A petition has been launched, calling for a dedicated “rabbit park” in Taipei.
According to statistics from Taipei’s Animal Protection Office, the three most numerous registered pet species in the city last year were dogs (129,223), cats (113,956) and rabbits (263).
The organizers of the petition said that rabbits are sensitive animals that are easily startled, with activity and safety needs that differ from those of dogs and cats.
Photo: Lin Hsiang-mei, Taipei Times
While rabbits are not suited to typical parks with high noise, heavy foot traffic, or mixed use with dogs and cats, this does not mean they do not require sufficient, safe space to move and exercise, the petition said.
Rabbits should not be confined long-term to small indoor areas or cages, it said. Taipei has several dog-only activity spaces, but no public areas have been designed specifically for rabbits and their species-specific needs.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Chan Wei-yuan (詹為元) said yesterday that the number of rabbit owners is increasing, and official statistics might significantly underestimate the total, as rabbits are not required to be microchipped like cats and dogs.
Many owners have begun seeking “rabbit sitters” to help care for their pets, with related requests steadily rising in online communities, he said.
Surveys by private organizations show that rabbit ownership is highly concentrated in urban areas, with Taipei and New Taipei City accounting for a particularly large share, he said.
According to Chan, Taichung is the only city in Taiwan with designated spaces for rabbits, which he added could serve as a reference for the Taipei City Government.
“The progress of a city is measured not only by how it responds to existing needs but also by its willingness to recognize emerging ones,” he said. “Establishing a rabbit park may not be the only solution, but the willingness to even begin evaluating the idea reflects an important mindset.”
Veterinarian Simon Yang (楊靜宇) said rabbits need exposure to sunlight to absorb ultraviolet rays, which helps stimulate their bone development.
On these grounds, he said he supports the idea of establishing a rabbit park.
Unlike dog exercise areas, a rabbit park does not need to be very large, a 10-ping to 20-ping (approximately 33m2 to 66m2) grassy area would be sufficient, he said, adding the construction and maintenance costs would be lower than those of a dog park.
However, the number of pet rabbits could serve as a basis for policy decisions, so the Animal Protection Office might consider conducting a survey to determine the population and distribution of rabbits in Taipei, he said.
In response, the office said that considering that rabbits have lower activity levels and are more sensitive to unfamiliar or noisy environments, it is recommended that pet rabbits exercise indoors.
Most of Taipei’s available green spaces are already used as dog parks, leaving no suitable locations for a dedicated rabbit park, it said, adding that the city does have 50 pet-friendly businesses where rabbits are allowed.
The military has spotted two Chinese warships operating in waters near Penghu County in the Taiwan Strait and sent its own naval and air forces to monitor the vessels, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said. Beijing sends warships and warplanes into the waters and skies around Taiwan on an almost daily basis, drawing condemnation from Taipei. While the ministry offers daily updates on the locations of Chinese military aircraft, it only rarely gives details of where Chinese warships are operating, generally only when it detects aircraft carriers, as happened last week. A Chinese destroyer and a frigate entered waters to the southwest
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comment last year on Tokyo’s potential reaction to a Taiwan-China conflict has forced Beijing to rewrite its invasion plans, a retired Japanese general said. Takaichi told the Diet on Nov. 7 last year that a Chinese naval blockade or military attack on Taiwan could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, potentially allowing Tokyo to exercise its right to collective self-defense. Former Japan Ground Self-Defense Force general Kiyofumi Ogawa said in a recent speech that the remark has been interpreted as meaning Japan could intervene in the early stages of a Taiwan Strait conflict, undermining China’s previous assumptions
Taiwan Railways Corp (TRC) today announced that Shin Kong Mitsukoshi has been selected as the preferred bidder to operate the Taipei Railway Station shopping mall, replacing the current operator, Breeze Development Co Ltd. Among eight qualified firms that delivered presentations and were evaluated by a review committee, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi was ranked first, while Breeze was named the runner-up, the rail company said in a statement. Contract negotiations are to proceed in accordance with regulations, it said, adding that if negotiations with the top bidder fail, it could invite the second-ranked applicant to enter talks. Breeze in a statement today expressed doubts over
RSS