People caught abusing stray cats or dogs can be subject to heavy fines or a maximum one-year prison term, a Council of Agriculture (COA) official said on Thursday.
The announcement came in response to reports of animal abuse in recent weeks.
Hsu Kuei-sen (許桂森), director of the COA’s Animal Industry Department, said that the Animal Protection Act (野生動物保育法) prohibits maltreatment or abuse of animals, with violators facing fines of between NT$100,000 and NT$1 million (US$30,000) or prison sentences of up to one year.
Anyone who spots animal abuse can report it to city or county animal protection authorities, Hsu said, adding that if a case is considered a danger to public security, it should be reported to the closest police station.
In the latest alleged animal abuse case, a pet dog raised by a 78-year-old woman in Chiayi County was shot dead by the military last weekend after the animal strayed onto a runway at Chiayi air base.
The owner said she was not convinced her dog would have entered the off-limits area because it was a pet and not a stray.
The Chiayi County Animal Disease Quarantine Bureau said it had launched an investigation into the case and added that if it were found that air base staff randomly shot the animal, they would be fined.
An air force officer visited the dog’s elderly owner a day earlier to apologize for the killing. According to the officer, pilots were conducting landing and takeoff training when the dog strayed onto the runway.
“As it was an emergency situation, a non-commissioned officer shot the dog,” the officer said, adding that his colleague was doing so in line with air force standard operating procedures to ensure flight safety.
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