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.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
Greenpeace yesterday said that it is to appeal a decision last month by the Taipei High Administrative Court to dismiss its 2021 lawsuit against the Ministry of Economic Affairs over “loose” regulations governing major corporate electricity consumers. The climate-related lawsuit — the first of its kind in Taiwan — sought to require the government to enforce higher green energy thresholds on major corporations to reduce emissions in light of climate change and an uptick in extreme weather. The suit, filed by Greenpeace East Asia, the Environmental Jurists Association and four individual plaintiffs, was dismissed on May 8 following four years of litigation. The
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their