Strapped for cash but rescuer of strays won’t stop
Published on: Sunday, August 30, 2020
By: Audrey J Ansibin
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Shyma with ‘Servay’ the greeter who wasn’t shy to make its presence known with its cheeky barking at the shelter.
Mathilda Shyma, the founder of the little-known shelter, was still sweating from running errands under the sweltering afternoon sun when she sat down in a rare interview with Daily Express recently, surrounded by her rescue animals comprising 60 cats, 35 dogs, some pigeons and even chickens!
Dressed in casual top and short pants, the 60-year-old related how her 20-year tenure as a pharmaceutical representative took her on this Mother Teresa-like vocation towards the care of homeless and unwanted animals.
“There are many other unsung heroes,” she said, when her work – in a smaller scale – was likened to that of the founder of a religious congregation to help the poor, sick and outcast community in Kolkata (then Calcutta) in India.
“I don’t like to publicise myself too much. I just need help. If they’re willing to give dog and cat kibbles, ‘syukur’ (grateful) already,” she said.
“When I was in the pharma line, I used to drive up to Keningau, Kota Belud, Tenom, Ranau, Beaufort, Sipitang… my travels by road took me to these distant places.
“I always return home with extra ‘passengers’,” Shyma said, referring to the animals that she brought home from her outstation stint.
“I also have sick dogs that I bring home,” she cited one of her rescue cases of a dog that was bleeding from the nose.
“The feeder can’t bring it to the vet, so I brought it back. It managed to live for three or four months before it passed… rather than letting it pass on in the area with nobody to give it a burial after suffering in such manner.”
She said she usually buries the animals that she rescued in the shelter’s compound. “I don’t toss them out in the dust bin, I cannot do that.”
Shyma is just one of the many local rescuers who started the thankless but radical work in animal rescue out of a deep love for these creatures.
However, unlike most animal welfare groups today, her shelter barely has an online presence. The donations that she received – which are at a bare minimum – mostly come from pet shop or close friends.
“Non-governmental organisation (NGO) Fair, JJ Pet Shop and several friends support me,” she said.
Having been out of work for some three years, Shyma hoped members of the public could help lighten her burden by adopting animals from the Likas shelter.
“That’s why I need to lessen at least 15 more dogs so it’ll be lighter on my shoulders. A lot of people are saying, ‘Shyma, lessen your animals because you’re not getting any younger,’” she said, adding that the cats eat more than dogs.
“Dogs eat one meal a day. ‘Nasi’ with chicken eggs. Sometimes if I got extra money, I give them cut up carrots and pumpkin with ‘Murungai’ leaves (Indian tree with long beans).
“The ‘Murungai’ leaves boiled with rice are good for dogs,” she said, and later showed this writer the towering tree in her backyard.
During the pandemic lockdown, Shyma said despite the lack of funds and curfew, she still braved the circumstances to go out and feed homeless animals in her area.
“I still go out and do my feeding. In the evening, I have my rounds and then Inanam Suria on alternate days,” she said.
Her feeding schedule is usually around 4.30pm daily for an hour with several pit stops in Kolombong.
She shared an “encounter” with the authority when she was doing her rounds during the earlier phase of the Movement Control Order (MCO) where two officers questioned her for not staying at home.
“They were such nice guys, they did not give me a hard time,” she said, adding that one of the officers even wished her well for doing such work.
“‘Mudah-mudahan Tuhan kasih kau banyak pahala.’ (May God bless you abundantly.) For him to wish that for me, I was very touched.”
Meanwhile, Shyma said animal groups like hers are still hoping for aid from the Government.
“We are still waiting,” she said. “Many NGOs are trying to get the Government involved. Fair is trying hard, even with the past Government.
“I pray to God that one day it will be a reality, that one day they will give some fundings to the shelters that are in need, instead of begging from the netizens.
“In Semenanjung, big-time cat food companies like Royal Canin give food to SPCA and stuff like that.
It carries a lot of weight. Support in Semenanjung is much higher for animal NGOs.”
She added that the famous but controversial Malaysian YouTuber “Namewee” also donated to these animal shelters, apart from his other charity works.
“I never used to think highly of him but when I saw his video, I thought he has a heart of gold actually, that boy.”
The ‘Murungai’ leaves cooked with rice are good for dogs.
‘Tang’ the mama dog keeps to herself at the shelter, most likely due to the trauma of losing her two puppies, according to Shyma.
The puppies in question.
Shyma holding a kitten to her chest, one of her latest rescues.
Some of the chickens Shyma rescued from illegal cockfighting.
‘Please adopt me’: Ally (left) loves the camera. Either that, or she wants to be taken to a forever home. This writer only noticed that when she saw how Ally photo-bombed several of her shots while reviewing the camera rolls.
Donations for shelter
A cat at the shelter peering down from a makeshift bridge on a tree. It was taking a nap before being startled by Shyma who pointed it out to this writer.
SHYMA said members of the public who would like to help her shelter, dubbed the “Likas Sanctuary”, could donate in the form of dog biscuits, cat kibbles and canned food, besides financial donations.
Below are her account details:
- Account: Maybank
- Account Number: 1600 1865 9460
She also shared her vision of having a “cattery” at her shelter so her rescue cats can roam freely in the designated area rather than be stuck in a cage. Pic shows the area in her compound where she hoped to realise her dream of building the “cattery”.
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