Suspending the trap-neuter-vaccinate-return (TNVR) program would lead to proliferation of free-roaming dogs, the Taiwan One Ecology Coalition (TOEC) said yesterday following calls for freezing the government’s neutering budget.
The coalition yesterday held a news conference calling for using verifiable statistics in discussing management of free-roaming dogs.
Taiwan Walk for Wildlife (TWW) on Wednesday last week urged the legislature to freeze the budget for the scheme of managing free-roaming dogs via the TNVR approach.
Photo courtesy of Lai Ching-mei
It said at the time that 42 people died and 14,030 people were injured in traffic accidents caused by animal collisions over the past five years, resulting in NT$3.64 billion (US$115.6 million) in costs to society every year.
The figure includes about NT$3.47 billion in traffic accident-induced costs, such as medical costs, lost income, funeral and support expenses, and compensation for emotional distress.
It includes NT$30.8 million in estimated nationwide agricultural losses and NT$140 million in ecological losses.
The traffic accident-induced costs were calculated based on the deaths and injuries from a five-year period, with assigned values of NT$15.72 million and NT$1.19 million per person, TWW data showed.
The nationwide agricultural losses were estimated based on Changhua County’s 113 incidents of agricultural losses caused by free-roaming dogs in 2024, it showed.
The ecological losses were calculated based on the 70 documented pangolin deaths last year, with NT$2 million in forest eco-benefits from pangolins feeding on termites, TWW data showed.
The TOEC yesterday cited data from the National Police Agency as showing that traffic accidents caused by animal collisions amounted to only 28 deaths from 2020 to last year.
Most of the 28 cases did not indicate free-roaming dogs as a cause, while one case was confirmed to be caused by a deer, another by a cat, and three by pet dogs, it said.
Other factors played a role, including negligent driving behaviors such as speeding or driving under the influence, it added.
The TOEC said that the variety of factors leading to a crash should be made clear given that other non-canine animals and human factors were included in the losses attributed to dogs.
It said the estimated figures for agricultural and ecological losses provided by TWW were not based on reliable data.
Freezing the TNVR budget is not a rational, practical solution to stray dog management and would instead let the dog population proliferate, the TOEC said.
From 2011 to 2017, there were 46 pangolin vehicle collisions, but 334 incidents from 2018 to last year, it said.
The post-2018 surge reflected the increased roadkill risk for wildlife due to road construction and habitat fragmentation, the TOEC said.
Free-roaming dogs should not be scapegoats for dysfunctional management by humans, it said,
TWW yesterday said that it used “free-roaming dog” to refer to both stray dogs and unrestrained pet dogs.
Agricultural losses were extrapolated based on the county’s data because a comprehensive nationwide figure does not exist, it said, adding others are welcome to propose an alternative estimation method.
The 70 pangolins factored for in calculating ecological losses were all hospitalized due to dog attack, TWW said.
Wildlife rescue units, including the Wildlife Rescue and Research Center, confirmed that dog attack is the main cause of pangolin injuries or deaths, it said.
Saying that wildlife is facing other risks such as vehicle collisions is unhelpful in solving the stray dog problem, it added.
TWW said that it pulled the wildlife collision death data from the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, but the exact number should be clarified with the ministry.
The ministry has said free-roaming dogs were the main animal that caused traffic injuries or fatalities, it said.
TWW did not answer the question about whether the 42 deaths were all caused by free-roaming dogs.
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