The Kaohsiung City Government yesterday reminded residents seeking a temporary residence for their pets when they leave town to make sure they choose pet hotels that hold legal operating permits to avoid running foul of the law.
Economic Development Bureau Director-General Liu Hsin-cheng (劉馨正) told reporters the bureau had recently issued its first fine — NT$50,000 — against a well-known pet hotel that was operating without a permit.
Liu said owners who needed to leave their pets at a pet hotel often failed to ascertain whether the hotel has a legitimate operating permit.
PHOTO: KE YU-HAO, TAIPEI TIMES
“Article 22 of the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法) requires that dog breeders or vendors or those who operate pet hotels obtain a legal permit,” Liu said.
Most of the public and businesspeople are aware that it is illegal to breed or sell dogs without a permit, but they have no idea that operating permits are also mandatory for pet hotels, Liu said.
“Therefore, it is illegal to run a private breeding dog house or provide family-style boarding services for dogs [without a permit],” Liu said.
Chu Chia-te (朱家德), director of the Kaohsiung Municipal Institute for Animal Health, said owners of pet hotels should also publicize the serial number of their operating permits when running advertisements.
Businesses that fail to follow regulations can be fined between NT$5,000 and NT$75,000, Chu said.
Sites advertising pet boarding services are becoming increasingly common on the Internet.
The National Taiwan University-run Professional Technology Temple, the nation’s largest university bulletin board system, even has a discussion board for people looking for such services.
Some service providers also run advertisements on online bidding Web sites such as Yahoo, providing family-style, cage-free boarding services at the cost of NT$100 per day.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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