KUALA LUMPUR: Animal rights activists in Singapore and Malaysia have called on the authorities at a botanical park area in the island country to ensure stray dogs are treated humanely and not killed after a woman was attacked. According to park officials, speaking to reporters on Wednesday, a 22-year-old local woman was attacked by a group of dogs at the Gardens by the Bay botanical park, which made its opening last month. According to reports, street dogs have descended on the area from nearby construction sites, seeking out the comfort of the plants, grass and an easier life. But the $790 million facility wants to put an end to the stray dogs in the area. Animal rights activists told Bikyamasr.com they are urging the park to not kill the dogs. “The animals are most likely malnourished, sad and have no where else to go, so they should be treated as the victims they are,” said Singapore resident and animal rights campaigner Ingrid Turner. “I hope and pray that the park will be just and humane in helping to give these dogs a new home and not just kick them out or worse.” For the park's credit, they have not yet said what course of action they would take to tackle the dog “problem,” but did say they were working on a solution to remove the animals from the facility. “Public safety is our top priority," a spokesman for the park said, confirming that operations to round up the strays had been stepped up following the dog attack on Monday. Local media reported that three dogs were involved in the incident. The government's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) confirmed that stray dogs had been spotted by the public in the area before the gardens opened, and that it had caught eight strays so far and put down six of them. “We will continue our surveillance in the area," it said in a statement. The Gardens by the Bay include two enormous conservatories, artificial waterfalls and 18 man-made “supertrees" up to 50 meters high, in a lush tropical setting, AsiaOne.com reported of the new park. But animal rights activists in Malaysia said they would join their Singapore counterparts if the government there does not ensure that the dogs are not slaughtered. “We are ready and prepared if our Singapore animal rights friends need a big force to demand any end to any unnecessary killing,” Aziza Usman told Bikyamasr.com, while showing photos of street dogs in Singapore.
