The Taichung City Government on Monday warned against taking horses to public parks after an owner was spotted exercising one in Situn District (西屯).
The Taichung Construction Bureau said that on Sunday it responded to a report of a man with a horse in Charlotte Park (夏綠地公園) near the National Taichung Theater.
An official approached the man, surnamed Lee (李), and asked him to leave, citing local regulations.
Photo courtesy of the horse’s owner
The regulations state that animals are prohibited at public parks, with the exception of household pets, as defined in the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法), the bureau said.
As horses are not considered a household pet and might become anxious around strangers or in an unfamiliar environment, “according to the law, they cannot enter public parks,” it said.
Those who refuse to comply after a warning face a fine of NT$2,000 to NT$10,000, it said.
The best place for an animal is the place most suited to it, the bureau said.
Public parks are safe areas where children can play, but are not appropriate for horses, Taichung City Councilor Yang Cheng-chung (楊正中) said.
Lee told reporters that he often takes his horse to public places.
Hsiao La-chiao (Little Chili Pepper, 小辣椒) is docile and many people like to pat her, Lee said, adding that they find it therapeutic.
He has even taken her for walks on roads and to outdoor opera theaters, said Lee, who operates a kendo school.
It is also not the first time he has taken her to Charlotte Park, he said, adding that it is not hard to find photographs of them there on Facebook.
Sunday was unusual because someone reported him to the authorities, Lee said.
In addition to two-year-old Hsiao La-chiao, Lee also has an eight-year-old male horse named Hsiao Ma-ko (Little Marco, 小馬哥), who is also very mild-tempered, he said.
“Horses are as loyal and as docile as dogs,” he said. “They are man’s best friend.”
As many Taiwanese do not have many chances to be near horses, many do not understand them, Lee said.
He often takes Hsiao Ma-ko, who is smaller in stature, to preschools to give children a chance to “understand and not be frightened of horses,” he said.
Lee said that he would avoid public parks from now on.
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
Taitung County is to launch charter flights to Malaysia at the end of this year, after setting up flights to Vietnam and Thailand, the Taitung County Government said yesterday. The new charter flight services, provided by low-cost carrier Batik Air Malaysia, would be part of five-day tour packages for visits to Taitung County or Malaysia. The Batik Air charter flight, with about 200 seats, would take Malaysian tourists to Taitung on Dec. 30 and then at 12:35pm return to Kuala Lumpur with Taiwanese tourists. Another charter flight would bring the Taiwanese home on Jan. 3 next year, arriving at 5:30pm, before taking the
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
An exhibition celebrating Taiwan and Japan’s comic culture opened on Saturday in Taichung, featuring a section that explores Taiwanese reproductions of Japanese comics from when martial law limited Japanese representation. “A Century of Manga Culture: An Encounter of Taiwan and Japan’s Youth” held its Taiwan opening ceremony at Taichung’s National Taiwan Museum of Comics after an initial one-month run in Japan’s Kyoto International Manga Museum between May 24 and June 24. Much like the Kyoto exhibition, the show mainly celebrates the comic connection between Taiwan and Japan through late Taiwanese comic book
RSS