sheltered area in our porch at the Officers’ Quarters, and gave them fresh food and water and clean bedding. Felicity crunched up her kitten kibbles and Bear stuck his entire upper body into the dish of puppy food and started lapping heartily, much to my housemate Jessica’s delight, because this means Bear would have a higher chance of survival without his mother.
I cleaned the Bachelor Officers’ Quarters while waiting for the Twin and his Girl to come over. They arrived around 2300 hours and were thrilled with the puppy, although I am surprised to see how little the Twin knew about the care of young animals. He had expected to bathe and walk the puppy, and I had to inform him that the former would weaken the puppy and possibly kill him, while the latter would injure the puppy’s neck and spine and possibly kill him, too. The Twin hadn’t realised that at 1 month, puppies have no use for baths and walks yet, and both would do them harm.
I handed the Bear (in a carrier) to the Twin’s Girl and the foldable cage and puppy food to the Twin. We bade Bear goodbye (Jessica was missing her Bear already) and I went back in to tend to the Rowdies’ needs.
I cleaned the Quarters, got my things ready for the workweek and retired to bed with a copy of the Sunday papers. It has been a rewarding day. Together, we managed to save two little lives today. Who knows how many we will be able to save next week.
Whiskey Echo Lima – Out.
Sunday, 6 April 2008
Nature Day Camp for the National Dyslexia Foundation
Was up by 0600 hours on Saturday as I had somehow been persuaded and cajoled into helping out with a Nature Day Camp at the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) for 77 children from the National Dyslexia Association.
These are not underprivileged children like the ones I am used to working with, and most are from families of means, so it means these children are not as used to being in the Great Outdoors as the children I have worked with. Most of these kids have just dyslexia or dyspraxia, although there were at least 5 slow learners in the Junior Group that I was to assist with.
Suzanne and Najwa, our MNS Enviro Education staff, had arranged for the Senior Group (ages 10 – 14) to do the Canopy Walk and Scavenger Hunt, while the Junior Group (ages 5 – 10) were to do the Jungle Walk and Stream Ecology. Both groups were to do the Blind Trail and Paper Recycling after lunch.
The funny thing I learned about fear and phobias is that children who have never had any prior encounters with leeches, or better yet, have never heard of leeches before, have no fear of them. They were intrigued when Suzanne picked one off her arm and showed it to them, but not really afraid. The only exceptions were those who have been scared into submission by stories of ‘bloodsucking worms’ told by parents who were initially reluctant to let their offspring join the Day Camp.
We did a short jungle walk and pointed out a dusky leaf monkey, creepers, bamboos, certain tree specie and crown shyness patterns to the children before we arrived at the second stream for their stream ecology lesson. My job, besides being a sweeper and pack mule, was to assist and guide the children and explain and repeat information to the slower ones. At the stream, I had to corral the children to make sure they did not wander off into deeper waters and I had to teach them how to collect fishes, shrimps and other small animals in their nets without killing their catch. Some of the children were more interested in throwing fistfuls of river dirt at one another. They executed enough mud-slinging to qualify as Democrats.
We released the animals back into the stream after the session and led our charges back onto the hiking trail to remove the leeches from their feet and legs. Most children were not unduly alarmed, although those who had fear of blood or of any invertebrate in general were hyperventilating with terror and had to be restrained and calmed.
The Junior Group had their lunch of fried rice, chicken nuggets and fries and I commented on the lack of vegetables and healthier options to the organisers. As the teachers and remaining adults were able to handle the post-lunch Blind Trail and Paper Recycling sessions, I asked to be excused as I had a very hectic weekend schedule.
Went back to the parental home before the parents reached home from Penang, gave Amber a bath, cleaned the house, did the laundry and sorted out the recyclables. The parents got home around 1730 hours. I took Amber on a car ride and a walk before it rained, had dinner with the family and spent the rest of the evening reviewing documents and sorting out my vouchers and receipts for income tax assessment.
This here soldier is tired out from having to wake up early on a Saturday. Whiskey Echo Lima -- Out.
