SHAH ALAM: The Queen Mother of Selangor, Tengku Permaisuri Hajah Norashikin, has expressed deep sorrow, disappointment and anger over the increasing cases of cruelty towards pets and stray animals, particularly dogs and cats, that have recently gone viral.
In a statement issued by Istana Alam Shah, Her Royal Highness, who serves as the Royal Patron of the Stray Free Selangor (SFS) initiative managed by the Selangor SPCA, stressed that acts of torturing, injuring, killing or mistreating animals are unacceptable and must not be tolerated.
The Queen Mother said such actions are not only offences under the law but also reflect a failure to uphold compassion, kindness and humanity, which are important values in a civilised society.
Her Royal Highness emphasised that no individual or organisation should be protected from legal action regardless of their position, background, race or religion. She stressed that animal cruelty must be addressed firmly and that no one is above the law.
“The act of cruelty towards animals cannot be accepted or tolerated, no matter who commits it or for whatever reason,” Her Royal Highness said.
She added that any party found responsible for animal cruelty should face thorough investigations and appropriate legal action. This includes cases involving members or officers of enforcement agencies if they are found to have committed such offences.
The Queen Mother also highlighted the importance of maintaining public confidence in enforcement institutions, saying that trust can only be strengthened when actions are carried out professionally, with integrity and compassion.
She called on the government, local authorities, animal welfare organisations and the community to work together in creating a more caring environment for animals.
Among the areas highlighted were the need to strengthen cooperation between agencies and communities, improve humane rescue and animal management practices, and increase public awareness on animal welfare.
Her Royal Highness also stressed that compassion towards animals should be nurtured from a young age through education, awareness programmes and community involvement.
The Queen Mother reminded Malaysians that the way society treats animals reflects its values and character. She said a community that fails to show kindness towards vulnerable creatures may eventually lose the ability to show compassion towards fellow human beings.
In view of the recent incidents, Her Royal Highness called on the Federal Government to review the punishments under the Animal Welfare Act 2015, with the aim of strengthening penalties and ensuring stricter enforcement against offenders.
She expressed hope that Selangor would continue to uphold values of kindness, justice and responsibility towards all living creatures.
“The nature of kindness is not a sign of weakness. On the contrary, the ability to protect the weakest creatures is the true measure of the strength, maturity and civilisation of a society,” Her Royal Highness said.
The statement concluded with a call for all parties to work together in building a society where every animal is protected, respected and treated with dignity.
