Target: Dr. Yeoh Boon Kiat, Director, Department of Veterinary Services, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
Goal: Ensure a thorough investigation is carried out and appropriate charges filed against those responsible for allegedly using a stray dog as a target for firecrackers, leaving the animal with multiple painful, pus-filled wounds.
A stray dog in Telipok Ria, Sabah, was allegedly used as living target practice — with firecrackers thrown directly at its body by children, some exploding on contact and leaving multiple pus-filled wounds that volunteers initially mistook for bullet holes. According to animal welfare volunteers who discovered the animal during a routine trap-and-neuter programme, the injuries were too deliberate and consistent to be accidental, and witnesses confirmed what had happened. A report has since been lodged with the Department of Veterinary Services.
What makes this case especially troubling is that it is not isolated. According to the animal welfare group that discovered the dog, this is the second cruelty case in the same area — suggesting an environment where the abuse of stray animals has become a recurring pattern that has gone unchecked. No arrests have been made.
Alleged cruelty of this kind demands a decisive response from authorities. Malaysia’s Animal Welfare Act 2015 exists to protect animals from exactly this kind of deliberate and sustained infliction of pain. The Sabah Department of Veterinary Services must ensure the investigation is pursued thoroughly and that those responsible are identified and prosecuted.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Dr. Yeoh,
We are writing to urge your department to conduct a thorough investigation into the alleged use of a stray dog as a target for firecrackers in Telipok Ria, resulting in multiple pus-filled wounds across the animal’s body. According to reports filed by animal welfare volunteers who discovered the dog, this is the second cruelty case identified in the same area — suggesting that abuse of stray animals in this location may be an ongoing and unchecked problem.
The injuries documented on this animal were seemingly too deliberate and consistent to be accidental. Witnesses stated that children were throwing firecrackers at the dog, some exploding directly on its body. If so, this constitutes a serious violation of Malaysia’s Animal Welfare Act 2015, and the individuals responsible must be identified and held to account.
We respectfully call on your department to ensure that the report lodged by the Borneo Animal Welfare Society is fully investigated, that the individuals responsible are identified and referred for prosecution, and that the community in Telipok Ria receives clear communication that such acts will not be tolerated. This dog deserves justice.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: JJ Harrison
