The Taiwan Animal Protection Monitor Network yesterday presented awards to five village wardens for their outstanding contributions to animal protection in honor of World Animal Day.
This year’s awards went to Chien Chiao-heng (簡僑亨) of Wenqing Village (文青里) in Taoyuan’s Gueishan District (龜山); Lin Yu-tsen (林宥岑) of Yixin Village (一新里) in Nantou County’s Puli Township (埔里); Chang Ya-fang (張雅芳) of Guanglong Village (光隆里) in Taichung’s Taiping District (太平); Liu Wen-pao (劉文寶) of Sanxie Village (三協里) in Kaohsiung’s Qishan District (旗山); and Yang Hsiu-lan (楊秀蘭) of Gangkou Village (港口村) in Pingtung County’s Manzhou Township (滿州).
Network chairman Wang Wei-chih (王唯治) said that many would think that “it is better not to intervene in conflicts between humans and dogs or conservation issues,” as helping one side might displease the other, but seeing the achievements of these outstanding leaders “gives us confidence about Taiwan’s animal protection and ecological conservation.”
Photo: CNA
Chien set up an “animal adoption platform” at his office to promote neutering, vaccinating and microchipping pets, the network said.
He led volunteers to rescue and feed injured stray animals, and advocated for enshrining legal protections for animals into the Constitution, it added.
Lin participated in the conservation of Moltrecht’s minnow, a class 2 protected species endemic to Taiwan, even before she ran for village warden, the network said.
She created an environment for the fish to coexist with animals and plants through ratifying environmental conventions, conducting regular tests on water quality, setting up shelters for the fish, asking local farmers to cut down on the use of pesticides and joining the Green Conservation medals program, it said.
Chang replaced the use of rat poison with environmental cleaning and rat traps due to incidents of cats and dogs being accidentally poisoned, the network said.
After three years of hard work, she solved the environmental and safety problems caused by stray dogs and cats, it said, adding that she is now working with police departments to carry out a survey of pets.
While participating in a campaign against a planned industrial waste landfill on Kaohsiung’s Matou Mountain (馬頭山), Liu realized that the area is home to protected species and called for the area to be designated a national nature park, the network said.
He recruited volunteers to patrol the mountains to look for poachers, rescue animals and set up ecological corridors for animals to cross roads, it said.
Yang protected land hermit crabs, planted thatch screwpines to create habitats for stick insects and grew nectar-producing plants to attract butterflies, the network said.
Her policies of promoting ecological tourism and education attracted young people back to the village and more than 10,000 people visit annually, it said.
Twenty-four Republican members of the US House of Representatives yesterday introduced a concurrent resolution calling on the US government to abolish the “one China” policy and restore formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Led by US representatives Tom Tiffany and Scott Perry, the resolution calls for not only re-establishing formal relations, but also urges the US Trade Representative to negotiate a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan and for US officials to advocate for Taiwan’s full membership in the UN and other international organizations. In a news release announcing the resolution, Tiffany, who represents a Wisconsin district, called the “one China” policy “outdated, counterproductive
Actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has “returned home” to Taiwan, and there are no plans to hold a funeral for the TV star who died in Japan from influenza- induced pneumonia, her family said in a statement Wednesday night. The statement was released after local media outlets reported that Barbie Hsu’s ashes were brought back Taiwan on board a private jet, which arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. To the reporters waiting at the airport, the statement issued by the family read “(we) appreciate friends working in the media for waiting in the cold weather.” “She has safely returned home.
ON PAROLE: The 73-year-old suspect has a criminal record of rape committed when he was serving in the military, as well as robbery and theft, police said The Kaohsiung District Court yesterday approved the detention of a 73-year-old man for allegedly murdering three women. The suspect, surnamed Chang (張), was arrested on Wednesday evening in connection with the death of a 71-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙). The Kaohsiung City Police Department yesterday also unveiled the identities of two other possible victims in the serial killing case, a 75-year-old woman surnamed Huang (黃), the suspect’s sister-in-law, and a 75-year-old woman surnamed Chang (張), who is not related to the suspect. The case came to light when Chao disappeared after taking the suspect back to his residence on Sunday. Police, upon reviewing CCTV
TRUMP ERA: The change has sparked speculation on whether it was related to the new US president’s plan to dismiss more than 1,000 Joe Biden-era appointees The US government has declined to comment on a post that indicated the departure of Laura Rosenberger as chair of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). Neither the US Department of State nor the AIT has responded to the Central News Agency’s questions on the matter, after Rosenberger was listed as a former chair on the AIT’s official Web site, with her tenure marked as 2023 to this year. US officials have said previously that they usually do not comment on personnel changes within the government. Rosenberger was appointed head of the AIT in 2023, during the administration of former US president Joe
RSS