Thousands march in Taipei for better wildlife conservation

Taipei, Nov. 10 (CNA) Around 2,000 people took to the streets in Taipei on Sunday to appeal for better stray animal management and improved wildlife conservation, according to the event's organizer, Taiwan Walk for Wildlife (TWW).

The 2024 Walk for Wildlife, a one-hour march that looped through streets near the Legislative Yuan, began after TWW members, wildlife conservation experts, and legislators from across party lines delivered remarks.

Wu Yi-ta (吳奕達), the march's general coordinator, said the goal of the march was to get the government to improve the management and reduction of stray dogs and cats and strengthen the management of stray dogs in ecological hotspots.

The issue has real consequences for wild animals because stray cats and dogs exhibit destructive behavior, such as hunting native species and competing for resources in natural habitats, leading to reduced wildlife survival rates and disrupted ecosystems.

Leopard cats, of which only about 500 remain in the wild in Taiwan, are one species particularly vulnerable to stray animals, Wu said before the march.

"Of the automated cameras set up in the wild that captured footage of leopard cats, 90 percent also recorded the appearance of dogs and cats," Wu said.

The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) tried a pilot project in 2023 after the first Walk for Wildlife to protect leopard cats by relocating stray dogs from ecological hotspots and prohibiting people from feeding such dogs.

Wu, however, felt the government's pilot program fell short in addressing the issue.

Among the problems, he said, were practical issues driven by "local governments' lack of related authority and responsibility" to enforce the measures under the project, as well as general awareness.

"We need to let more people know that our dogs and cats are invasive species that threaten the ecological environment -- not by their choice, but as a result of human actions," said Wu, who later presented a petition to Chiang Wen-chuan (江文全), head of the MOA's Animal Welfare Department.

Asked about the response to the demands raised by the TWW, Chiang told CNA that the authorities "respect and understand" the demands and will promote those that have gained social consensus, while also tightening stray dog control in some areas.

On the criticism of the pilot program, Chiang said his agency found that in rural areas where the ecological hotspots are mainly located, there is a limited understanding of animal and wildlife protection among local residents, and they tend to feed dogs in the wild.

"This issue is more complex than in urban areas and requires some time for adjustments," he said.

Amid chants of "Wildlife is being tortured," Peggy Murray, one of the marchers and an educator focused on raising awareness of wild bird conservation in Taiwan, told CNA that many people in Taiwan do not realize that wild animals are being affected by "free-roaming dogs and cats."

"Even though we think we're being very kind by feeding them and taking care of them in the wild, they're actually creating great harm to the wild animals of Taiwan," said Murray, who has been living in Taiwan in the past 10 years.

Originally from Canada, Murray said cats are the number-two killer of wild birds in her country, and she hoped that fewer people in both Canada and Taiwan will continue feeding cats in the wild to help protect wildlife.

The Sunday march featured a conservation-themed market, along with exhibitions and talks held outside the Legislative Yuan throughout the afternoon.

According to the organizer, the entire event attracted around 5,000 participants, including the 2,000 who joined the march.