Before an euthanasia ban at animal shelters went into effect in January, the Taipei Animal Protection Office said that low adoption rates would lead to overcrowding at its shelters, and increase the strain on its staff and volunteers.
Almost a year after the implementation of the ban, four counties are calling for its easing, citing “poor adoption rates and overcrowding at animal shelters.”
The ban was implemented on ethical grounds and was not meant to be a miracle cure for the nation’s stray and pet abandonment problem, but it was perceived as such by the public.
Although the policy was hailed as a landmark decision by the government, it seems things took a turn for the worse, as officials have said that the stray adoption rate nationwide has dropped from 90 percent in January to a mere 30 percent last month. Some shelters are forced to keep four dogs in one cage, while animals live in terrible conditions.
Even worse, the officials have said that people are under the impression that they can abandon their pets without having to worry about them being put to sleep, thinking the government would care for them.
Only two months after the ban’s enactment, an animal welfare association in Changhua County reported that pet abandonment cases there increased 10-fold.
The overcrowding issue has also led to more strays on the streets, and people are starting to take things into their own hands by poisoning animals that they perceive as a nuisance.
In hindsight, the government could have taken the time to provide more resources to shelters or address the problem more closely before implementing the ban, but societal problems stem from the public, and government agencies and animal welfare groups can only do so much.
Retracting the ban would not solve the problem, as it was never a solution to begin with. Taiwanese can be proud of their nation for banning animal euthanasia, but is society really ready for this?
While animals are suffering at shelters, people go to pet shops to buy the latest fad breeds that were bred at puppy mills, only to abandon them once the fad passes. They buy puppies that grow too big for their homes, or they simply do not think things through before buying a pet.
There is also the horrible trend of giving your partner a puppy or kitten as a romantic gesture, which continues to make its way into movies and TV shows. Animals are living beings, not commodities.
People not spaying or neutering their dogs also continues to be a problem.
If these trends do not change, no amount of policy changes or money poured into animal welfare would help. Public education is the most important factor in this case, as people need to learn that it is a huge responsibility to care for an animal and that pet ownership is not a fad.
Stricter regulations on the pet trade are also needed, but as long as there is demand for certain breeds of dogs, breeders will find ways to deliver.
Trap, neuter and release programs are also in place, but again, it will not make much of a difference if people keep abandoning their pets. The problem has to be stopped at the source.
Fines do not seem to discourage people from abandoning their pets. Do not be surprised if petitions are placed on the National Development Council Web site calling for people who abandon their pets to be caned.
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