While many people may be tempted to take their pets outside for a sunbath after washing the animal, the Kaohsiung City Government warned yesterday that the practice could be illegal.
In a press release, the Kaohsiung Municipal Institute for Animal Health urged people not to dry their pets under direct sunlight during the summer, saying that the practice was “inappropriate” and “violated the Animal Protection Act [動物保護法].”
The institute said leaving pets in a car under the sun while pet owners temporarily left the vehicle was also considered a violation of the act.
The institute did not specify which articles of the law were being used to ban the practices.
However, Article 5 of the act obliges pet owners to ensure the physical safety of their animal, appropriate ventilation when a pet is left in a vehicle, the amount of sunlight they are exposed to and the temperature and cleanliness of their living environment.
Violators who cause their animal physical injury or death can be fined between NT$100,000 and NT$500,000 and may have their names publicized, the act stipulates.
The institute said that like humans, pets exposed to direct sunlight can suffer heat stroke, especially in the high temperatures Taiwan has experienced recently.
“If pet owners are careless and expose their pets to direct sunlight or keep them in an environment without proper ventilation, animals can get heat stroke. Without emergency assistance, the animal could go into a coma and die,” the institute said.
RSS