New animal protection laws in Taiwan may close older zoos

Want China Times, CNA and Staff Reporter 2015-07-26

Chiu Hsi-ho and Xiao He put on a show for visitors, July 24. (Photo/CNA)

A private zoo in Madou district in Tainan in southern Taiwan is set to be closed for good in January next year, with the owner complaining that the country's newly revised Animal Protection Act will make his business too challenging to run.

"Making the decision is painful," Chiu Hsi-ho, owner of the Madou King of Crocodile Zoo, said Friday.

Once the revisions to the Animal Protection Act take effect on Jan. 23 next year it will be difficult for small-scale private zoos to survive, Chiu said, adding that he will be unable to run a zoo when the laws become stricter than when he started his business nearly 40 years ago.

The death, attributable to negligence, of a hippopotamus named A He late last year belonging to another private zoo in Taichung triggered public outcry over animal abuse, prompting lawmakers to amend the Animal Protection Act.

The revisions, passed Jan. 23, stipulate that an "animal show vendor" must have a license from the proper authorities prior to commercial operation.

A He, who had been a long-time favorite attraction at Taichung's Skyzoo recreational farm, died on Dec. 29 last year from injuries sustained when the animal jumped from a moving truck. The hippo later fell a second time while suspended over a pond at a farm in Miaoli where he was undergoing rehabilitation treatement.

A nearly 40-year-old crocodile called Xiao He is a star attraction at Chiu's zoo. At a length of 5.8 meters and weighing 1,250 kilograms, Chiu said he "trained" Xiao He to perform in the zoo's regular animal shows. The croc was also forced to allow visitors to sit on its back for photographs.

Xiao He has drawn many business opportunities for the zoo, Chiu said.

Apart from the crocodile, Chiu's zoo is also known for keeping unusual animals such as a turtle with three heads, a crocodile without a tail and featherless chickens. Over the past few years, however, his animal shows have been blasted by groups accusing Chiu of animal abuse.

His zoo has been singled out as one of Taiwan's top 10 worst animal farms, he went on, saying that "it made me feel terribly bad," since he claims to have always spared no effort in attending to the special animals he keeps in captivity.

Saying that he has never violated the existing Animal Protection Act, Chiu added that he has taken many measures to improve his zoo.

The regulations, however, are becoming more and more strict thanks to increasing awareness of animal welfare. "It is almost impossible for a small zoo keeper to follow them," according to Chiu.