Two more dog parks are to be opened next year, bringing the city’s total to nine, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said yesterday at an event to mark World Animal Day.
The Asia Ecological Conservation Exchange Association hosted the event at the Social Innovation Lab to increase awareness of the need to improve animal welfare.
Citing a maxim often attributed to Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi that “the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated,” Ko said that the Taipei City Government encourages cultural diversity, including the idea that humans should not view themselves as the primary beings on Earth, but as a part of the environment.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
Seven dog park activity areas have been established since he took office, Ko said, adding that the construction of the Guting Riverside Park Dog Activity Area (古亭河濱公園狗活動區) and Shihlin District Hu Tung Dog Activity Area (士林區葫東狗活動區) would be finished next year.
Many policies need the government and private sector to collaborate, so city officials invited 160 shops, including bookstores, restaurants and art exhibition spaces to place “Animal Friendly” signs in front of their shops, he said.
The city government has allocated NT$600 million (US$20.6 million) to reconstruct the Taipei Animal Shelter in Neihu District (內湖), which includes long-term care planning for stray cats and dogs.
Photo: CNA
New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) marked the day by releasing a rehabilitated crested serpent eagle back into the wild during an event in Shihding District (石碇).
Residents who encounter an injured or sick animal should contact the city’s Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office, which would nurse the animal back to health and release it into the wild, Hou said.
Meanwhile, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) learned how to wash a puppy during an event at a public shelter in Yenchao District (燕巢).
He said that Shoushan Zoo was in dire need of an upgrade, and the city government wants to create a friendlier environment for the zoo’s animals.
Additional reporting by Chiu Shu-yu and Su Fu-nan
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