Stray dogs, snakes, bees, monkeys and crows in Penang: who handles what

The short version

• Danger now (a snake in the house, a swarm, an animal that has hurt someone): call 999. It reaches fire and rescue (Bomba) and civil defence (APM) among others.
• Monkeys, wild boar, civets and other wildlife with no one in immediate danger: report to PERHILITAN, the wildlife department. Its hotline is 1-800-88-5151.
• Stray dogs: your city council. MBPP (island) runs stray dog control and dog licences; MBSP (mainland) has a veterinary division that handles roaming animals.
• Crows and pigeons in public places (island): MBPP traps and culls them and fines people who feed birds.
• Rats, cockroaches or termites inside your home: neither council's page lists a service for pests inside a private home.

Who handles what

Sources: MERS 999, Malay Mail, 10 July 2026, MBPP Environmental Health Department, MBSP Licensing and Environmental Health Department and MBSP home page, read 2026-10-14.

Snakes: 999

999 (MERS 999) joins five services on one number: the police, Bomba (fire and rescue), the Ministry of Health, the maritime enforcement agency and the civil defence department (APM).

In Penang, both Bomba and civil defence catch snakes:

• Civil defence (APM) said Penang alone recorded 8,193 snake-related cases in 2025, and 669 more in January 2026. Most calls nationally came from landed homes near forests, green areas and new building sites.
• Example: in September 2026, APM caught a 5m python in a house compound in Kampung Baruh, Bayan Lepas, after a distress call. It took 12 minutes, and the snake was handed to PERHILITAN.

While you wait: keep your distance. Do not try to catch, corner or move the animal. If it is safe, take a photo or video from a distance and note the exact location.

Sources: MERS 999, Malay Mail, 4 February 2026, The Star, 15 September 2026 and Malay Mail, 10 July 2026, read 2026-10-14.

Bees and hornets

As published in 2023, the Fire and Rescue Department said the public often calls it for jobs other than fires, including removing snakes and hives of bees and hornets. It said it was willing to talk to volunteer groups about training staff to rescue beehives. Call 999 if a hive is a danger to people.

Source: The Star, 24 April 2023, read 2026-10-14.

Monkeys and other wildlife: PERHILITAN

In Peninsular Malaysia, wildlife encounters are handled by PERHILITAN, the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia. Its Wildlife Hotline is 1-800-88-5151, and reports can also go to its state offices.

• Call 999 instead if someone has been attacked or injured, or the animal is an immediate threat to public safety. Bomba may respond, but PERHILITAN decides what happens to the animal.
• Not every sighting means capture. PERHILITAN assesses each case. A healthy animal in its natural habitat that poses no threat may be left alone.
• What to tell them: the exact location, the type of animal, whether it is injured, trapped or aggressive, whether it is still there, and whether anyone is in danger.
• Macaques are the biggest source of complaints. PERHILITAN data show 80,710 human-wildlife conflict complaints across Malaysia from 2020 to 2025; long-tailed macaques made up 48,539 of them. PERHILITAN says poor food waste management near forest edges draws monkeys and wild boar into residential areas. It asks people not to approach, feed or provoke wild animals.

Sources: Malay Mail, 10 July 2026 and The Star, 25 September 2026, read 2026-10-14.

Stray dogs: your city council

MBPP (island). Its Environmental Health Department lists among its jobs:

• controlling the population of stray and abandoned dogs (anjing liar dan terbiar), following a standard operating procedure for catching and disposing of stray dogs in council areas;
• issuing, renewing and enforcing dog licences.

It acts on complaints within two working days and replies within three working days, its customer charter says. Department: Level 4, KOMTAR, telephone 04-259 2189.

MBSP (mainland). Its Licensing and Environmental Health Department has a Veterinary Services Division (Bahagian Perkhidmatan Veterinar). Its functions include veterinary licensing and the control of roaming animals (kawalan haiwan merayau).

Sources: MBPP Environmental Health Department and MBSP Licensing and Environmental Health Department, read 2026-10-14.

Crows, pigeons and rats (island)

• Crows: MBPP's page says it watches 35 crow traps, moving them to areas with the most crows, and holds crow shooting campaigns with the Penang Shooting Club.
• Culling: in October 2026 an MBPP spokesman told The Star that culling ran four times a month, with 36 crow and pigeon hotspots across the island.
• Feeding birds: from January to August 2026, MBPP issued 86 compounds for feeding birds in public places, under Section 47(1)(g) of the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974.
• Rats: MBPP lists rat control by trapping, fumigation and poison, mainly where rats are most numerous.

Sources: MBPP Environmental Health Department and The Star, 8 October 2026, read 2026-10-14.

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