The number of strays dying in Taipei’s animal shelters has increased over the past two years, despite a ban on euthanasia, said a source on Sunday, who called on Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) to address the situation.
Last year, deaths among stray animals in shelters reached a four-year high of 6.01 percent and as of October the figure was 4.38 percent, the source said.
Taipei Deputy Mayor Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) said that the deaths were partially attributable to aging.
Photo courtesy of Taipei City Councilor Yang Ching-yu
The city has added adoption relay stations and has planned renovations at existing stations, Huang said, adding that the facilities would be doubled in size.
The city since 2019 has planned to renovate its main animal shelter, the Taipei Animal Protection Office, on Tanmei Street in Neihu District (內湖) and build a new 3,400 ping (11,240m2) facility, the source said.
However, due to Ko’s concern that the NT$700 million (US$25.18 million) required to build the new facility — as well as NT$200 million for waste management — was too expensive, the plans have stalled, the source said.
“Because Ko has shifted back and forth on his animal shelter policy, city shelters are getting crowded, creating a bad environment for the animals,” the source said. “Last year more than 200 strays died in the city’s shelters.”
The animal euthanasia ban went into effect in 2017 and the following year the number of strays that died in shelters increased by 3.91 percent, the source said, adding that the proportion has been increasing each year since then.
“The number of strays at the Tanmei facility is already double its intended capacity,” Taipei City Councilor Yang Ching-yu (楊靜宇) said. “Five to seven dogs share each pen.”
“There are also multiple cats in each cage lining the hallways,” Yang said.
Yang, who is a trained vet, said that the animals would be distressed, fearing that they would need to compete for food.
The situation would worsen if the city does not expand the facilities, he said.
At least 2,900 ping is needed, he said, adding that the city should build a multifunction facility where animals could be trained and the public could be educated about pet adoption.
Taiwan Animal Protection Monitor Network secretary-general Ho Tsung-hsun (何宗勳) said that Taipei should follow the lead of other cities, such as Tainan, which neuters strays and promotes pet adoption, and New Taipei City, which trains strays as working dogs.
“Taipei has the most resources, so it should find opportunities to help promote proper care of animals,” Ho said.
Promoting adoption through the Taipei City Animal Protection Office alone would be ineffective, he said, adding that Ko should find better solutions to boost adoption rates.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
The first bluefin tuna of the season, brought to shore in Pingtung County and weighing 190kg, was yesterday auctioned for NT$10,600 (US$333.5) per kilogram, setting a record high for the local market. The auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Siaoliouciou Island-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the “Pingtung First Tuna” it had caught for bidding. Bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram — NT$300 ,more than last year — for a total of NT$2.014 million. The 67-year-old skipper
BREACH OF CONTRACT: The bus operators would seek compensation and have demanded that the manufacturer replace the chips with ones that meet regulations Two bus operators found to be using buses with China-made chips are to demand that the original manufacturers replace the systems and provide compensation for breach of contract, the Veterans Affairs Council said yesterday. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) yesterday said that Da Nan Bus Co and Shin-Shin Bus Co Ltd have fielded a total of 82 buses that are using Chinese chips. The bus models were made by Tron-E, while the systems provider was CYE Electronics, Lin said. Lin alleged that the buses were using chips manufactured by Huawei subsidiary HiSilicon Co, which presents a national security risk if the
RSS