These are not underprivileged children like the ones I am used to working with, and most are from families of means, so it means these children are not as used to being in the Great Outdoors as the children I have worked with. Most of these kids have just dyslexia or dyspraxia, although there were at least 5 slow learners in the Junior Group that I was to assist with.
Suzanne and Najwa, our MNS Enviro Education staff, had arranged for the Senior Group (ages 10 – 14) to do the Canopy Walk and Scavenger Hunt, while the Junior Group (ages 5 – 10) were to do the Jungle Walk and Stream Ecology. Both groups were to do the Blind Trail and Paper Recycling after lunch.
The funny thing I learned about fear and phobias is that children who have never had any prior encounters with leeches, or better yet, have never heard of leeches before, have no fear of them. They were intrigued when Suzanne picked one off her arm and showed it to them, but not really afraid. The only exceptions were those who have been scared into submission by stories of ‘bloodsucking worms’ told by parents who were initially reluctant to let their offspring join the Day Camp.
We did a short jungle walk and pointed out a dusky leaf monkey, creepers, bamboos, certain tree specie and crown shyness patterns to the children before we arrived at the second stream for their stream ecology lesson. My job, besides being a sweeper and pack mule, was to assist and guide the children and explain and repeat information to the slower ones. At the stream, I had to corral the children to make sure they did not wander off into deeper waters and I had to teach them how to collect fishes, shrimps and other small animals in their nets without killing their catch. Some of the children were more interested in throwing fistfuls of river dirt at one another. They executed enough mud-slinging to qualify as Democrats.
We released the animals back into the stream after the session and led our charges back onto the hiking trail to remove the leeches from their feet and legs. Most children were not unduly alarmed, although those who had fear of blood or of any invertebrate in general were hyperventilating with terror and had to be restrained and calmed.
The Junior Group had their lunch of fried rice, chicken nuggets and fries and I commented on the lack of vegetables and healthier options to the organisers. As the teachers and remaining adults were able to handle the post-lunch Blind Trail and Paper Recycling sessions, I asked to be excused as I had a very hectic weekend schedule.
Went back to the parental home before the parents reached home from Penang, gave Amber a bath, cleaned the house, did the laundry and sorted out the recyclables. The parents got home around 1730 hours. I took Amber on a car ride and a walk before it rained, had dinner with the family and spent the rest of the evening reviewing documents and sorting out my vouchers and receipts for income tax assessment.
This here soldier is tired out from having to wake up early on a Saturday. Whiskey Echo Lima -- Out.
The Latest on Marmaduke
MARMADUKE
We have updates on the mongrel we met at the MNS HQ on Sunday. Serina, Ravinder, June and Suzanne were at the HQ on Monday and lo and behold, the mongrel was still there, and his ear was still bleeding. The ladies fed and bathed him, sprayed medicine on his wound, bandaged his ear and named him Marmaduke. Next, they took him to the vet to be vaccinated and to have his torn earflap stitched. For the time being, they housed him in a Buddhist temple in Puchong. Then, they sent out an appeal for adopters and foster homes. I did recommend putting flyers with his photo on it in mailboxes in the area, so his owner could come to claim him, but the ladies did something even smarter. They got a reporter from the Metro pages of The Star (Jake’s paper!) to do a write-up on Marmaduke in order to trace his owner and to find him a new home.
The good news first: 5 families called up, offering to adopt him. Even the Reverend of the Buddhist temple, after having Marmaduke with him for 3 days, expressed the intention to keep the dog.
The bad news? The owner called up, and alleged that he had taken Marmaduke to the vet before, but Marmaduke kept scratching the stitches open again. Exasperated, he gave Marmaduke away to a friend. His friend then abandoned Marmaduke at the MNS HQ and the owner did not know of this until Marmaduke’s photo came out in the papers. He now wants Marmaduke back.
