Penang Island

Thousands of strays live on Penang Island and with no humane dog population management programme in place, many were caught and sadly killed. Since our Penang Island Project was established in 2017 it has saved the lives of thousands of dogs who would otherwise have suffered a sad fate under the previous regime.

After hearing about our work in Borneo, the authorities in Penang Island (MBPP) contacted IAPWA to discuss how we could work with them to change this situation. In September 2017, we signed an agreement (MOU) as the first partner of the Penang Island City Council to establish and manage a humane programme for the strays and provide them with the support they needed.

As a result of the Penang Island Project, dogs are no longer culled and are instead neutered, vaccinated, provided with any additional veterinary care they need and either released back to their community or found supportive homes within our Adoption Programme.

Each dog we care for now has a future and we are extremely proud to be able to manage and develop this programme, alongside our colleagues in the IAPWA Penang Team, to save the lives of thousands of strays who need our help.

Choong Koon Yean, Programme Manager
Choong lives with her rescue cats in Penang Island and has managed this project in-country since shortly after IAPWA secured the MOU with MBPP. Prior to this, Choong was the Vice President & Head of Administration at a local animal welfare charity and a Senior Lecturer at Penang College. She is passionate about making a difference to the lives of strays on the island.

Our Penang Island Project

Our Penang Island project is our second project in Malaysia, established following our work within our first project in Sabah, Borneo.

We ended the killing of strays through the government MOU which has now been extended until 2025 between MBPP, IAPWA and our colleagues in IAPWA Penang.

Over 3,600 dogs have been neutered, vaccinated and provided with the veterinary care they need through this important project.

Over 630 dogs have found supportive homes in Penang Island through our in-country Adoption and Foster Care Programme.

Outside of our important, core work for stray dogs, our IAPWA Penang Island team also support cats on the island where and when this is possible.

A local entity, IAPWA Penang Island was established following our MOU, to work alongside our UK team to develop this programme.

Finn's Story: From a heartbreaking rescue to the happiest of endings

Handsome boy Finn was rescued as a stray from the streets of Penang Island with painful tumours covering his face and body. It was an incredibly sad sight to see and our team were desperate to help him. After lots of veterinary treatment and support, this brave boy made a full recovery and was quickly adopted by a loving family in Penang Island who have since adopted a second dog from us, meaning Finn now has a furry sibling! Finn is now thriving in his new home. Thank you so much for your support – we couldn’t have helped Finn without you.

Donate to our Penang Island Project
Previous
Next

Some of our other patients who now have a bright future thanks to this programme

Achievements during 2021...

We are proud to have been able to continue our lifeline for the strays of Penang Island throughout the challenges of 2021. Our achievements have included:

New IAPWA Vet Clinic
Launching a Veterinary Clinic on site to neuter, vaccinate and treat stray dogs.
Recruitment of Vet and Vet Assistant
Recruiting a Vet and a Veterinary Assistant as the first members of our our-site Veterinary Team.
Developing Veterinary Services
Not only continuing but developing our veterinary services lifeline throughout the pandemic.
Finding supportive, forever homes for over 200 animals
Finding homes for over 200 dogs who would otherwise have struggled to survive on the streets.
Growing our Adoption & Foster Care Team
Recruiting a member of staff to expand our in-country Adoption & Foster Care Team
Community Engagement
Recruiting a Community Engagement Manager to work closely with the government to create a compassionate community for strays.
Conducting Research
Conducting two comprehensive roaming dog surveys as part of our monitoring & evaluation needs to measure the impact of our work.
Fundraising
Developing the IAPWA Penang Island fundraising program as part of in-country financial sustainability goals.

Goals for 2022 and beyond...

We are proud to have been able to continue our lifeline for the strays of Penang Island throughout the challenges of 2021. We now have lots of exciting plans and developments to look forward to in 2022 and beyond, including:

  • Hitting our 2022 target of 4,500 dogs saved within this project since it was established.
  • Developing capacity within our Veterinary team.
  • Recruiting another full-time member of staff into our Kennels team.
  • Finding 200 homes in-country for dogs and puppies through our Adoption and Foster Care Programme.
  • Developing our Community Engagement Program.
  • Working closely with the government to successfully resolve issues relating to stray dogs.
  • Delivering training to the government catching team as part of our ongoing commitment to development.
  • Developing our monitoring & evaluation strategy including a new survey mechanism across our projects.
"I’m proud to be part of creating a better future for strays in need in Penang Island which has been made possible through our partnership with Penang Island City Council (MBPP), with whom we have just renewed our MOU until 2025. My role gives me an opportunity to work within the community on a range of engagement initiatives to create lasting change for the animals and people on the island."
Sally Khor
Community Engagement Manager

Donate to help animals in Penang Island

If you would like to make a difference to the lives of animals in Penang Island, please support our work with a kind donation today. With your support we can make an even bigger difference to the lives of thousands of strays who need our help.

Donate now

Discover more about IAPWA's projects in Borneo and Romania

 Our first project, established in 2009, is based in Sabah, Borneo. Following our work in Malaysia expanding to Penang Island in 2017 we have also developed a programme in Romania. Find out more below.

Borneo

IAPWA have been working in Borneo since 2009 to provide a lifeline for animals through our facility, the support our veterinary team provides to local sanctuaries and our outreach programmes in remote regions.
Click Here

Romania

When IAPWA first visited Romania in 2016, the animal welfare issues were very apparent. Through our Romania programme we are committed to creating a positive impact in the long term whilst also tackling the immediate welfare needs of the animals who live there.
Click Here