Kuala Lampur, Aug. 12 -- The death of Rocky in Port Klang has, for a few weeks now, dominated Malaysian social media and reignited a debate that resurfaces every time an enforcement operation turns violent. Notwithstanding, beneath the outrage over one animal's death lies a more durable policy failure: Malaysia's approach to stray dog and cat management remains almost entirely reactive, and reactive systems are, by their nature, economically inefficient.

Local authorities across the country operate largely on a catch-and-cull or catch-and-impound model, deployed only after complaints accumulate or an incident triggers a response. At best, this is damage control rather than population management, and on the evidence from other countries t...