Family fears for safety of children after panther attacks dogs

KUALA PILAH - A family in Kampung Ulu Beting here was left panicking after a panther attacked their dogs last Tuesday.

Rusmazaiti Kamarulzaman, 31, said she and her husband, Abdul Mizan Mohd Haris, 42, heard their puppy wailing in pain at around 11pm.

When they looked outside, they saw a black panther pulling the dog away from their house.

Rusmazaiti said they tried to scare the panther away by throwing firecrackers, but it did not work.

"The panther just kept roaring and dragging the dog towards the nearby orchard," she said.

The couple then called the Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) and the police, who arrived at the scene moments later.

The Negeri Sembilan Wildlife Protection and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) also installed a trap to catch the panther.

Rusmazaiti said she had four dogs to guard her orchard.

"One adult dog had gone missing without a trace a month ago, and another one had gone missing four days before the latest incident," she added.

She believes that the panther was responsible for the disappearance of her dogs.

The panther also showed up near the house at around 8pm last month, but it ran away after being thrown firecrackers. However, this time, it did not run away.

Rusmazaiti is worried about the safety of her family, especially her two young children aged seven and nine.

She hopes that the panther will be caught soon.