I have advised the ladies not to return Marmaduke to his owner. If that good-for-nothing so-and-so had given his dog away before, what’s going to stop him from giving Marmaduke away again when Marmaduke gets hurt or falls sick? Also, I believe the whole story of having given the dog to his ‘friend’ is fictional. I believe he has abandoned the dog himself, and when confronted by neighbours who recognised the dog from the photo in the papers, felt embarrassed and compelled to call Suzanne up. If he thinks we are so stupid as to hand Marmaduke back to him, well, he’s mistaken. In fact, we should be reporting him to the SPCA and getting him charged in court for abuse and neglect of a companion animal. Marmaduke would definitely be happier in a new home.
I trust the ladies will make the best decision in Marmaduke’s interest and that Marmaduke will be very happy in his new home.
Saturday, 5 April 2008
I Feel Like A Thousand Bucks
Was listening to my favourite radio station Lite FM on my phone radio when I decided to call in and answer a quiz question. I happened to be the lucky 9th caller through, and so I spoke to the DJ and gave him the correct answer to the question. I hadn’t thought it would be so easy, but it was, and I won myself a thousand bucks. Looks like I may not have lost my Lucky Streak entirely. I really am grateful for this. I wonder if there will be any conflict of interest if I were to send the radio station’s announcers a goodie basket to thank them for the good work they are doing.
Friday, 4 April 2008
Choking Charlie and other First Aid Adventures
Saturday, 29th March 2008 – Sunday, 30th March 2008: Choking Charlie and other First Aid Adventures
Had to disappoint a friend who had asked to join me for a weekend of backbreaking menial animal care work at the SPCA this week as I would not be at the shelter on Saturday.
The Selangor Branch of MNS had very generously decided to pay for the committee members and Special Interest Group coordinators to attend a Basic First Aid Certificate Course on the weekend of 29 – 30 March, and I’m really grateful to be afforded this opportunity as it is one of my goals for this year, having attended several First Aid courses but not having sat for the exams yet.
Our trainers were Mr. Chellayan and Mr. Rajah of the Malaysian Red Crescent Society and we could not have asked for better instructors. They had us in stitches most of the time, and we enjoyed the lessons tremendously. I am sure the feeling was reciprocated, because they intimated to us later that we were far more passionate and knowledgeable about rendering First Aid than most of the participants they have instructed before. Well, that goes without saying, because we are after all, volunteers for the Malaysian Nature Society, and not mere mortals! There were, of course, other participants, namely other MNS members who do not hold any office, and the employees of a professional cave guide company.
Our course covered the usual topics: First Aid Principles, Injuries, Open / Closed Wounds, Fractures, Poisoning, Electrocution, Sudden Illness, Shock, Animal and Insect Bites and Stings, Choking, CPR and Rescue and Recovery. The classes were mostly conducted in the Auditorium of our Urban Nature Centre but there was also an outdoor session where we learned the correct technique of carrying a victim to safety. Cave SIG’s Rajiv played the role of our victim and we threatened to leave him behind to be eaten alive by the mosquitoes in Heritage Trail, after leaving him strapped to the emergency stretcher. “Bye Rajiv”, we waved. “See you on Monday”.
Rajiv was duly rescued and we continued with our lessons. We practiced the Heimlich Manoeuvre on a Red Cross dummy named Choking Charlie, who I developed a fair bit of affection for. Sometime on Saturday evening, I had a moment of insanity and tried the Heimlich on myself. I put my right fist against the lower third of my sternum and hit it hard with my left hand. The pain sent me rolling on the ground, gasping for air. It was enough to make me want to regurgitate the peanut butter sandwiches I had for lunch. Well, at least I now have categorical proof that the Heimlich Manoeuvre really does work, and is extremely painful.
Went back to the parental home on Saturday night after the Day 1 of the Course. Saw to Amber’s needs, cleaned my parents’ home and, instead of studying for my test, spent the night reading ‘Stuart: A Life Backwards’, which is an entertaining biography of a highly disturbed homeless man.
We had an unexpected guest at the MNS Headquarters on Sunday morning. A large mongrel with an injured ear was taking shelter at our HQ, and we fed him our sandwiches. He looked like a stray but didn’t behave like one, so we speculated that he could be an abandoned pet.
