A 30-day trial pet adoption period and — for people who adopt certain types of dogs — up to NT$3,000 toward pet insurance are part of a plan that the Kaohsiung Animal Protection Office outlined yesterday.
The trial period offers prospective pet owners a chance to see if the animal is a good fit before formally adopting, the office said in a statement about the program, which is to run until Nov. 30.
In addition, those adopting a large dog aged three years or older with less popular coloring can get up to NT$3,000 toward pet insurance for the first year, it said.
Photo courtesy of the Kaohsiung City Government
Adopters must be 18 or older and have no record of breaking animal protection laws, it said.
The Kaohsiung City Animal Shelter’s two locations in Yanchao District (燕巢) and the Shoushan (壽山) facility in Gushan District (鼓山) are participating in the program, it said.
Office director Yeh Kun-sung (葉坤松) said that people who want to adopt from a public shelter have said that they would like time to allow their new pet to acquaint themselves to a new environment at their own pace.
However, there are sometimes unforeseen issues, such as pets having an unsuitable temperament or behavioral problems, or objections from family members, Yeh said.
Such problems can extinguish the excitement of having a pet and lead to doubts, especially for new owners, he said.
The 30-day trial benefits the adopters and the pets, as it reduces pressure on the adoption process and gives the animals a chance to meet more people, increasing their chances of being adopted, Yeh said.
Meanwhile, the office said it is offering the insurance subsidy to ease concerns about medical costs and encourage adoption of less popular breeds.
Along with the trial period, adopters would have enough time to get to know their pet risk-free to see if it is a match, the office said.
Pets can be returned to the shelter at any time during the trial for whatever reason and the office would help find a new match, if sought, it said.
Kaohsiung Agriculture Bureau Director-General Chang Ching-jung (張清榮) said that pet ownership makes people understand the importance of caring for animals.
Instilling this philosophy from an early age would help reduce the number of strays, Chang said.
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off Taitung County at 1:09pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 53km northeast of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 12.5km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Taitung County and Hualien County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Nantou County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Kaohsiung and Tainan, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage following the quake.
RSS