Last Saturday, FMT reported about a notice by MBSA which stated that the council had plans to capture 500 stray dogs during a three-day exercise in Setia Alam, with the canines to be “culled using the prescribed method”.

Speaking to FMT, MBSA councillor Simon Siow said the council never intended to cull the dogs captured during the operation, scheduled for April 22-24.

“The wording is a bit harsh but it is just to warn owners to take care of their dogs,” Siow told FMT.

“We will detain the dogs for seven days and if the owners don’t come forward to claim them, we will send them to the PAWS Animal Welfare Society.”

However, PAWS said MBSA had not notified them about the three-day operation or about sending the unclaimed dogs to their facility.

In a Facebook post yesterday, the animal shelter said it would “never agree” to the conditions outlined in the MBSA notice, even if it was consulted or informed about the exercise beforehand.

“We would like to assert that PAWS will not be accepting any strays caught in this operation,” the non-profit body said.

When contacted today, PAWS manager Lim Choon Sun confirmed that it will not be involved in the MBSA-led exercise.

Earlier today, the Tengku Permaisuri of Selangor said she was disappointed with MBSA over its plans to conduct the operation.

In a Facebook post, Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin said she had repeatedly emphasised her strong opposition to the “catch-and-kill” approach and that she was saddened over the planned operation.

“I believe there are many other methods that can be used to address this issue, including neutering.

“As the royal patron of the Stray Free Selangor campaign under the Selangor Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA Selangor), I want local authorities to reconsider (and use) a more holistic approach to managing these stray dogs,” she said.