The Malé City Council has proposed a plan to neuter and spay 1,000 stray cats in the city.
During a general meeting on Wednesday, a councilor presented the proposal to address the increasing number of street cats in Malé. The plan proposes a three-month program to temporarily resolve the issue.
At the meeting, Malé City Mayor Dr. Mohamed Muizzu said that the council had previously sought a party to build a cat facility in Vilimalé at their own expense, and a party has now expressed interest in the project. However, he noted that it would take a long time to build a permanent facility for the animals.
"A few associations have met with the council and made proposals to provide a short-term solution," Dr. Muizzu said, adding that the proposal was prepared based on these discussions.
The proposal calls for the neutering or spaying of 1,000 street cats within three months, at the cost of MVR 1,200 per cat. The council's budget will cover the total cost of MVR 1.2 million.
Neutering and spaying are surgical sterilisation methods which makes animals unable to reproduce and reduces or eliminates breeding behaviors.
The Mayor said that the council has to provide a temporary place or setup to administer this procedure.
With the construction of a temporary facility to house the neutered animals, the total cost of the project will rise to MVR 1.6 million, according to the council.
The council has planned to develop the facility on the land where the former auction house "Neelan Fihaara" was located.
However, the proposal was not passed at the general meeting on Wednesday to amended and re-discuss the discrepancies raised by some councilors regarding the project. They suggested that the cost was too high and that ways to reduce it should be considered.
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