Activists in Taipei protest against round-up of stray animals

Want China Times, CNA 2014-05-11

Animal protection activists during the rally in Taipei, May 10. (Photo/Tu Yi-an)

Hundreds of animal protection activists held a protest march in Taipei on Saturday calling for an end to the round-up and killing of stray animals.

Gathering on the boulevard in front of the Presidential Office, the protesters urged the government to legislate a comprehensive trap-neuter-release program to ensure more humane treatment of strays.

Huang Tai-shan, the leader of an alliance promoting the legislation, threatened to "occupy the Council of Agriculture (COA)" if the council continued the current practice of dealing with stray animals.

The threat evoked a student-led occupation of the Legislative Yuan from March 24 to April 10 to protest against a trade-in-services pact signed with China.

At present, stray animals are placed in animal shelters after being rounded up, and face mercy killings if they are not adopted within 12 days because of insufficient shelter space.

In response, the COA said it understood the concerns of the protesters and also hoped that the mercy killings of stray animals could be avoided. It stressed, however, that it also has a responsibility to prevent stray animals from affecting people's daily lives.

The COA said it is actively encouraging people to adopt stray animals to reduce mercy killings.

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