KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is shocked after a horrific video began making its rounds this week that showed two men murdering a dog by throwing the animal into a pothole. “I am shocked and don't know what to say,” began animal lover and activist Yussif Mahammad, who told Bikyamasr.com that he hoped the police will do all they can to arrest the criminals. “We have to take this seriously because what these men have done is unthinkable. Simply murder and they should be charged for animal cruelty,” he added. According to the Jordanian student, who was the pet's owner, he had allowed the two men to care for his companion while he was on vacation. “I went back to Jordan on June 24. My housemate's friend, a Somali student, offered to care for my dog Kanilla for a month,” said the 19-year-old in comments published by AsiaOne.com, adding that the female dog was a cross between a Pitt Bull and a Dalmatian. According to the student, On July 19, the owner was shocked when he received a message from the Somali student claiming that Kanilla had run away. Further distress awaited the owner when he came back to Malaysia on July 26. “My housemate showed me a video of the Somali student and another person throwing Kanilla into a manhole in Cyberjaya,” he said. The Jordanian lodged a police report at the Cyberjaya police station on July 31 with help from the Selangor Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). “Cruelty comes in many forms but this is particularly very shocking,” said SPCA chairman Christine Chin. “I urge the authorities to take the necessary action and to make a stand that animal abuse would not be tolerated in Malaysia.” Animal rights activists in Malaysia have long called on the government to do more to ensure that animals are treated with respect in the country. The government is looking to pass new legislation to bolster penalties against animal cruelty. “This could be a positive step in the right direction if the new measures are passed, but it is up to the police and courts to make certain the criminals are penalized and punished,” added Mahammad.