Classes started at 0900h so we had to leave the old boy at the car park while we went in for lessons. We practiced doing CPR on a Red Cross CPR dummy, and there was so much ribbing, giggling and vulgar insinuations going on that woe betide anyone actually needing us Fruits and Nuts to render CPR to save their lives.
The theory test itself was a doddle. The CPR practical test was far easier when done in a room with just you, the dummy and the examiner, and without your friends wolf-whistling, laughing, pointing and carrying on.
Completed the test and said cheerio to my friends at 1530 h. Went back to the Bachelor Officers’ Quarters, fed the Rowdies, tidied the place up and went out to the vegetarian food stall for a late lunch. One of the stall owners have managed to catch a stray cat for me to bring for neutering, but unfortunately I won’t be going to the shelter until next week and we had to let the cat go free for the time being.
Breaking News: I have spotted Ninja (see last entry) twice so far. He is back at the food stalls and is in good health. He took food from me but would not let me touch him. I don’t blame him for being angry with me for preventing him from sowing his wild oats anymore.
I called up a 4x4 buddy to see if he wanted to go for a spot of offroading and birdwatching. He did, and he agreed to take me to the mining pool where he spotted all the herons and little grebes.
We drove on a dirt track on the fringes of Shah Alam leading to Klang, often along a relatively unpolluted river populated by cattle egrets, swamp herons, black-capped night herons, white-breasted waterhens and white-throated kingfishers. I spotted a greater coucal in the long reeds as well. Along the dirt track, long-tailed macaques sat on telephone poles and watched us with churn up dust.
As we drove past oil palm plantations, I realised what a hotbed for Islamic deviationist cults the boondocks of Klang could be. Only last year, the State Religious Dept (which has jurisdiction only over Muslims) announced the demise of a Noah’s Ark cult after the death of its charismatic leader, and had to tear down the cult’s commune, constructed in the shape of an enormous seagoing vessel, in the middle of a secondary forest. There were other cults involving polygamous or adulterous charismatic leaders as well, which is not really that unusual as far as religious cults are concerned, and then there are the more bizarre cults that worship certain totem animals or construct unusual monuments and places of worship. I marvelled at the strangeness of the mansions I saw in Klang, set in walled-in cloisters facing mosque-like structures. These pseudo-religious communes typically had animal pens on one side, as they are intended to be self-sufficient.
They are fine as they are, but if the cult leaders start making too much money, we’ll soon have the State Religious Dept getting shirty and running after them for apostasy and insulting Islam. It’s safe to be a cult leader as long as you remain poor. You don’t start becoming a threat to National Security until you become a millionaire.
We drove on to Pulau Indah in Klang in the hope of spotting shorebirds, but all I saw were giant mudskippers and blue-spotted mudskippers, and the odd Brahminy Kite. It soon began to rain and I was thus hindered from visiting sea-gypsy Orang Asli villages.
Spent the rest of the night cleaning the Bachelor Officers’ Quarters and then reading up on IT contracts while lying in bed with the rowdies. I have one more week to decide whether I wish to apply for the post of a local councillor to serve my community better.
Wednesday, 2 April 2008
Easter Week
Thursday, 20th March 2008: Public Holiday -- Maulud Nabi
Had another split workweek thanks to Maulud Nabi (i.e. Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday) falling on a Thursday. As agreed with the food hawkers in my neighbourhood, they would help me catch the stray cats around the food stalls for neutering under SPCA’s Mission Help. However, we didn’t manage to get any suitable candidates for neutering today, as the only one we managed to catch was a nursing tabby. I will come back for her in a month or two, and her kittens within the next 3 months, but for today, I won’t have a cat to bring in because they are all too skittish.
