In light of increasingly frequent media reports about cruelty to animals, lawmakers across party lines passed a resolution on Thursday demanding the Council of Agriculture (COA) set up an animal protection division to improve care for stray animals. They threatened not to review the council’s budget if it fails to do so.
A survey conducted by the Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan (EAST) over the past three years found that 104 of 122 animal shelters around the nation failed to meet the standards of the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法).
More than 90 percent of the temporary animal detention centers designated by local governments to keep stray animals do not meet the minimum requirements, EAST said.
EAST showed the legislature’s Economic Affairs Committee video clips of dogs and cats being kept in local government-operated centers near garbage fields, cemeteries and slaughterhouses. Some of the animals were fed rotten food and dirty water or were left to die.
At present, environmental protection workers responsible for garbage are also responsible for catching stray dogs and cats.
EAST said the government should set up a agency dedicated to animal protection to deal with the stray animal problem, which has become increasingly serious as people abandon their pets when they find the animals to troublesome or costly to deal with.
Council of Agriculture Vice Minister Wang Cheng-ten (王政騰) said animals placed in animal shelters or local governments centers are humanely killed if they are not claimed or adopted in seven days.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Shyu Jong-shyoung (徐中雄) questioned the council’s attitude, noting that earmarked only NT$370 million (US$11.4 million) over the past 10 years to deal with stray animals and just NT$10 million last year.
Committee members suggested the council deliver a report on how it plans to improve animal shelters and treatment of strays, including stringently punishing people who abuse animals or animal protection workers who neglect their jobs. The lawmakers suggested the council setting up a complaint hotline and drawing up a timetable for establishing an animal protection agency.
If the council fails to follow through on the suggestions, the lawmakers said they would boycott the council’s budget.
The government should improve children’s outdoor spaces and accelerate carbon reduction programs, as the risk of heat-related injury due to high summer temperatures rises each year, Greenpeace told a news conference yesterday. Greenpeace examined summer temperatures in Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Hsinchu City, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung to determine the effects of high temperatures and climate change on children’s outdoor activities, citing data garnered by China Medical University, which defines a wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) of 29°C or higher as posing the risk of heat-related injury. According to the Central Weather Administration, WBGT, commonly referred to as the heat index, estimates
The Taipei Department of Health’s latest inspection of fresh fruit and vegetables sold in local markets revealed a 25 percent failure rate, with most contraventions involving excessive pesticide residues, while two durians were also found to contain heavy metal cadmium at levels exceeding safety limits. Health Food and Drug Division Director Lin Kuan-chen (林冠蓁) yesterday said the agency routinely conducts inspections of fresh produce sold at traditional markets, supermarkets, hypermarkets, retail outlets and restaurants, testing for pesticide residues and other harmful substances. In its most recent inspection, conducted in May, the department randomly collected 52 samples from various locations, with testing showing
Taipei and other northern cities are to host air-raid drills from 1:30pm to 2pm tomorrow as part of urban resilience drills held alongside the Han Kuang exercises, Taiwan’s largest annual military exercises. Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung, Taoyuan, Yilan County, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to hold the annual Wanan air defense exercise tomorrow, following similar drills held in central and southern Taiwan yesterday and today respectively. The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and Maokong Gondola are to run as usual, although stations and passenger parking lots would have an “entry only, no exit” policy once air raid sirens sound, Taipei
Taipei placed 14th in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Best Student Cities 2026 list, its highest ever, according to results released yesterday. With an overall score of 89.1, the city climbed 12 places from the previous year, surpassing its previous best ranking of 17th in 2019. Taipei is “one of Asia’s leading higher-education hubs,” with strong employer activity scores and students “enjoying their experience of the city and often keen to stay after graduation,” a QS staff writer said. In addition to Taipei, Hsinchu (71st), Tainan (92nd), Taichung (113th) and Taoyuan (130th) also made QS’ list of the top 150 student cities. Hsinchu showed the
RSS