Yahoo – AFP,
April 12, 2017
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| The tradition of eating dog meat dates back hundreds of years in many Asian countriesView photos (AFP Photo/Hoang Dinh Nam) |
Taiwan has
banned the eating of dogs and cats, lawmakers said Wednesday, as pressure grows
to improve animal welfare after a spate of cruelty cases that stirred public
outrage.
Parliament
passed legislation to outlaw the consumption, purchase or possession of dog and
cat meat, with offenders facing a fine of up to Tw$250,000 ($8,170).
Authorities
can also name and shame those who break the law.
"This
shows that Taiwan is a society with advanced animal welfare," said
lawmaker Wang Yu-min who proposed the new rules.
The bill
also hiked the penalty for killing or abusing animals to a maximum two-year
jail term and a stiff fine of Tw$2 million.
Dog
consumption -- believed by some in Taiwan to help boost male potency -- was
common on the island decades ago but has become less popular amid growing calls
to protect animal rights.
In 2001,
Taiwan amended its animal protection law to ban the slaughter of pets -- which
included dogs and cats -- for food, although there was no penalty on eating or
buying the meat.
Sales of pet meat were banned at the end of 2003.
 |
More than
10,000 canines are killed every year at China's notorious dog meat
festival in
Yulin (AFP Photo/JOHANNES EISELE)
|
Sales of pet meat were banned at the end of 2003.
But a
string of much-publicised animal abuse cases have continued to triggered deep
public concern and demands for tougher protection laws.
Last year,
the military was forced to apologise after a video surfaced of three soldiers
torturing and strangling a stray dog to death with an iron chain, prompting
several street protests.
And in
2014, a male hippo famous for regularly performing at a private zoo in central
Taiwan died after breaking a leg and sustaining other injuries during
transportation, sparking a public outcry.
Reactions
to the new law were mixed, with some deeming it unfair to only single out cats
and dogs for better protection.
"This
is the cute animal protection law? only cute animals are protected while the
rest deserve to die?" read one message posted on Apple Daily's website.
"Why doesn't the parliament amend laws to toughen punishment on drunk driving, fraud and homicide? what a lousy job it is doing," said another post.
 |
Dog meat
consumption is also common in countries such as China, Indonesia,
Vietnam and
South Korea (AFP Photo/SONNY TUMBELAKA)
|
"Why doesn't the parliament amend laws to toughen punishment on drunk driving, fraud and homicide? what a lousy job it is doing," said another post.
Dog meat
consumption is also common in countries such as China, Vietnam and South Korea.
Last year,
China's most notorious dog meat festival drew crowds despite international
outrage, as more than 10,000 dogs were killed at the event in conditions
activists described as brutal.
South
Koreans are believed to consume somewhere between 1.5 million - 2.5 million
dogs every year, but the meat farming industry is in decline, with little
demand among the younger generation.
In Vietnam,
cat meat -- known locally as "little tiger" -- is also a delicacy and
although officially banned it is widely available in specialist restaurants.
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