Quarantine awareness posters at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport have gone viral for their use of wordplay.
Issued by the airport branch of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency, the posters feature sniffer dogs making a range of facial expressions, paired with advisory messages built around homophones.
“We update the messages for holidays and campaign needs, periodically refreshing materials to attract people’s attention,” quarantine officials said. “The aim is to use the dogs’ appeal to draw focus to quarantine regulations.”
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
A Japanese traveler visiting Taiwan has posted a photo on X of a poster showing a quarantine dog with a wrinkled nose and fierce expression, alongside the slogan “I 吸 YOU.”
In Mandarin, xi (吸), which sounds similar to the English word “see,” means “to inhale,” “to suck in” or “to draw in.” In this particular case, it was used to suggest “to smell.”
The post drew about 800,000 views and prompted responses from Taiwanese users, many saying it reflects a fondness for pun-based humor, sparking discussion between Taiwanese and Japanese Internet users.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
Quarantine official Wu Sih-hung (吳思宏) yesterday said travelers are exposed to a large volume of signage upon arrival, which can cause quarantine messages to be overlooked.
To better capture attention, the station adopted more eye-catching designs, Wu said.
The use of fierce-looking dog images was intended to underscore the seriousness of the issue and the risk of fines for contraventions, Wu said.
Those who contravene Taiwan’s animal and plant quarantine rules can face steep fines, particularly for bringing in banned food items such as meat products. Failure to declare or attempts to conceal such items can result in fines starting at NT$200,000 (US$6,327) for a first offense, rising to NT$1 million for repeat contraventions.
Even less serious breaches, such as failing to declare restricted agricultural goods, can lead to fines ranging from NT$3,000 to NT$15,000. Authorities have tightened enforcement over the past few years, with penalties applied on the spot at airports, underscoring the government’s zero tolerance approach to biosecurity risks.
The images currently used in advisory materials are drawn from photos taken by handlers during their daily routines, Wu said.
The poster highlighted by Japanese users has been in use for about a year, Wu said.
There are currently 25 quarantine dogs stationed at the airport.
Such visual materials are regularly updated for holidays and special campaigns.
“For example, Mid-Autumn Festival campaigns have featured themed designs, and different images are used in different areas of the airport to attract people’s attention,” Wu said.
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