A student from Macau yesterday confessed to strangling a popular stray cat nicknamed “Big Orange” (大橘子, Dajyuzih) in December last year, the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said.
National Taiwan University (NTU) chemical engineering student Chen Hao-yang (陳皓揚) was accused by animal lovers of killing stray cats, including Big Orange, in and around the NTU campus in Taipei, after a witness claimed to have seen a man matching his description abusing cats.
During their investigation, animal protection authorities and police reviewed surveillance footage and interrogated Chen, who they said confessed to the crime and led them to a cat’s corpse, believed to be Big Orange, hidden in a bush near a pond on the NTU campus, the Central News Agency said.
The police referred Chen to the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office on suspicion of violating the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法). The court yesterday summoned Chen for questioning, during which he reiterated his confession, prosecutors said.
Chen was quoted as having admitted to abusing and killing Big Orange in December last year because he had “emotional management issues” and was under “academic stress,” the prosecutors’ office said.
Chen allegedly told prosecutors that he wished to make a public apology to Taiwan’s cat lovers and the people who fed Big Orange, the office said, adding that Chen is receiving psychological counseling from NTU and that he is willing to perform court ordered community service.
The case sparked public outrage and condemnation from politicians. Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Saturday last week posted a statement on social media in support of stronger protection of animals’ rights, accompanied by a photograph of her holding her pet cat.
In a news conference last year, Taipei City Councilor Chien Shu-pei (簡舒培) also accused police of bungling the case, saying that police had initially tried to pass the case on to the Animal Protection Office, even though it was their duty to investigate.
The Chen case is the first official investigation this year to be performed by the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office.
Chen was yet to be formally charged as of press time last night.
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