Arrived at the SPCA and was accosted by the Chair, Christine. I could tell she wanted something from me, because she started complimenting me excessively and being unnaturally nice to me. She needed my feedback on implementing the 4-point action plan for a Stray-Free Malaysia, and in the end I agreed to draft a memorandum to the state government, state assemblymen and local councils to support, fund, implement and enforce certain proposed measures including setting up low-cost, high volume, community spay-and-neuter clinics in areas with a high low-income human population. I’m not sure what the committee members and paid staff (education, public relations and corporate communications officers) are working on that I have to be persuaded to take on this assignment, but I agreed to do it anyway because it will ultimately promote the cause of animal welfare.
Dr. Pushpa and I left for the Pandan Mewah Hospital around noon to visit Chelvy, who is still in the Intensive Care Unit. Chelvy was conscious but couldn’t speak because she had an oxygen mask on, and tubes inserted into her nose. Tears trickled down her cheek when she saw me, and I was shocked to see my friend so changed and weak. I have visited friends infected with dengue before, but they were all sitting up in bed having soup or watching TV or reading magazines, so why was Chelvy in such critical condition? We sat and chatted with Chelvy for a while and assured her that she would soon be transferred to the normal ward and then bade her goodbye so other visitors could enter the ICU as well.
Went back to the shelter and resumed work. It took me over 3 hours to walk, bathe, groom and tick-wash all the dogs in Kennels G and H. Then it was time to clean the shelter. Thankfully, Reve is back from visiting her grandchildren in Australia, so she could help with the adoption and surrender counselling and attend to the care and feeding of the baby animals.
I soaped, scrubbed and disinfected the cages, maternity kennels, cattery, puppy kennels, admin/reception area and cooking area while the dogs frolicked and played in the shelter compound. Reve offered to help me hose and rinse the soaped areas so I could go home in time to have dinner with Vegan Eugene.
Reached home, cleaned myself up and went over to Marco’s Pizza down the road from the Officers’ Quarters. Vegan Eugene had a voucher for a free pizza on him so we demolished 2 large pizzas between us. I’m not too impressed with the service at Marco’s and would not have patronised their shop if not for their pukka pizzas.
After pizza, we went back to Eugene’s place for a bit of a chat with his beautiful black cat, Pearl. Spent the rest of the night back at the Officers’ Quarters cleaning the place up and washing the Battletank with rainwater collected over the course of 3 days.
Saturday, 22nd March 2008: SPCA and Mission Help Sorties
Back at the SPCA on Saturday morning. This time, I managed to catch a stray tomcat (black with white socks and chin) for neutering. He wasn’t a happy trooper at all about being caught and held captive. In fact, he was a spitting, hissing ball of rage. Once in Dr. Pushpa’s surgery, Ninja Cat made a spectacular leap out of the carrier and ran wildly all over the inside parameter of the surgery, knocking over anything that wasn’t nailed down. Muniandy had to be called in to help catch Ninja.
Ninja was duly neutered and left to recover from the anaesthetics in the carrier while I resumed my animal care duties. A whole busload of secondary school students had arrived at the shelter today to volunteer, but none of them were capable of doing anything of real value. They were afraid of being bitten by dogs, scratched by cats, bitten by ticks, soiled by animal waste, sodden by soap and water and otherwise harmed by sunshine and fresh air.
I blame the general ineptitude and fearfulness of today’s young people on their parents. Youngsters today are mollycoddled and bubble-wrapped by helicopter parents who prevent them from taking any risks and assure them that their only responsibility in life is to get good grades. The country now has an entire generation of pansies and cry-babies who don’t even know how to work a manual can opener.
I swore under my breath at the pale-faced ‘volunteers’ who provided Rose and I with an audience as we bathed the tick-infested dogs in the Sick Bay and dunked our canine charges in Tactick solution. I made some of the kids run errands, fetching pails and turning off taps, but even the simplest of tasks was executed as though in slow-motion.
The dogs in Sick Bay, being mostly pound dogs and abuse cases, were understandably not appreciative of our efforts. Rose and I were bitten by 3 of the terrified dogs, the sight of which sent the ‘volunteers’ scuttling in fright, although there was a 5-foot-high wall between them and us in Sick Bay. I do declare that these ‘volunteers’ are lousier than any louse-bitten stray I’ve met.
