Amid concern that dogs are being trained to hunt and kill stray cats in Taipei, the Taipei City Government yesterday said that it has received 85 such reports this year.
Officials said they are checking the reports to see if any of them overlap.
Animal protection volunteers said people have been spotted taking dogs into lanes and alleys in Taipei on rainy nights and when a cat is targeted, the dogs attack, inflicting fatal injuries.
Photo: screen grab from Facebook
The volunteers said that after the cats were killed, they heard the sound of a whistle, at which point the dogs ran off.
The dogs did not bark throughout the attacks, making the volunteers suspect that the animals have had their vocal cords removed and have been trained to kill, and were not simply chasing the cats.
Police said that when they were investigating one case in Xinyi District (信義) in September, they found a man surnamed Chen (陳), 55, surrounded by dogs.
Chen said that he was a cleaner and that the cat was chased because it came too close when he was feeding the stray dogs. He denied purposely setting the dogs on the cat.
The police sent the case to the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for investigation, while the Animal Protection Office rounded up six dog “suspects” and sent them to an animal shelter.
“They will be examined by veterinarians to determine whether they have been trained to hunt, which could help shed some light on the reported abuses,” the Animal Protection Office said.
Instances of dogs killing cats, mostly feral, have been reported in Neihu (內湖), Datong (大同), Zhongshan (中山) and Xinyi districts in the past two months, it said.
The office said that due to limited government staff and resources, the authorities have to rely on the public to solve a lot of cases. It urged the public to report any evidence they have to the 1999 Citizen Hotline.
Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan director Chen Yu-min (陳玉敏) said that the government should not treat the reports lightly, adding that if the dogs were to start attacking people, it would create panic.
Chen Yu-min said that people who unleash dogs to kill cats are in violation of the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法), and if found guilty they can be jailed for up to one year and fined NT$100,000 to NT$1 million (US$3,178 to US$31,778).
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old