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Animal rights group says`no way' to skinning cats

Members from the Taiwan United Animal Protection Association protest in front of the Interchange Association, Japan's de facto embassy in Taiwan, yesterday. They were asking the Japanese government to impose curbs on the trade in cat hides, which are used in Japan to make drums. PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES

Animal rights activists asked Japanese officials yesterday to stop the trade in cat hides, which are used in Japan to make drums.

Activists yesterday delivered a petition to the Interchange Association, Japan's de facto embassy in Taiwan, urging the office to stop the practice.

Though the association accepted the petition, a representative of the office said it wouldn't take any action to stop the trade unless the demand for cat hides dropped off.

Chihara Tsuruoka, chief of the association's economic section, accepted the group's petition and promised to relay its concerns to the Japanese government.

Chung Yi-chen (鍾宜珍), who led the Taiwan United Animal Protection Association protest yesterday, said that the group's efforts to confront cat vendors have yielded little result.

"They told us that they will not stop the supply unless there is no demand in the market," Chung said. "The Japanese government should realize the severity of the problem and stop this barbaric practice immediately."

Cats destined for slaughter peer from inside cages. PHOTO: TAIWAN UNITED ANIMAL PROTECTION ASSOCIATION

Because the trade exists, stray animals are finding it hard to survive in a metropolis such as Taipei, Chung said.

"The city's `keep trash off the ground' program makes it hard for stray animals to find food to eat," Chung said. "The number of stray animals in the city has also dwindled over the years thanks to the city's stray-animal policy."

In addition to petitioning the Japanese government yesterday, the group asked the central government to crack down on illegal cat slaughter houses -- most of which located in central and southern Taiwan.

The group also called on the government to set up inspections at customs posts and empower police to take stiffer action against cat traders.

In addition, the group asked the central government to help cat vendors find other jobs, in addition to issuing severe fines and pressing criminal charges against them.

According to the Animal Protection Law, which went into effect in November 1999, fines for those convicted of torturing animals range between NT$2,000 and NT$50,000.

The minimum market price for a cat is estimated at NT$800.

Lee Tieh-kun (李鐵崑), a cat lover who keeps about 20 felines, said that she encountered two stray-cat catchers in September near her house.

"I saw about 30 cats squeezed into four small bamboo cages in the back of their pickup truck," Lee said. "Although police took down their names and license number, they failed to run a computer check before letting them go."

Lee added that one of her friends managed to visit an illegal slaughterhouse in southern Taiwan, and had shot footage of the slaughter process.

"They don't feed them any food or water after capturing them," Lee said. "They then hit them on the head and drown them in a pool of water before slicing open their abdomen. The hides go to Japan, the meat is sold to restaurants and the bones go to meat markets."

Another cat lover, Chen Jin-moon (陳金滿), who has 30 felines, said that capturing stray cats for their commercial value has been a ongoing problem.
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