Pet trends come and go in Taiwan.
Model Lin Chih-ling's (
A pet owner, surnamed Tang who has cared for two miniature pigs for the past three years, extolled their virtues.
PHOTO: TSAN CHAO-YANG, TAIPEI TIMES
"They're clean, they don't smell like dogs, they don't bark like dogs, and they're very affect-ionate," Tang told the Taipei Times.
However, there are many potential pitfalls in store for the would-be miniature pig owner -- buying a pig should not be a decision entered into lightly.
English Teacher Peter Dearman was on his way to a convenience store in Tianmu when he was struck by an usual sight -- a tiny striped porcine creature stranded in the traffic.
After chasing the little pig down, Dearman's students named her "Heather," and he entrusted her to the care of Animals Taiwan, making her the animal welfare organization's first porcine rescue.
Animals Taiwan was founded a year ago by Sean McCormack, who resides in Taipei. The animal-rights group advocates "no killing," which means that no animals are euthanized unless they are suffering or terminally ill.
McCormack and his team has put up posters of "Heather" in the hope that her real owners will come forward. However, he conceded that Heather had probably been abandoned by owners who realized that she was not a true miniature pig, but rather a very young female formosan wild boar that will grow to more than 120kg.
"Look at her, it's like she's wearing little high heels," McCormack said .
Indeed, Heather was skittering around the yard on her slim trotters, sniffing, with surprising delicacy.
She is about the size of a sturdy, barrel-shaped York-shire Terrier right now.
"She loves to sniffle and roll in my clothes. She went missing for a while and I found her hiding ... she had buried herself in my laundry," McCormack said.
McCormack is adamant that he would not let Heather be sold for meat.
"It's not an option. I'm not against eating meat per se, but once an animal comes into our care, they're safe," he said, adding that Heather is still looking for a home.
Liu Yin-Cheng (
"I saw a lot of cases of unscrupulous pet dealers passing off ordinary baby pigs as miniature pigs a few years ago, but demand [for miniature pet pigs] has been catching up with supply recently," Liu said.
Liu quotes a reasonable price for a true miniature pig from a reputable dealer at around NT$10,000 to NT$ 20,000, depending on condition and lineage.
Liu also scoffed at the myth that one can keep pigs petite by feeding them less.
"The pig's eventual size is determined by genetics," Liu said. "You can't keep it small by starving it."
Liu warned against unreasonable expectations that a miniature pig will stay a piglet forever.
"I've seen mature minipigs ranging from 30kg to 50kg," he said.
"If you're still wondering whether a pig is right for you, don't have one," advised a former miniature pig owner, who wished to remain unidentified.
"It's just like having a child around all the time. They're smarter than dogs, and more demanding," the former hog owner said.
A decision to describe a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement on Singapore’s Taiwan policy as “erroneous” was made because the city-state has its own “one China policy” and has not followed Beijing’s “one China principle,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Chung-kwang (田中光) said yesterday. It has been a longstanding practice for the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to speak on other countries’ behalf concerning Taiwan, Tien said. The latest example was a statement issued by the PRC after a meeting between Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on the sidelines of the APEC summit
Taiwan’s passport ranked 34th in the world, with access to 141 visa-free destinations, according to the latest update to the Henley Passport Index released today. The index put together by Henley & Partners ranks 199 passports globally based on the number of destinations holders can access without a visa out of 227, and is updated monthly. The 141 visa-free destinations for Taiwanese passport holders are a slight decrease from last year, when holders had access to 145 destinations. Botswana and Columbia are among the countries that have recently ended visa-free status for Taiwanese after “bowing to pressure from the Chinese government,” the Ministry
‘SIGN OF DANGER’: Beijing has never directly named Taiwanese leaders before, so China is saying that its actions are aimed at the DPP, a foundation official said National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) yesterday accused Beijing of spreading propaganda, saying that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had singled out President William Lai (賴清德) in his meeting with US President Joe Biden when talking about those whose “true nature” seek Taiwanese independence. The Biden-Xi meeting took place on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Peru on Saturday. “If the US cares about maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait, it is crucial that it sees clearly the true nature of Lai and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in seeking Taiwanese independence, handles the Taiwan question with extra
HEALTHCARE: Following a 2022 Constitutional Court ruling, Taiwanese traveling overseas for six months would no longer be able to suspend their insurance Measures allowing people to suspend National Health Insurance (NHI) services if they plan to leave the country for six months would be abolished starting Dec. 23, NHIA Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said yesterday. The decision followed the Constitutional Court’s ruling in 2022 that the regulation was unconstitutional and that it would invalidate the regulation automatically unless the NHIA amended it to conform with the Constitution. The agency would amend the regulations to remove the articles and sections that allow the suspension of NHI services, and also introduce provisional clauses for those who suspended their NHI services before Dec. 23, Shih said. According to
RSS