On Tuesday, the legislature approved amendments to the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法) that increased the tariff for existing crimes of animal abuse and banned sales and consumption of dog and cat meat.
The move was met with applause both in Taiwan and overseas, not just for bringing the nation more in line with international trends in animal protection, but for taking what many agree is a landmark step and a first in Asia.
The changes double the maximum sentence for cruelty and injury to animals from one year to two and the fine from NT$100,000 to NT$1 million (US$3,289 to US$32,895) to between NT$200,000 and NT$2 million. In addition — to prevent recidivism — repeat offenders can now be imprisoned for up to five years.
The amendments also allow for fines of NT$3,000 to NT$15,000 for the ignorant, lazy, dangerous and often cruel practice of walking pets on a leash attached to a vehicle.
Pet ownership has increased in Taiwan in the past few years. With this has come the need for better education about how to treat animals, what to expect from pet ownership, the importance of neutering and the problem of abandoning animals after the initial excitement of pet ownership has worn off.
Numerous animal abuse cases have made headlines over the past few years. In addition to a video released online in 2012 that called attention to dubious practices in slaughterhouses, there have been other disturbing incidents, including the killing of stray cats by a National Taiwan University student and of a stray dog by members of the Republic of China Marine Corps.
This week’s amendments were deemed necessary as existing punishments were thought to be insufficiently prohibitive. However, the aspect that has attracted the most international media attention and been hailed as a landmark change is the banning of dog and cat meat for human consumption.
Anyone found purchasing, eating or possessing dog or cat meat, or any products containing such meats, will now not only be subject to a fine of up to NT$250,000, but may also be publicly named and shamed, with the new law giving authorities the right to disclose names and pictures of violators.
People have held up Taiwan as an example of how to end what is increasingly regarded as a barbaric tradition with a long history in the region, comparing Taiwan favorably with other Asian countries, such as China, South Korea and the Philippines, where the consumption of dog and cat meat is still legal.
There are hopes that Taiwan’s example would make it easier for animal welfare activists to push for similar bans in other Asian nations.
Online commentators questioned the rationale of banning dog and cat meat when the meat of other animals is still allowed and asked whether there was an inherent contradiction based on a “cuteness index.”
One possible refutation might be that domesticated animals are capable of having relationships with humans that bring people joy. While this might seem like a subjective, sentimental argument, where the more rational approach is to argue that all life should be treated equally, it does show a more civilized approach to other sentient life.
What these new amendments represent is official recognition of a shared value in this society that we should respect animals and treat them humanely. This includes how animals are treated in slaughterhouses.
More than anything, this development should be viewed as one step in the ongoing movement toward a more civilized approach to all forms of sentient life. It is a symbol of progress, of Taiwan joining the ranks of more progressive nations, and the nation should take pride in the news being picked up by the international media.
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
Sasha B. Chhabra’s column (“Michelle Yeoh should no longer be welcome,” March 26, page 8) lamented an Instagram post by renowned actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) about her recent visit to “Taipei, China.” It is Chhabra’s opinion that, in response to parroting Beijing’s propaganda about the status of Taiwan, Yeoh should be banned from entering this nation and her films cut off from funding by government-backed agencies, as well as disqualified from competing in the Golden Horse Awards. She and other celebrities, he wrote, must be made to understand “that there are consequences for their actions if they become political pawns of
RSS