The Chief of Staff of the Koror State Government (KSG) office who is also the in-charge of KSG animal shelter has called in for volunteers to help out at the shelter after receiving criticism from the residents.
Joleen Ngoriakl who works at the Koror State Government office as a Chief of Staff said that there is a need for volunteers as the employees at the shelter are not trained to extensively take care of the dogs.
She also said that the volunteers can teach the employees at the shelter about how to deal with dogs better.
The last report of Island Times stated that the shelter has gained criticism circling animal abuse by a former veterinary and a current resident of Palau.
After the report, several citizens narrated their experience with the shelter on social media and had similar concerns.
Ngoriakl responded to this by citing the Animal Control Act and said that the responsibility of the shelter is limited to getting the dogs off the street.
According to Ngoriakl, the shelter lacks financial assistance in providing better facilities to the animals. Expressing regret, she added that the funds are prioritized for people first and then the animals.
However, the Animal Control Act Section 10 requires the shelter to maintain safe and hygienic conditions.
The act also states that, βIt is unlawful for any person to treat animals inhumanely. For purposes of this Act, inhumane treatment includes, but is not limited to, physical abuse such as torturing, beating, eating, shooting with pellet or similar guns, drowning, abandoning in dumps, poisoning, starving, or restraining so as to prohibit any substantial movement for an unreasonable period of time.β (By Eshan Kalyanikar)