The Taipei Animal Protection Office warned pet owners to immediately cremate dead pets or put their remains in cold storage within 24 hours to keep them from decomposing.
If a pet dies at home, owners can call a pet funeral service to pick up the remains for cremation, Animal Shelter and Adoption Section head Lee Chien-pei (李建沛) said, adding that some services even offer collection at the scene of an accident.
Pet owners are advised to promptly decide what to do with the remains, as decomposition begins 24 hours after death without cold storage, he said.
Photo: Chen Yu-jui, Taipei Times
People can ask the local animal protection office to cremate deceased pets, but most city and county governments outsource the service to private companies, he said, adding that the cremation fee is NT$350 for remains that weigh less than 5kg, with NT$70 charged per additional kilogram.
Most pets pass away at home, followed by at a veterinary clinic or the scene of a traffic accident, said Wang Pieh-husan (王別玄), manager of Feerie Pets Park, a private pet cemetery in Taipei.
The pet cemetery is one of the more exclusive cemeteries, even transporting dead pets to the cemetery by hearse, Wang said, adding that most veterinary clinics can put people in touch with pet funeral services.
Morticians from Feerie Pets Park can assist owners with preserving their pet’s remains if they wish to hold a wake at their home before cremating or burying the pet, Wang said.
Pet funeral services are unregulated, so consumers need to do their research, Wang said, adding that the Web site of the Taipei Animal Protection Office provides links to funeral services, but does not guarantee their quality.
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