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Taiwanese authorities recently made the difficult decision to euthanize 154 cats found during an attempted smuggling attempt. The response from animal lovers across Taiwan has been one of outrage and demands for tougher penalties and changes to the law.
After intercepting a Chinese fishing vessel about 40 miles off the coast of Kaohsiung on Thursday, August 19, coast guards bought the vessel ashore. The next day, after thorough covid investigations to prevent the spread of infection, Taiwanese officials entered the seized fishing vessel. On board the boat, they discovered a total of 62 cages containing a wide variety of cats, including Persian American Shorthair, Rag doll, Russian Blue, and british shorthair.
After evaluation, the cats were estimated to be worth a total of $10 million New Taiwan Dollars, which is equivalent to US$357,504. However, Taiwanese officials decided that the smuggled cats could pose a biosecurity risk because their origin was unknown. As a result, all 154 cats were euthanized on Saturday, August 21, which unfortunately fell on International Day of the Homeless Animals.
Animal rights groups and the Taiwanese people in general were outraged and saddened by the news that so many otherwise healthy cats were being put to death. Mainly because Taiwan has a strong pet care industry and owns a very high percentage of pets, meaning there were many people who would have loved to take these cats into their care.
The public outcry included images leaking of rows of litter boxes queuing for euthanasia, and even close-ups of young cats before they were destroyed. These images were accompanied by captions such as “Was it necessary for #Taiwan to kill 154 #rare breed cats?”
Commentators also joined in the massive response to this tragic event, with one commenter saying, “Does Taiwan have no quarantine facility? Do Taiwanese do innocent cats this way?” However, another commenter thought this was the right response, saying, “It’s so sad that the cats have to die, but to protect the country, it’s the right thing to do.”
Tsai Ing-wen, the president of Taiwan, released a statement in response to the public’s response. Tsai herself is the proud owner of two cats that frequently appear on her social media channels. She has said that she is very saddened by what has happened, but that the death of the cats is at the hands of the smugglers.
Was it necessary for? #Taiwan 154 . clearing #cats of rare breeds? https://t.co/pTNLw49NBn pic.twitter.com/0S6W2zL53a
— Taiwan News (@TaiwanNews886) 21 August 2021
She urges the public to try and understand the importance of what has been done and that diseases are often inadvertently imported through animals. In addition to this, she also stated that the laws on how Taiwan responds to these threats will be reviewed, and changes will be made that will promote a more humane approach.
A Taiwan Animal Emergency Rescue site has apparently offered to quarantine the cats to protect the population. The same charity has openly criticized the way these cats were handled and the speed with which the decision to euthanize was made.
A spokesman for the Taiwan Animal Emergency Rescue explained that all the animals are harmless and that the authorities abandoned these cats by not checking them first to see if they were sick. He adds by saying that he understands the importance of preserving domestic ecology, but hopes the laws will change in the future to benefit all animals.
The head of the government’s agricultural council, Chen Chi-chung, agreed with the euthanasia decision and was happy to take full responsibility for it. He explained to the Taipei Times that the decision was not taken lightly, but was essential for the care and protection of pets and farm animals in Taiwan, as transmitted diseases can have a longer transitory period, during which time it can be passed on to others.
After the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, which devastated the pork industry and took more than 23 years to eradicate, maintaining the balance is paramount. Chen also told the Taipei Times that they are working with the Ministry of Justice to drastically increase the punishment for animal traffickers. With the hope of increasing the fine for such sales to at least $3 million.
The executive director of the Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan, Wu Hung, has called for increased investigative powers for the Environment and Animal Society and other animal protection agencies. Power that could remove such cases from the Coast Guard and allow them to take over.
Wu argues that the Coast Guard should not be involved in such matters because they have no real knowledge of the pet trade. Wu also believes that the decision to euthanize was made far too soon and that it was the wrong choice. He argues that more investigation time could give authorities the opportunity to better understand the smuggling network, and potentially provide crucial information to help reduce the animal smuggling trade.
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