A string of attacks on cats and dogs in Yilan County has outraged animal protection groups, who urged authorities to find the culprits and bring them to justice.
Officials at Yilan County’s Animal and Plant Disease Control Center on Friday last week said that a resident of Nanao Township (南澳) on May 17 found a two-month old kitten pierced by blow darts at an eatery in front of Penglai Elementary School.
The female kitten was clinging to life when found, with one dart through the left ear and two others sticking to her body.
Photo courtesy of the Yilan County Animal and Plant Disease Control Center
Officials at the center said it was lucky that the darts did not puncture major organs and there was no major bleeding.
After emergency treatment by a veterinarian, the kitten was recovering well, the center said, adding that an animal welfare group has helped to place the kitten with a new owner.
Chen Wen-chin (陳文進), head of the center, said the steel darts can cause serious injuries, but can be bought easily.
“This type of dart should be restricted. We will discuss such measures with other agencies to coordinate the effort,” he said.
Meanwhile, four stray dogs were poisoned at a hill area in Yuanshan Township (員山). Residents said they noticed the dogs had gone missing a while ago from their usual haunts and where they were being fed.
The bodies of three were found recently with white froth at their mouths. The fourth dog has not been found, but residents do not hold out much hope.
A local animal welfare activist surnamed Lin (林), who was upset over the death of the dogs, said he was sure that someone had deliberately poisoned them.
Yilan County Stray Dog Care Association secretary-general Chin Hui-ling (秦慧玲) called the person who perpetrated the crime “a deranged murderer.”
“How can anyone hurt these animals who are unable to defend themselves? If this person is caught, he must receive counseling. Society must not ignore this issue and should think of ways to solve the stray dog problem,” Chin said.
She urged government agencies to mount an awareness campaign to educate the public — including parents and schools — about the issue.
Liu Pi-yang (劉必楊), a section chief at Yilan County’s Animal and Plant Disease Control Center, said the county currently has about 4,000 stray dogs, citing figures from the Council of Agriculture.
“We have dog-catcher units that will do their job at different intervals. The public should not try to catch the strays, as they can be fined between NT$15,000 and NT$75,000 under the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法),” he said.
Seriously injuring or killing animals is a criminal act that carries a jail term of up to a year, Liu said, adding that the public can report incidents to the center by calling 0396-02350.
Additional reporting by Wang Chih-hsiung
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