Taipei should lead the nation in enacting an ordinance to keep animals at businesses from being mistreated, Taipei City Councilor Yang Ching-yu (楊靜宇) said on Friday.
Many businesses, such as restaurants and coffee shops, use pets to attract customers, but the practice is not well regulated, Yang said.
The central government has the Regulations Governing the Management of Performing Animals (動物展演管理辦法), but the law is difficult to apply to pets at cafes, he said, adding that Taipei should introduce an ordinance regulating how to treat animals in the workplace.
Authorities need to prevent abuse, not just punish perpetrators, Yang said, citing a cafe in the city that was fined for allegedly abusing its raccoon.
The ordinance would be a smart move, Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan chief executive Shih Wu-hung (釋悟泓) said, adding that lawmakers should prioritize prevention.
The ordinance might be difficult to implement, as police officers would need to determine whether an animal was abused as part of a business promotion, Shih said.
Some restaurant owners look after stray animals, but a complaint against them would likely not breach the ordinance, while wasting executive resources, he added.
The city’s Animal Protection Office could stipulate animals and businesses to be regulated, and document promotional uses more likely to undermine public safety and hygiene, Shih said.
Enforcement entails many difficulties, so animal groups and business owners would be consulted to lay out practical steps to address animal abuse, Animal Protection Office Director Sung Nien-chieh (宋念潔) said.
CARGO LOSS: About 50 containers at the stern of the ‘Ever Lunar’ cargo ship went overboard, prompting the temporary closure of the port and disrupting operations Evergreen Marine Corp, Taiwan’s largest container shipper, yesterday said that all crew members aboard the Ever Lunar (長月) were safe after dozens of containers fell overboard off the coast of Peru the previous day. The incident occurred at 9:40am on Friday as the Ever Lunar was anchored and waiting to enter the Port of Callao when it suddenly experienced severe rolling, Evergreen said in a statement. The rolling, which caused the containers to fall, might have been caused by factors including a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Russia, poor winter sea conditions in South America or a sudden influx of waves,
The Ministry of Culture yesterday officially launched the “We TAIWAN” cultural program on Osaka’s Nakanoshima sandbank, with the program’s mascot receiving overwhelming popularity. The cultural program, which runs from Aug. 2 to 20, was designed to partner with and capitalize on the 2025 World Expo that is being held in Osaka, Japan, from April 13 to Oct. 13, the ministry said. On the first day of the cultural program, its mascot, a green creature named “a-We,” proved to be extremely popular, as its merch was immediately in high demand. Long lines formed yesterday for the opening
The Taipei Summer Festival is to begin tomorrow at Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕), featuring four themed firework shows and five live music performances throughout the month, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said today. The festival in the city’s Datong District (大同) is to run until Aug. 30, holding firework displays on Wednesdays and the final Saturday of the event. The first show is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Aug. 13, 20 and 30. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney Pixar's movie Toy Story, the festival has partnered with Walt Disney Co (Taiwan) to host a special themed area on
BE CAREFUL: The virus rarely causes severe illness or death, but newborns, older people and those with medical conditions are at risk of more severe illness As more than 7,000 cases of chikungunya fever have been reported in China’s Guangdong Province this year, including 2,892 new cases last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it is monitoring the situation and considering raising the travel notice level, which might be announced today. The CDC issued a level 1 travel notice, or “watch,” for Guangdong Province on July 22, citing an outbreak in Foshan, a manufacturing hub in the south of the province, that was reported early last month. Between July 27 and Saturday, the province reported 2,892 new cases of chikungunya, reaching a total of 7,716
RSS