New Taipei City, Kaohsiung and Taitung County are the only local governments that have expressed confidence in being able to overcome challenges associated with imposing a zero euthanasia policy for dogs and cats as mandated by amendments to the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法), which are to go into effect on Feb. 4, the Council of Agriculture said on Friday.
The amendments were designed to resolve an overabundance of stray animals by addressing the root of the problem, council Minister Tsao Chi-hung (曹啟鴻) said, but added that due to differences between urban centers and rural areas, implementing the policy would be difficult.
The governments of New Taipei City, Kaohsiung and Taitung County are the only ones that have expressed confidence in implementing the policy, Tsao said, adding that other local governments said it would be “difficult.”
However, the council said it would be resolute in pushing through the policy, regardless of hardships, adding that its implementation “must not be delayed.”
“We hope the public fully observes the law,” Tsao said, but added that should animal shelters reach capacity, they would be forced to neuter stray animals and release them.
Premier Lin Chuan (林全) has asked the council to do its best with measures to assist local governments to abide by the act.
Chiang Wen-chuan (江文全), head of the council’s Animal Protection Division, said local governments must strictly abide by the law after the amendments go into effect, adding that any attempts by a local government to euthanize strays would be illegal and a dereliction of duty that would be investigated by the Control Yuan.
The council said it plans to increase its fiscal 2017 budget to NT$500 million (US$15.6 million) to help local governments deal with pet-related issues.
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off Taitung County at 1:09pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 53km northeast of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 12.5km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Taitung County and Hualien County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Nantou County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Kaohsiung and Tainan, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage following the quake.
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