Six large freezers with about 800kg of animal meat of unknown origin — including suspected dog meat — were found in a warehouse in Miaoli County's Toufen City (頭份), the county government's Agriculture Department said today.
Authorities searched the warehouse after the Hsinchu County Stray Animal Protection Association on Wednesday reported a case involving the illegal slaughter of animals, department Deputy Director Tsai Cheng-hsin (蔡政新) said.
Working with the Miaoli Animal Care and Health Office and the police, they raided the warehouse in the Shan Chu Lake (珊珠湖) area of Toufen City, and found what they suspect to be dog and game meat, Tsai said.
Photo courtesy of the Miaoli County Government via CNA
The association had information about groups illegally hunting wild animals and killing stray dogs and cats, and investigated the case for more than six months, association director Tang Hung-cheng (湯宏正) said.
The warehouse’s landlord found the meat and contacted the association for help, Tang said, adding that he also unlocked the gate for investigators.
Inside, authorities found meat from boars and muntjacs, also known as barking deer, as well as what is suspected to be dog meat and tails, Tang said, describing the scene as “shocking.”
Six kilograms of suspected dog meat was taken to the office’s testing station, while the other meat was sent to the Agricultural Department’s wildlife and nature division to be preserved as evidence, the department said.
The landlord said that the warehouse was rented out to foreign migrant workers, who have since returned to their home countries, the department said.
As there is only his word to go on and the origin of the meat remains unknown, the landlord would be asked to make a formal statement and the association would be asked to share its information, it said.
The department would investigate and consult the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法) and Act on Wildlife Conservation (野生動物保育法) before issuing penalties or referring the case to the appropriate authorities, it said.
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