An animal protection group yesterday condemned the trading of live pets on the nation's largest online-auction Web site, Yahoo!Kimo, and called on pet lovers to file their complaints via e-mail and boycott all the site's services.
"We strongly oppose the objectifying and selling of any living creature," said Buddhist Master Shih Chuan-fa (釋傳法), secretary-general of the Life Conservationist Association (關懷生命協會).
"Our ultimate goal with this campaign is to stop the trading of all animals and human beings," Shih said.
Realizing that this goal sounds a little bit far-fetched, Shih said that she hopes their appeal would put some moral pressure, from both the public and the media, on the service provider.
"We hope that they take into account their reputation and make adjustments accordingly," she said.
Although the association has filed complaints to the station via e-mails many times over the past few weeks, Shih said that it has not yet received any response.
"That's why we're launching this campaign. We hope the public will file their complaints with the station and boycott all the services it provides."
If Yahoo!Kimo still refuses to reply, Shih said that they may turn to lawmakers to amend the law.
"While the Animal Protection Law (
While Yahoo!Kimo passively reacts to, and sometimes simply ignores, the complaints of its customers, Shih said, another popular online auction site, eBay, adopts a more prudent stance on the items it sells.
"It clearly stipulates in its policy that the trading of any live animals and plants, animal hides, furs and specimens is not allowed," Shih said. "We don't understand why eBay can, but Yahoo!Kimo can't."
In addition to dogs and cats, Yahoo!Kimo sells all kinds of live animals, Shih said.
"Over 10,000 live animals are traded on the site daily, including raccoons, kangaroos and pigeons, some of which cost as much as NT$250,000," she said.
An expert on the Animal Protection Law at the Cabinet's Council of Agriculture, who preferred to be identified as Ms. Cheng, said that Yahoo!Kimo is not breaking the law by selling animals on-line.
"The law mandates that only the owners of pet dogs need operation licenses to sell the animals because dogs are the only pets that require official registration," she said.
The law also mandates that only those owning a pet shop are eligible to apply for the operation license.
Individuals selling pet dogs without a license are subject to a fine of up to NT$250,000.
Yahoo!Kimo was not available for comment as of press time.
TRAFFIC SAFETY RULES: A positive result in a drug test would result in a two-year license suspension for the driver and vehicle, and a fine of up to NT$180,000 The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to authorize police to conduct roadside saliva tests by the end of the year to deter people from driving while under the influence of narcotics, it said yesterday. The ministry last month unveiled a draft of amended regulations governing traffic safety rules and penalties, which included provisions empowering police to conduct mandatory saliva tests on drivers. While currently rules authorize police to use oral fluid testing kits for signs of drug use, they do not establish penalties for noncompliance or operating procedures for officers to follow, the ministry said. The proposed changes to the regulations require
The Executive Yuan yesterday announced that registration for a one-time universal NT$10,000 cash handout to help people in Taiwan survive US tariffs and inflation would start on Nov. 5, with payouts available as early as Nov. 12. Who is eligible for the handout? Registered Taiwanese nationals are eligible, including those born in Taiwan before April 30 next year with a birth certificate. Non-registered nationals with residence permits, foreign permanent residents and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens with residence permits also qualify for the handouts. For people who meet the eligibility requirements, but passed away between yesterday and April 30 next year, surviving family members
Taiwanese officials are courting podcasters and influencers aligned with US President Donald Trump as they grow more worried the US leader could undermine Taiwanese interests in talks with China, people familiar with the matter said. Trump has said Taiwan would likely be on the agenda when he is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) next week in a bid to resolve persistent trade tensions. China has asked the White House to officially declare it “opposes” Taiwanese independence, Bloomberg reported last month, a concession that would mark a major diplomatic win for Beijing. President William Lai (賴清德) and his top officials
The German city of Hamburg on Oct. 14 named a bridge “Kaohsiung-Brucke” after the Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung. The footbridge, formerly known as F566, is to the east of the Speicherstadt, the world’s largest warehouse district, and connects the Dar-es-Salaam-Platz to the Brooktorpromenade near the Port of Hamburg on the Elbe River. Timo Fischer, a Free Democratic Party member of the Hamburg-Mitte District Assembly, in May last year proposed the name change with support from members of the Social Democratic Party and the Christian Democratic Union. Kaohsiung and Hamburg in 1999 inked a sister city agreement, but despite more than a quarter-century of
RSS