Half of Taiwan’s cities and counties lack rescue services for animals that are not cats or dogs, animal rights groups said yesterday, urging the Ministry of Agriculture to allocate more funding to local governments’ animal welfare programs.
The groups, including the Taiwan Animal Protection Monitor Network, Taiwan Bird Rescue Association, Taiwan Rodents Care Association and Taiwan Hedgehog Care Association, spent a year researching the ability of public animal shelters nationwide to rescue and shelter pet birds, rodents and hedgehogs.
The research showed that most city and county animal shelters provide services for cats and dogs as required by the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法), while the other animals, without regulatory protection, could only be helped by non-governmental organizations, Taiwan Animal Protection Monitor Network secretary-general Ho Tsung-hsun (何宗勳) told a news conference.
Photo: Yang Yuan-ting, Taipei Times
The lives and welfare of other animals should be valued and protected as well, he said, adding that the Taiwan Bird Rescue Association received 1,937 cases and the Taiwan Rodents Care Association got 2,005 cases from 2021 to last year.
Among all local animal rights authorities, only half would rescue pets that are not cats or dogs, and only 45 percent could shelter those that were abandoned or mistreated, Ho said.
New Taipei City performed the best among the six major special municipalities in rescuing and sheltering other types of pets, while the Taichung Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office completely lacked such services, Ho said.
Tainan’s and Kaohsiung’s animal rights agencies also provide services for pet birds and pigeons, but not other types of pets, he said.
Among the other cities and counties, Hsinchu City performed best, followed by Miaoli County and Chiayi City, Ho said, adding they even outperformed some of the six major cities.
The research showed that the shelter capacities of local agencies were insufficient and proper standards and guidelines should be established to enhance their capabilities to take in other animals, he said.
The ministry is advised to fund collaborations between governmental and non-governmental sectors, as well as compile owner guidelines for non-cat-or-dog pets.
Department of Animal Welfare official Cheng Chu-ching (鄭祝菁) said that the ministry would fully support local authorities by allocating higher budgets where needed.
While guidelines on keeping mammals that are not cats or dogs such as rodents and rabbits were published on Tuesday, interactive software and videos about owner guidelines would also be made to educate the public, she said.
Cheng also thanked the groups for collaborating with the government in animal rights protection, saying that the collaborations would be expanded to provide complete services.
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