It started raining around 1400 hours, right after we had completed bathing all the dogs in Sick Bay. I proceeded to clean and disinfect the kennels at the back while waiting for the rain to let up. Next, I cleaned the Cattery and the bathroom. Sugen, Reve and I fed the animals and washed the first round of dirty food bowls, and then Reve and I checked all the cats and dogs for signs of injury or illness and rendered medical treatment accordingly. After the vets and staff had left, I cleaned and mopped the office, admin/reception areas and puppy areas, while Reve cleaned the remaining kennels and cages.
The rain subsided around dusk. I brought Ninja Cat back to his new home at the Officers’ Quarters. You would think he’d be happy about that, but he refused to come out of the carrier and clawed me when I tried to coax him out. I tried to tip him out of the carrier into the cage (he was by now fully alert and recovering quite well from the surgery) and out he came – a black ball of fear, fury and hostility. He screamed and hissed at Pixie for a full 15 seconds, and dashed into the vacant house across the street.
I called the vet, Dr. Lim, for advice and she assured me that as long as Ninja is no longer stumbling, he will be okay. He escaped only 150 metres away from his previous home (the food stalls across the playground) and can navigate his way home. The castration process left him with a mere superficial skin cut, which will heal in days, especially since the cut has been medicated and sprayed. I was relieved to hear that but put some food out for him all the same.
Showered, cleaned the Officers’ Quarters up, drove out in the pouring rain to hand over a recycling directory to an MNS member Sharath, who has initiated a 3R project in his office, and barrelled my way back to the parental home for the rest of the weekend.
Had another split workweek thanks to Maulud Nabi (i.e. Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday) falling on a Thursday. As agreed with the food hawkers in my neighbourhood, they would help me catch the stray cats around the food stalls for neutering under SPCA’s Mission Help. However, we didn’t manage to get any suitable candidates for neutering today, as the only one we managed to catch was a nursing tabby. I will come back for her in a month or two, and her kittens within the next 3 months, but for today, I won’t have a cat to bring in because they are all too skittish.
Arrived at the SPCA and was accosted by the Chair, Christine. I could tell she wanted something from me, because she started complimenting me excessively and being unnaturally nice to me. She needed my feedback on implementing the 4-point action plan for a Stray-Free Malaysia, and in the end I agreed to draft a memorandum to the state government, state assemblymen and local councils to support, fund, implement and enforce certain proposed measures including setting up low-cost, high volume, community spay-and-neuter clinics in areas with a high low-income human population. I’m not sure what the committee members and paid staff (education, public relations and corporate communications officers) are working on that I have to be persuaded to take on this assignment, but I agreed to do it anyway because it will ultimately promote the cause of animal welfare.
Dr. Pushpa and I left for the Pandan Mewah Hospital around noon to visit Chelvy, who is still in the Intensive Care Unit. Chelvy was conscious but couldn’t speak because she had an oxygen mask on, and tubes inserted into her nose. Tears trickled down her cheek when she saw me, and I was shocked to see my friend so changed and weak. I have visited friends infected with dengue before, but they were all sitting up in bed having soup or watching TV or reading magazines, so why was Chelvy in such critical condition? We sat and chatted with Chelvy for a while and assured her that she would soon be transferred to the normal ward and then bade her goodbye so other visitors could enter the ICU as well.
Went back to the shelter and resumed work. It took me over 3 hours to walk, bathe, groom and tick-wash all the dogs in Kennels G and H. Then it was time to clean the shelter. Thankfully, Reve is back from visiting her grandchildren in Australia, so she could help with the adoption and surrender counselling and attend to the care and feeding of the baby animals.
I soaped, scrubbed and disinfected the cages, maternity kennels, cattery, puppy kennels, admin/reception area and cooking area while the dogs frolicked and played in the shelter compound. Reve offered to help me hose and rinse the soaped areas so I could go home in time to have dinner with Vegan Eugene.
