While pet cafes are places that allow customers to get up and close with animals, it can quickly turn into a health hazard for both humans and animals if not done properly.
A pet cafe in Melaka which achieved online fame for housing an alpaca within its premises was recently raided by the authorities following multiple allegations of animals being kept in unlivable conditions.
Online claims of animal abuse
The matter was first brought to light in a Threads post by an animal rights group, which brought forth several troubling allegations against the pet cafe.
According to the post, several animals, which included goats, geese, cats, rabbits, and the alpaca, were made to live in tiny, dirty enclosures while smeared in their own excrement.
Aside from that, visitors also complained of the stench of urine and faeces being “marinated” right through the cafe’s walls due to poor hygiene.
View on Threads
There were also allegations that the alpaca munched away on a green mat after it mistook it for real grass.
Authorities step in
Thankfully, it didn’t take long for the authorities to act on these claims, who decided to pay the pet cafe a “surprise visit”.
According to Melaka mayor Datuk Shadan Othman, he said the Melaka City Council (MBMB) ordered the pet cafe to close for seven days.
The cafe owner, a Singaporean man, was also issued a RM10,250 compound for violating  the Entertainment and Places of Entertainment Enactment 2001 and RM250 for violating the Food Establishment By-law (MBMB) 2020, reported Sinar Harian.
Deputy Exco for Science, Technology, Innovation, and Digital Communication, Datuk Mohd Noor Helmy, who was also present at the raid, said housing animals within a food business premises are forbidden, even if they’re kept apart by separate walls and doors.
He added that so far, there hasn’t been a clear directives given by the Department of Veterinary Services and the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia (Perhilitan) regarding the permit and suitability of the location for the alpaca.
‘I love animals’
The pet cafe owner, known as Ong, admitted his fault in displaying the alpaca within an eatery but denied accusations of animal abuse.
I understand some people are angry and have claimed I’m mistreating the alpaca. But I really love the animal as I bought two alpacas for RM20,000 each. How could I possibly harm them?
“However, I’ll not give up on the business. I also accept the seven-day closure order and will immediately relocate all the animals to a proper place, in addition to cleaning up the cafe,” he said.
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