Taipei, June 28 (CNA) Dogs kept on military bases will be registered and receive regular health checks in the future in the wake of a brutal killing of a puppy that sparked public uproar in Taiwan, the military said Tuesday.
Ministry of National Defense spokesman Chen Chung-chi (陳中吉) said all military services will ask bases that raise dogs to register the animals and have them photographed.
Base commands and local animal protection agencies will see to it that the animals' health and living conditions are checked regularly.
The bases will also provide care for stray cats and dogs in their areas and notify animal protection associations of injured stray animals, Chen said.
The actions were taken after Kaohsiung City Councilor Chen Hsin-yu (陳信瑜) posted an 80-second video on YouTube Sunday showing a young dog being killed by hanging on what turned out to be a military base.
The video showed the white puppy hanging by its neck from a metal chain at what appears to be the edge of an embankment. The dog died after a painful struggle in which it tried, but failed, to climb up the embankment.
A man, whose face was not shown on camera, was heard saying "Little White, don't be a stupid dog in your next life."
National Defense Minister Feng Shih-kuan (馮世寬), Navy Commander Huang Shu-kuang (黃曙光), and other military officers apologized over the incident and nine military personnel were disciplined on Monday.
In a meeting with ranking military officers on Tuesday, Feng issued instructions in response to appeals by animal protection groups, including preparing a program to educate men and women in uniform on complying with the Animal Protection Act and cherishing life.
Feng also directed the military services to keep in contact with local animal protection groups to handle stray animals in a humanitarian way.
The ministry also welcomes the public to report similar incidents involving military personnel through the 1985 hotline, and the military will not condone such actions and will hand over those involved to judicial authorities, Feng said.
(By Lu Hsin-hui and Lilian Wu)
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