KUALA LUMPUR — Police have questioned a lecturer and students from Universiti Malaya (UM), as well as an animal rights activist over recent cat deaths at the university.
City police chief Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa said a total of seven people have been questioned in investigations that police have opened, after initially saying that the deaths were caused by stray dogs.
Rusdi said carcass of a cat, found on Dec 21, was handed over to the police by the activist and has been sent to a veterinary laboratory for examination and autopsy.
“The autopsy will be conducted tomorrow. Also sent for examination and autopsy is the carcass of another cat found on Dec 25 at the parking lot of UM’s Faculty of Sports and Exercise Science,” he said in a statement today, reported by Bernama.
Kelab Kucing Malaysia had previously called for a thorough investigation into the case.
Its president, Khalid Rashid, was reported as saying that while the club was not questioning the investigation conducted by the authorities, it hoped the case would be re-examined with the assistance of experts.
On Dec 22, police revealed that closed-circuit television footage showed stray dogs attacking the cats.
Police said the matter was referred to the Department of Veterinary Services, which verified that the injuries sustained by the cats were consistent with attacks by wild dogs.
However, police opened a new investigation following outcry by animal activists.
The Stray Animal Foundation Malaysia (SAFM) had rejected police’s claim suggesting that stray dogs were responsible for the deaths of the cats, noting that CCTV footage did not provide sufficient evidence.
It added that an examination of the cats’ carcasses showed injuries such as severed limbs more consistent with the use of sharp objects rather than random bites by dogs.
“Dog attacks typically involve bites and ragged tears, with a focus on the neck area to weaken the victim.
“The consistency of the injuries across all the cats suggests that this was not a random attack by animals, but most likely involved deliberate human action,” SAFM said. – December 27, 2024