As a legal amendment that scraps the practice of euthanizing stray animals is to take effect in February next year, animal welfare groups yesterday questioned whether local governments are prepared for the change, asking them to take measures to implement the law.
Life Conservationist Association executive director Ho Tsung-hsun (何宗勳), along with animal rights campaigners and legislators across party lines, said that with less than a year to go before the amended Animal Protection Act (動物保護法) takes effect, “we have to ask the local governments whether they are prepared to end euthanasia or would they simply try to deceive the public when the time comes.”
The act was amended in February last year, scrapping a clause that stipulated that animal shelters may kill animals 12 days after publishing a notification to call on people to reclaim or adopt them.
“As of last year, 1.23 million animals have been euthanized or died due to other causes in animal shelters since 1999, when public shelters started to euthanize the animals,” Ho said.
“While the nation’s overall percentage of euthanizing sheltered animals dropped to 14 percent in 2015, Pingtung County ranked first with 55 percent [1,966 cats and dogs] of the sheltered animals being euthanized. It is followed by Nantou County’s 48 percent [2,196], Changhua County’s 46 percent [1,645], Kinmen County’s 41 percent [551], Keelung’s 37 percent [488] and Penghu’s 31 percent [257]. All other cities and counties are below 20 percent,” Ho said.
“The average adoption rate in the nation increased from 58 percent in 2014 to 70 percent last year. It seems like a big increase, but in terms of real numbers only about 2,000 additional animals were adopted last year. There is still room for improvement, as we are pushing the idea of having school dogs, community dogs and public service dogs,” he said.
More than 30 percent of the nation’s population have pets, National Taiwan Normal University’s Animal Rights Promotion Front leader Lin Wei-jen (林韋任) said. “However, not only should a more pet-friendly environment be built, but the government should prepare itself for a zero-euthanasia era.”
Besides the zero-euthanasia policy, the government should also increase its oversight of breeding facilities and support “trap-neuter-return” programs through legislation, said Liao Cheng-chieh (廖證傑), a member of National Chung Hsing University’s Life Care club.
Increasing the pet adoption rate is important for the zero-euthanasia policy, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Alicia Wang (王育敏) said, adding that the proposed amendment to the Condominium Administration Act (公寓大廈管理條例) that scraps the provision that grants condo management committees the authority to prohibit pet ownership would be of great help.
She said that she has also proposed to raise the fine for running illegal breeding facilities, from the current range of between NT$50,000 and NT$250,000 (US$1,544 to US$7,721) to between NT$100,000 and NT$3 million.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Man-li (陳曼麗) called on the central and local governments to continue their zero-euthanasia efforts.
New Power Party Legislator Hung Tzu-yung (洪慈庸) said that some of the shelters are in need of improvement and asked the authorities to advocate the idea that purchasing pets should be replaced by adoption.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS