"We have made a lot of progress." he said. "But unfortunately much of the news about is bad news, because reporters focus on sensational stories."
Despite the progress, problems remain. Demand for pedigree animals is rising, fueled by crazes for dogs in movies such as the labrador retriever in the 2004 Japanese film Quill.
"We see between 50 and 60 stray dogs each year and about 200 cats," said Donald Huang (黃文德), a veterinarian who treats strays for Animals Taiwan and similar groups such as Meet Pets (台灣認養地圖). "That number hasn't changed much in the last few years."
Paul Littlefair, East Asia program manager for Britain's Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said the situation has improved and there are fewer stray dogs. However, "more education work needs to be done to encourage people who are thinking of acquiring a pet to see a rescued animal as a first option," he wrote in response to e-mailed questions.
That's where groups like Animals Taiwan come in. The fact that about half of its three-dozen volunteers are foreigners helps, said Huang Yao-hsien (黃祐賢), a Taipei neurosurgeon who joined the group. "We get more attention," he said. "When we organize events, people will come nearer to see what's going on because they see foreigners there."
However, Ju Ching-cheng (朱慶誠), the current chief of the Council of Agriculture's Livestock Administrative Division, said he'd never heard of Animals Taiwan. Sheu said he'd met McCormack at an animal welfare conference in Singapore but was not familiar with the group's activities. "It's not an official association," another official said.
Animals Taiwan is currently seeking legal status as a non-profit organization.
Still, McCormack feels Animals Taiwan has made a real impact, noting that affiliates have started in Kaohsiung and other cities. "We get e-mails from people telling us we've inspired them to do the same thing," he said.
"We've already helped 130 animals and that's enough of an impact for me," he added. "If you can prevent any kind of suffering in any degree, it's a good thing."
Animals Taiwan will host a pub quiz at the Brass Monkey tomorrow, from 5pm to 8pm. The group organizes regular activities such as an adoption event on Saturdays, from 1pm to 6pm, at Doggy House, 2, Jiuzong Road Sec 1, Neihu, Taipei (台北市內湖區舊宗路一段2號).
For more information, visit www.animalstaiwan.org
RSS