On World Animal Day yesterday, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said that if the DPP returns to power, it would allocate more resources for the protection of animals.
The DPP government would provide personnel and operational funds for the most urgent tasks to local governments that come up with comprehensive plans, Tsai said on Facebook.
Tsai, who owns two cats, said these tasks include: increasing animal protection personnel; forming a monitoring group; enforcing pet registration policies; educating pet owners to be responsible; and funding TNVR — trap/neuter/vaccinate/return — adoption programs.
Other urgent tasks include promoting life education, improving conditions at animal shelters, bolstering the supervision of breeding facilities and cracking down on illegal breeding, Tsai said.
Many pets live in harsh environments and face unclear futures, Tsai said.
Compared with some developed countries, Taiwan has yet to perform a number of animal protection tasks governed by the law, nor has it worked to improve animal welfare or establish animal rights, Tsai said.
An amendment to the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法) earlier this year that ended the practice of “12-night euthanasia” — where animals in shelters were put down after 12 days — came about a year too late, Tsai said, adding that a number of complementary measures to correct the source of the problem have not been implemented, allowing the problem of stray animals to continue unabated.
“The government must be determined to provide abundant resources to local governments, which are at the front line for implementation, but often suffer from an inadequate budget and a shortage of manpower,” Tsai said.
Tsai said that a nation’s animal protection policy is not only about solving the problem of stray animals, adding that the government should formulate “guidelines for the protection of animals.”
These guidelines should encourage the government to work with professionals to develop short, intermediate and long-term goals for animal conservation, to census endangered species and to improve the welfare of animals used for commercial, experimental and performance purposes, she added.
Only in a world where all living beings can peacefully coexist can a friendlier and more balanced living environment be created, Tsai said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Taiwan’s three major international carriers are increasing booking fees, with EVA Airways having already increased the charge to US$28 per flight segment from US$25, while China Airlines (CAL) and Starlux Airlines are set to follow suit. Booking fees are charged by airlines through a global distribution system (GDS) and passed on to passengers. Carriers that apply the fees include CAL, EVA, Starlux and Tigerair Taiwan. A GDS is a computerized network operated by a company that connects airlines with travel agents and ticketing platforms, allowing reservations to be made and processed in real time. Major players include Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport. EVA Air began
WATCH FOR HITCHHIKERS: The CDC warned those returning home from Japan to be alert for any contagious diseases that might have come back with them People who have returned from Japan following the World Baseball Classic (WBC) games during the weekend are recommended to watch for symptoms of infectious gastroenteritis, flu and measles for two weeks, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. Flu viruses remain the most common respiratory pathogen in Taiwan in the past four weeks and the influenza B virus accounted for 55.7 percent of the tested cases, exceeding the percentage of influenza A (H3N2) infections and becoming the local dominant strain, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) said at a news conference on Tuesday. There were 82,187 hospital visits for
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
RSS