Today is International Pet Day. It was started in 2006 by US animal welfare advocate Colleen Paige. The day is intended to remind people to care for and pay more attention to pets, to appreciate the happiness and joy they bring to our lives, and to call on people to “adopt, don’t shop” in the hopes that stray animals can find warm homes.
The number of pet cats and dogs in Taiwan has exceeded 2 million, with about 1 million households owning pets, statistics show.
More people are keeping pets, and it is common to see pet parents walking their furry children on the streets. Unfortunately, with the rapid development of cities, green space is diminishing and areas in which pets can move around are limited.
To achieve an animal-friendly Taiwan, people should start by treating furry children kindly.
First, the government should establish more pet-friendly parks or plan pet activity areas in existing parks, using fences to prevent pets from fighting or getting lost, and to segregate them from people engaging in recreational activities.
The environment should be cleaned regularly to enable pets to run and play freely and safely. At the same time, pet-related events could be hosted to educate and promote interaction between adults, children and pets.
The government should introduce schemes, such as pet-friendly bus, MRT and taxi services, while encouraging pet-friendly restaurants, cafes, accommodation and public spaces. It could also implement pet-friendly certification to increase business opportunities and enhance the willingness of businesses to participate in the program.
It should improve the space and quality of equipment at animal shelters, establish comprehensive medical and emergency rescue mechanisms, and enhance adoption promotion strategies.
The government should increase subsidies for pet registration, microchipping, neutering and vaccinations, and set up public animal hospitals that offer more affordable services while introducing pet insurance.
Parent-child learning or school promotional activities to promote respect for life and care concepts would reduce the incidence of pet abandonment or abuse.
Pets are like family members, accompanying people through life’s joys and sorrows. Creating a friendlier and more harmonious environment is humanity’s undeniable responsibility.
In addition to steps the government should take, everyone needs to make an effort, whether it be volunteering at shelters, donating materials or money, rescuing abused animals, providing care or companionship or choosing to adopt a pet over purchasing one.
Where there is a will, there is a way. Let us work together to achieve an animal-friendly Taiwan.
Su Wei-cheng is a lecturer and a former secretary to the president of the Legislative Yuan.
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