Reached home, cleaned myself up and went over to Marco’s Pizza down the road from the Officers’ Quarters. Vegan Eugene had a voucher for a free pizza on him so we demolished 2 large pizzas between us. I’m not too impressed with the service at Marco’s and would not have patronised their shop if not for their pukka pizzas.
After pizza, we went back to Eugene’s place for a bit of a chat with his beautiful black cat, Pearl. Spent the rest of the night back at the Officers’ Quarters cleaning the place up and washing the Battletank with rainwater collected over the course of 3 days.
Saturday, 22nd March 2008: SPCA and Mission Help Sorties
Back at the SPCA on Saturday morning. This time, I managed to catch a stray tomcat (black with white socks and chin) for neutering. He wasn’t a happy trooper at all about being caught and held captive. In fact, he was a spitting, hissing ball of rage. Once in Dr. Pushpa’s surgery, Ninja Cat made a spectacular leap out of the carrier and ran wildly all over the inside parameter of the surgery, knocking over anything that wasn’t nailed down. Muniandy had to be called in to help catch Ninja.
Ninja was duly neutered and left to recover from the anaesthetics in the carrier while I resumed my animal care duties. A whole busload of secondary school students had arrived at the shelter today to volunteer, but none of them were capable of doing anything of real value. They were afraid of being bitten by dogs, scratched by cats, bitten by ticks, soiled by animal waste, sodden by soap and water and otherwise harmed by sunshine and fresh air.
I blame the general ineptitude and fearfulness of today’s young people on their parents. Youngsters today are mollycoddled and bubble-wrapped by helicopter parents who prevent them from taking any risks and assure them that their only responsibility in life is to get good grades. The country now has an entire generation of pansies and cry-babies who don’t even know how to work a manual can opener.
I swore under my breath at the pale-faced ‘volunteers’ who provided Rose and I with an audience as we bathed the tick-infested dogs in the Sick Bay and dunked our canine charges in Tactick solution. I made some of the kids run errands, fetching pails and turning off taps, but even the simplest of tasks was executed as though in slow-motion.
The dogs in Sick Bay, being mostly pound dogs and abuse cases, were understandably not appreciative of our efforts. Rose and I were bitten by 3 of the terrified dogs, the sight of which sent the ‘volunteers’ scuttling in fright, although there was a 5-foot-high wall between them and us in Sick Bay. I do declare that these ‘volunteers’ are lousier than any louse-bitten stray I’ve met.
It started raining around 1400 hours, right after we had completed bathing all the dogs in Sick Bay. I proceeded to clean and disinfect the kennels at the back while waiting for the rain to let up. Next, I cleaned the Cattery and the bathroom. Sugen, Reve and I fed the animals and washed the first round of dirty food bowls, and then Reve and I checked all the cats and dogs for signs of injury or illness and rendered medical treatment accordingly. After the vets and staff had left, I cleaned and mopped the office, admin/reception areas and puppy areas, while Reve cleaned the remaining kennels and cages.
The rain subsided around dusk. I brought Ninja Cat back to his new home at the Officers’ Quarters. You would think he’d be happy about that, but he refused to come out of the carrier and clawed me when I tried to coax him out. I tried to tip him out of the carrier into the cage (he was by now fully alert and recovering quite well from the surgery) and out he came – a black ball of fear, fury and hostility. He screamed and hissed at Pixie for a full 15 seconds, and dashed into the vacant house across the street.
I called the vet, Dr. Lim, for advice and she assured me that as long as Ninja is no longer stumbling, he will be okay. He escaped only 150 metres away from his previous home (the food stalls across the playground) and can navigate his way home. The castration process left him with a mere superficial skin cut, which will heal in days, especially since the cut has been medicated and sprayed. I was relieved to hear that but put some food out for him all the same.
Showered, cleaned the Officers’ Quarters up, drove out in the pouring rain to hand over a recycling directory to an MNS member Sharath, who has initiated a 3R project in his office, and barrelled my way back to the parental home for the rest of the weekend.
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