Stray animals at the Taipei Animal Protection Office’s Taipei Animal Shelter suffer from poor treatment, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City councilors said yesterday.
The shelter, located in Neihu District (內湖), holds more than 700 stray dogs and cats in a jam-packed area.
DPP Taipei City Councilor Hsu Shu-hua (許淑華) and Lee Chien-chang (李建昌) said the city government upgraded the status of the office in January with an annual budget of NT$22 million (US$690,000) to establish an animal rescue team and promote animal rights, but the environment at the municipal shelter has not improved.
“The office was established to protect animals, but the shelter put two or three dogs in one cage, and left them fighting for food and water. The living conditions for the animals is terrible,” Hsu said.
Hsu and Lee urged the office to make improving the environment in the shelter its top priority.
Lu Meng-hsian (陸夢賢), director of the animal rescue team, said the office had received NT$1 million from the Council of Agriculture to enhance the shelter’s construction.
RSS