The legislature’s Economics Committee yesterday approved proposed amendments to the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法) that would define abuse as the use of violence, the improper use of drugs or tools, inaction or other behavior that causes harm to animals.
The improvement of animal welfare was also introduced as an aim of the act in the proposals that were passed.
Article 14-1 of the act states that without the prior consent of competent authorities, animals cannot be captured using explosive materials, poison, electricity, corrosive substances, traps or firearms other than a tranquilizer gun.
Under the proposed amendments, the words “without prior consent of competent authorities” would be removed from the article, banning the capture of animals using the listed methods entirely.
At the committee meeting, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lu Yu-ling (呂玉玲) raised concerns about reports that people have been hunting and killing green iguanas using firecrackers and bows and arrows to control the highly invasive species.
Green iguanas are not a protected species in the Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法), she said.
Council of Agriculture Deputy Minister Huang Chin-cheng (黃金城) said that without owners, green iguanas are similarly not protected by the Animal Protection Act.
However, abuse of any animal is wrong, he said, adding that the council would draft proposals to address the issue.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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