Civil groups today urged the Legislative Yuan to freeze the Department of Animal Welfare's budget until it proposes better measures to effectively resolve the issue of stray dogs.
Stray dogs generate estimated social costs of NT$3.64 billion (US$115.21 million) every year by causing traffic incidents, endangering local wildlife and killing chickens, the groups told a news conference in Taipei.
They called for a more systematic collection of nationwide data on the damage caused by stray animals, to be entered into a public data platform.
Photo: CNA
They also demanded amendments to the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法) to better define the responsibility of those who feed stray dogs as “de facto custodians.”
There is currently an urban-rural divide in stray dog populations, with higher numbers seen in rural counties, despite significant declines in urban areas, department Director Chiang Wen-chuan (江文全) said.
Going forward, efforts would be concentrated in agricultural regions, he said.
Although feeding stray dogs is advised against, in some cases it serves as a transitional measure alongside sterilization efforts, he added.
Current law does not sufficiently define whether those who feed stray dogs are classified as “pet owners,” and court rulings require evidence of a fixed location and habitual feeding, Chiang said.
There were about 141,584 stray dogs in Taiwan in 2024, or 0.605 dogs per 100 people, the Ministry of Agriculture said earlier this year.
That represents a decrease of more than 11 percent, or 18,113 dogs, compared to the previous survey in 2022, it said.
The key to controlling stray dog populations is responsible pet ownership, the ministry said, adding that owners must fulfil their obligations under the Animal Protection Act by not abandoning pets or allowing them to roam freely.
Reducing stray dog populations would reduce conflicts between humans and dogs and lessen the impact on local wildlife, it added.
The government’s investment in “trap, neuter, return” programs has not resolved the issue, Taiwan Walk For Wildlife Association chairman Lee Tsung-chen (李宗宸) told the news conference.
Strays cause estimated annual losses of NT$3.64 billion, with 42 people killed in traffic accidents caused by stray dogs in the past five years, he said.
Moreover, there are at least 550 cases per year of stray dogs entering chicken coops and killing chickens, estimated using data from Changhua County, Leopard Cat Association of Taiwan director Cheng Hsian-can (鄭憲燦) said.
The issue causes annual agricultural losses of at least NT$30 million per year, without accounting for unreported cases, he added.
Taiwan is a global leader in pangolin rescue, but dog attacks are the leading cause of injuries among rescued pangolins, Wild One Taiwan head Wang Shi-wei (王時瑋) said.
A single pangolin can consume millions of termites each year, and its burrows provide habitats for other species, positively contributing to forest ecosystems, he said.
Conservative estimates suggest that dog attacks on pangolins result in about NT$140 million in ecological losses per year, he added.
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