The Influence of Animal Welfare Act 2015 Enforcement on The Rise of Animal Cruelty Cases in Malaysia

  • Ain Maryam Zolkipli@Zulkifli Academic Department, Faculty of Law, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Jalan Sarjana 1/2, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia.
Keywords: Animal Welfare Act 2015, Animal cruelty, Law enforcement

Abstract

Animal cruelty has been on the rise in Malaysia even after the implementation of the Animal Welfare Act 2015. The Act has been gazetted in December 2015 with harsher punishments to its offenders but there are lack of enforcements and prosecutions made under the Act up until today. The Act is under the purview of the Animal Welfare Board headed by the Department of Veterinary Services Malaysia (DVS). Many Non-Governmental Organizations for Animal Rights (NGOs) has spoken out against the lack of utilizing of the Act which leads to the rampant cases of animal cruelty in recent years. This paper will analyse the enforcement and prosecution brought under the Animal Welfare Act 2015 and its effects on the rise of animal cruelty in Malaysia.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Ahmad, A., Syaidatul Bt. Mohd. Adzmi, P., Nur Ikhwan Bin Amernudin, A., &; Fazini Asro Bt. Ramzi Sulaiman, N. (2021). Enhancing legal protection of Stray Animals Welfare through society intervention and enforcement in Malaysia. Studies of Applied Economics, 39(10). https://doi.org/10.25115/eea.v39i10.6016

Animal Welfare Act 2015 (Act 772)

Augustin, S. (2022). Cat-killer suspect should face tougher penalty, says rights group. Free Malaysia Today. Retrieved 2022, from https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2022/10/21/cat-killer-suspect-should-face-tougher-penalty-says-rights-group.

Azhar, D. (2022). Activists call for stricter laws to deter animal abusers. Free Malaysia Today. Retrieved 2022, from https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2022/06/24/activists-call-for-stricter-laws-to-deter-animal-abusers

Camoens, A. (2022). Pj cat killer to be charged for flinging felines off 15th floor. The Star. Retrieved 2022, from https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2022/10/20/pj-cat-killer-to-be-charged-for-flinging-felines-off-15th-floor.

Filteau, M. (2012). Deterring Defiance: 'Don’t Give a Poacher a Reason to Poach'. International Journal of Rural Criminology, 1. 236-255. 10.18061/1811/53696.

Ismail, S. N. (2022). Sept 22, End Animal Cruelty Day. BERNAMA. Retrieved 2022, from https://www.bernama.com/en/thoughts/news.php?id=2119674.

Jabatan Perkhidmatan Veterinar Malaysia. (2022). Kebajikan Haiwan. Jabatan Perkhidmatan Veterinar - Kebajikan Haiwan. Retrieved 2022, from https://www.dvs.gov.my/index.php/pages/view/1691

Mohd Nizam bin Itam v Public Prosecutor [2021] MLJU 743

Mookherjee, D., & Png, I. P. L. (1994). Marginal Deterrence in Enforcement of Law. Journal of Political Economy, 102(5), 1039–1066. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2138656

Morton, R., Hebart, M. L., & Whittaker, A. L. (2020). Explaining the Gap Between the Ambitious Goals and Practical Reality of Animal Welfare Law Enforcement: A Review of the Enforcement Gap in Australia. Animals, 10(3), 482. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10030482

Puspa Rani a/p Thanabalasingam lwn Majlis Daerah Cameron Highlands [2021] MLJU 1557

See, A. W.-L. (2013). Animal Protection Laws of Singapore And Malaysia. Singapore Journal of Legal Studies, 125–157. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24872182

Sherman, J., Voigt, M., Ancrenaz, M., Wich, S. A., Qomariah, I. N., Lyman, E., Massingham, E., &; Meijaard, E. (2022). Orangutan killing and trade in Indonesia: Wildlife crime, enforcement, and deterrence patterns. Biological Conservation, 109744. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109744

Soon, L. W. (2021). Tahap Kesedaran Rendah Punca Kezaliman Terhadap Haiwan Masih Berleluasa - Jpv. BERNAMA. Retrieved 2022, from https://bernama.com/bm/rencana/news.php?id=2016428.

Stafford, M. C., & Warr, M. (1993). A reconceptualization of general and specific deterrence. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 30(2), 123–135. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022427893030002001

Stucki S. (2020). Towards a Theory of Legal Animal Rights: Simple and Fundamental Rights. Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, 40(3), 533–560. https://doi.org/10.1093/ojls/gqaa007

Taylor, N., & Signal, T. (2009). Lock'Em Up and Throw Away the Key: Community Opinions Regarding Current Animal Abuse Penalties. Austl. Animal Protection LJ, 3, 33.

Waerstad, J., Hobbins, T., Wirrel, J., Hunstone, M., Foy, E., Allen, M., & Wikner, B. (2002). Human-to-Animal Similarity and Participant Mood Influence Punishment Recommendations for Animal Abusers. Society & Animals, 10(3), 267-284. doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/156853002320770074

World Organisation for Animal Health. (2022). Animal welfare - WOAH - world organisation for animal health. WOAH. Retrieved November 2022, from https://www.woah.org/en/what-we-do/animal-health-and-welfare/animal-welfare/

Published
2022-12-31
How to Cite
Zolkipli@Zulkifli, A. M. (2022) “The Influence of Animal Welfare Act 2015 Enforcement on The Rise of Animal Cruelty Cases in Malaysia”, Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (MJSSH), 7(12), p. e001955. doi: 10.47405/mjssh.v7i12.1955.
Section
Articles