Soi Dog Foundation doctor appointed to Thailand’s Cruelty Prevention and Welfare of Animal Committee

PRESS RELEASE

Soi Dog Foundation doctor appointed to Thailand’s Cruelty Prevention and Welfare of Animal Committee

Soi Dog Foundation’s Bangkok Director of Animal Welfare Dr. Tuntikorn Rungpatana (Dr. Oob) was officially appointed to Thailand’s Cruelty Prevention and Welfare of Animal Committee by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MoAC).

Dr. Oob joins six other committee members and will hold the position for a term of four years. He replaces Kiranee Narabal, president of Soi Dog Foundation Thailand, who served on the committee between 2017 and 2020.

The committee consists of representatives from government agencies, representatives from animal welfare organisations and animal aid centres and other experts in animal welfare and cruelty prevention appointed by the minister of the MoAC. 

Committee members will have the power to propose new policies, plans, measures or guidelines and offer opinions as to how the current legislation – the Prevention of Animal Cruelty and Provision of Animal Welfare Act 2014 – can be revised. Soi Dog Foundation sat on the committee that drafted full details of the Act, the first of its kind in Thailand. 

“Through my role on the committee, I hope to educate the nation, to help build an understanding of animal welfare and an awareness of the penalties that come with cruelty towards animals and abandonment of pets,” said Dr. Oob.

“I will also be urging the government to expand on existing animal welfare legislation. There are still a number of issues that aren’t included in the current legislation. It’s important that the issues that are already included are comprehensive and fully enforced.”

Dr. Oob added that he hopes to see both government and private shelters in Thailand managed to the same high standards. 

“Although shelters are far from ideal environments for animals, we must ensure that they enjoy a quality of life during their time there,” he explained. 

“This is a great opportunity for Soi Dog Foundation to enact change, and I’m looking forward to continuing our close work with the government.”

Since its founding in 2003, Soi Dog Foundation has collaborated with government agencies and local authorities on a number of animal welfare issues, such as introducing spay and neuter programmes, ending the country’s dog and cat meat trade and responding to disasters like the Bangkok and Ubon Ratchathani floods which left thousands of animals displaced.