KAJANG, Sept 13 — Residents of Batu 9, Cheras, are on edge after a six-year-old boy was attacked by a stray dog on September 4, even after the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) launched operations to trap such animals.
The boy suffered a head injury and was sent to Putrajaya Hospital, while a 10-second video of the attack went viral on social media and made the local community restless.
Resident Arjuna Misra, 65, said the incident has raised safety concerns, as this is the first time such a severe attack has occurred despite stray dogs having freely roamed the area for some months. She now fears letting her grandchildren play in the park.
“I think the stray dog (that attacked the boy) may have once been a pet, but was abandoned. After the attack, we’ve seen more dogs roaming in packs at night. We’re very worried,” she told Media Selangor.
Sarifah Abdullah, 57, who witnessed the attack, said residents live in fear now.
“There were stray dogs chasing residents before. A few months ago, an elderly Chinese man and daughter were attacked by a stray dog, but no official complaint was filed. This (recent attack) is much more serious, and now everyone is very concerned about safety,” she said.
Resident Amirrul Rusdy Abu Bakar, 38, said he doesn’t think it safe for his children to cycle to school or even play outside.
“When they hear barking, my kids get scared and run back indoors,” he said, adding that he was part of a group that captured the stray dog that attacked the child and handed it over to the authorities.
The MPKj has caught five stray dogs so far.
Fellow resident Krisveni Subramaniam, 62, said: “The boy was playing on a bicycle when the dog attacked. The noise of the bicycle might have startled the dog, or maybe the child unintentionally provoked it, but I have never seen such a vicious bite before. That dog must be caught immediately. If not, something even worse could happen,” she said.
Although Wani Arumugam, 46, didn’t witness the incident, she said she heard about it on a neighborhood WhatsApp group. She observed that the number of stray dogs has dwindled recently, but at night, dogs still tend to gather near shops — especially near Chinese restaurants and nearby mart.
“These dogs were probably pets that were abandoned and have now become strays. This is a matter the MPKj must take seriously,” she said.
After the incident and catching five stray dogs, the MPKj set up nets to trap strays still roaming the area.
Local residents’ main demand is for authorities to implement permanent measures, not just stopgaps.
