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The Perak state government has strengthened its commitment to address stray animal overpopulation through a more structured, long-term, and humane approach
According to Bernama, state housing and local government committee chairman Sandrea Ng Shy Ching said the government has doubled its allocation for next year, following the success of this year's initiatives.
Under the Perak Pawsitive programme, RM300,000 has been allocated for 2026 to continue subsidised neutering, vaccination, and public education efforts.
Perak Housing and Local Government Committee chairman Sandrea Ng Shy Ching (centre).
Image via Sandrea Ng (Facebook)Ng said the initiative previously received RM150,000 a year, which limited operations to parts of Ipoh and Kampar
With the increased funding, the programme is expected to expand to Taiping and Manjung, in response to community requests over rising stray populations in those areas.
In addition, the state government has allocated an additional RM100,000 specifically for the construction of stray animal shelters at suitable locations.
Ng said the higher allocations reflect the state's commitment to public safety, health, and humanitarian values in managing stray animal issues.
She added that the programme will be carried out more frequently next year, compared to the five subsidised neutering sessions held this year.
Through those five sessions, the initiative exceeded its initial target of sterilising 1,000 animals, recording a total of 1,008 dogs and cats neutered by the end of 2025.
Subsidised services were offered to the public at rates as low as RM80 per cat and RM100 per dog.
Beyond the on-ground efforts, Ng said a new mobile app will be introduced to help animal feeders and authorities map and monitor stray populations
She said the app will allow sterilisation, monitoring, and intervention efforts to be carried out in a more systematic and coordinated manner.
"This application is designed to consolidate feeder data to support short-, medium-, and long-term planning, while strengthening cooperation between government agencies, NGOs, and local communities," she said.
The app is expected to be operational early next year.
In a related development, Ng confirmed that the state government is also in the final stages of making microchipping a mandatory requirement for obtaining a dog licence in the state.
She said the proposal is currently undergoing legal review and is expected to be gazetted once the process is completed.
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