Bandung City Captures Over 1,000 Stray Cats for Population Control and Sterilization

Bandung City, Indonesia, is actively engaged in managing its stray cat population to curb overpopulation and prevent the spread of zoonotic diseases. Officials from the Bandung City Food and Agriculture Agency (DKPP) are implementing a comprehensive approach known as Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR), which involves capturing stray cats, sterilizing them, providing necessary medical care, and then returning them to their original habitats. This initiative aims to balance public health with animal welfare. On Friday (25/9), officials conducted a stray cat hunt in the Jalan Nias area of Bandung City. The purpose of these hunts is to control population explosions and prevent the transmission of diseases from animals to humans. Wilsandi Saefullah, head of the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Public Health division at DKPP, emphasized that captured cats are not euthanized. Instead, they receive medical treatment and are cared for until they recover before being released. "So, we capture stray cats, and then we will sterilize them and provide care," Saefullah said when met after a hunt. Saefullah detailed that each captured cat receives complete medical treatment. After the medical procedures, the stray cats are returned to the locations from which they were captured. "After the sterilization process is complete, we provide care until their condition fully recovers. Once recovered, they are released back to their original capture site," he explained. "Genetically, cat reproduction is indeed fast. Therefore, sterilization is the most ideal solution. Besides controlling the population, this program has a crucial objective for public health," Saefullah noted. On the other hand, the Bandung City government ensures that the entire handling process strictly adheres to the principles of animal welfare. Saefullah stressed that his department strictly prohibits any acts of animal extermination. "Population control must be through sterilization. We must not do things like elimination; we must avoid that," he asserted. Based on DKPP Bandung City's records, the program's effectiveness is evident from the high number of interventions. From the beginning of the year until this month, DKPP has successfully sterilized over 1,000 stray cats spread across various points in Bandung City. Source: CNN Indonesia