The number of pet dogs and cats in Taiwan has officially outnumbered the number of human newborns last year, data from the Ministry of Agriculture’s pet registration information system showed.
As of last year, Taiwan had 94,544 registered pet dogs and 137,652 pet cats, the data showed. By contrast, 135,571 babies were born last year.
Demand for medical care for pet animals has also risen. As of Feb. 29, there were 5,773 veterinarians in Taiwan, 3,993 of whom were for pet animals, statistics from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency showed.
Photo: Tsai Shu-yuan, Taipei Times
In 2022, the nation had 3,077 pediatricians. As of last year, 1,880 doctors joined the specialist physician program for children under three years old, who were in charge of caring for 195,552 children in 1,048 medical institutions.
The percentage of veterinarians that specialize in pet animals are higher in metropolitan areas or cities with tech professionals.
Hsinchu City, where the Hsinchu Science and Industrial Park is located, has the highest percentage of animal medical specialists.
The percentages in the six special municipalities are as follows: 84.3 percent in New Taipei City, 78.4 percent in Kaohsiung, 76.7 percent in Taoyuan, 76.4 percent in Taipei, 76.1 percent in Taichung and 70 percent in Tainan.
The nation has about 1,800 animal hospitals, but the number could potentially increase to 2,000 by the end of this year or next year, Taipei Veterinary Medical Association chairman Yang Hsiao-po (楊孝柏) said.
On average, each veterinarian cares for 575 animals, compared with 2,500 in Japan and 4,000 in the US, he said.
The rising demand for medical care for pet animals has also motivated more animal hospitals to increase investment in medical facilities, he added.
“In the past, veterinarians could open an animal hospital with just a table and a stethoscope. A large percentage of people treated their pets as nothing more than animals. If a dog or a cat vomited, you only needed to prescribe some medications, and if it did not work, pet owners just came back for more visits,” Yang said.
“People now treat dogs and cats as family members, and they could live as long as humans,” he said. “Animals now receive the same medical treatment as humans do. If they throw up, you have to do blood tests and an ultrasound to determine [whether] they have gastroenteritis.”
Not wanting to have children is only one of the reasons why more people choose to become pet owners, Yang said.
“Raising dogs and cats has healing effects, and people would choose to have pets to accompany their elderly parents so that their parents can have a normal and more social life,” he said.
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) yesterday appealed to the authorities to release former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) from pretrial detention amid conflicting reports about his health. The TPP at a news conference on Thursday said that Ko should be released to a hospital for treatment, adding that he has blood in his urine and had spells of pain and nausea followed by vomiting over the past three months. Hsieh Yen-yau (謝炎堯), a retired professor of internal medicine and Ko’s former teacher, said that Ko’s symptoms aligned with gallstones, kidney inflammation and potentially dangerous heart conditions. Ko, charged with
Taiwan-based publisher Li Yanhe (李延賀) has been sentenced to three years in prison, fined 50,000 yuan (US$6,890) in personal assets and deprived political rights for one year for “inciting secession” in China, China's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Chen Binhua (陳斌華) said today. The Shanghai First Intermediate People’s Court announced the verdict on Feb. 17, Chen said. The trial was conducted lawfully, and in an open and fair manner, he said, adding that the verdict has since come into legal effect. The defendant reportedly admitted guilt and would appeal within the statutory appeal period, he said, adding that the defendant and his family have