Legislators across party lines and civic groups yesterday called on the Council of Agriculture’s (COA) recently established Pet Management Division to stop the practice of offering mice, rabbits, birds, reptiles and other small animals as prizes.
The practice harms animals and sets a bad example about the value of life, they told a news conference in Taipei.
Taiwan Rabbit Saving Association Public Affairs division head Lin Chiao (林樵) played several videos showing how small animals are offered as prizes at night markets, fairs and other places or events.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
The environment is unsanitary and the games are inhumane, Lin said, adding that offering animals as gifts leads to other problems, such as owners later abandoning their pets.
The government should ban the practice, Lin said.
While the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法) states that one should not trade, gift or abuse animals, directly or indirectly, through gambling or other unsuitable means, the regulation is non-enforceable, Taiwan Animal Protection Monitor network Secretary-General Ho Tsung-hsun (何宗勳) said.
Games and other activities in which animals are offered as prizes are not considered gambling and as long as there are no apparent signs of animal abuse on-site, animal protection efforts cannot be enforced.
New Power Party Chairwoman Chen Jiau-hua (陳椒華) said that the law needs to keep up with the times, calling on the council to provide interim measures to protect animals until new laws are put in place.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said that night markets offering animals as prizes are exploiting loopholes in the Animal Protection Act and called for an end to the practice.
Wu said she would propose amendments that would take into account the spirit of animal protection and ensure that people would only be able to obtain animals as pets through legitimate stores.
Any commercial act that trades or uses animals outside of legitimate channels should be banned, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yi-hua (林奕華) said, adding that she hoped all legislators would work together to speedily pass amendments to protect animals.
Despite 15 amendments, the Animal Protection Act is still lacking, Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Tsai Pi-ru (蔡璧如) said.
The nation does not have a specific agency to take in pets that are not cats or dogs, nor does it have an inspection standard for the illegal raising of such animals, she said, urging the government to regulate night market activities and step up education on the value of life for the next generation.
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