Taipei planning to enforce compulsory registration of pets

Taipei pet owners may be required by law to register their furry friends as household members early next year as part of the Taipei City Government's move to reduce the number of abandoned animals in the city.

Chen Hsiung-wen (陳雄文), an official at the city's Department of Economic Development, said that the city government is drafting a bill mandating animal registration and hopes to finalize the proposal early next year.

The latest statistics provided by the Taipei Municipal Institute for Animal Health showed that 28.4 percent of Taipei households have pets, with about 150,000 owning pet dogs and 50,000 pet cats. More than 70 percent of the pets have been implanted with an identification chip.

Independent Taipei City Councilor Lin Ruei-tu (林瑞圖) applauded the draft, but said the law should also cover other pets, such as hamsters and snakes.

"Some of my constituents have pet snakes as big as a grown man's arm. [Some of these snakes] bite whatever goes near them. Dangerous animals such as snakes must also be included as part of the mandate," he said.

Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City Councilor Chen Chia-ming (陳嘉銘) said that forced registration would be ineffective unless it was coupled with severe penalties for violators.

"Too many people act on impulse when they decide to get a pet. After their enthusiasm wanes, they throw the animals out on the street, resulting in many abandoned animals," Chen said.

The city government said that borough chiefs would be charged with implementing the regulation once the legislation is passed.