Taiwan stray dog policy criticized at animal welfare conference

Taipei, Aug. 26 (CNA) Taiwanese authorities faced criticism from activists over their handling of stray dogs at an international animal welfare conference in Taipei Tuesday, with the country's top animal welfare official defending the policy as tailored to local conditions.

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Taiwan's stray dog euthanasia issue is like the "Emperor's New Clothes," with the emperor -- represented by the authorities -- deluding himself into believing a no-kill goal has been achieved, longtime animal rights advocate Chen Yu-min (陳玉敏) said at a workshop during the Asia for Animals Coalition (AfA) Conference.

She explained to animal rights activists from across Asia that since Taiwan officially ended the euthanasia of stray animals in all public shelters in February 2017, more than 380,000 stray dogs have been caught as of June this year, with around 140,000 undergoing trap-neuter-return (TNR).

"This is a very paradoxical situation," Chen said, noting that under the Animal Protection Act, people who abandon animals face punishment.

"But in the end, because euthanasia is no longer allowed, the government itself has taken the lead in neutering animals and then releasing them back onto the streets," she said.

In terms of reducing the number of stray dogs at the source, Chen suggested that the authorities strictly regulate dog breeders and sellers, including limiting the number of licenses issued.

She also said the government should encourage sterilization of household dogs, noting that waiting until they become strays to neuter them places "an exhausting burden" on animal welfare workers.

Chen, who serves as deputy chief executive director of the Environment & Animal Society of Taiwan (EAST), added that 20,000 of the 380,000 strays died in shelters from illness, many in great pain.

To increase the adoption rate following the 2017 implementation, authorities asked animal protection groups to adopt those dogs and send them to orchards, where they became working dogs, according to Chen.

However, during many site visits, Chen and her colleagues found that many of the dogs were chained in fixed spots at the orchards.

"They might only be given food and water occasionally, and end up spending their entire lives confined in orchards," she said.

In the same vein, EAST Executive Director Chu Tseng-hung (朱增宏) said in a keynote speech at the conference that authorities' progress on the stray dog issue has been "one step forward, one step back," with the situation even leading to conflicts with wildlife conservation.

Citing data from the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), which estimated that Taiwan currently has more than 100,000 stray dogs, Chen said the authorities should use that figure to calculate how long it would take to fully bring the problem under control.

"I don't think I've seen them adopt such a strategy," she said.

Asked whether the government should reconsider euthanasia for stray dogs in public shelters, Chen said the issue needed to be "confronted."

"We already have dogs in shelters that have been confined for 10 years ... It's like being imprisoned, and that is extremely detrimental to animal welfare," Chen said. "So in terms of quality of life, if a dog truly has nowhere to go, then I would support euthanasia."

However, she stressed that euthanasia must be a last resort, cautioning that without controlling the root causes, simply culling animals will become "a never-ending cycle."

In response to the criticisms, Chiang Wen-chuan (江文全), head of MOA's Department of Animal Welfare, told CNA that TNR stemmed from suggestions by some animal rights groups after the 2017 implementation, with local governments adopting different practices.

He said the TNR approach -- some returning dogs to their original locations, while others relocating them to areas with lower population density -- is a transitional measure that "should never become a regular practice."

Regarding the use of working dogs, Chiang said the authorities "respect the views of critics," adding that some local governments believe sending dogs to places where they can serve a purpose -- such as guarding orchards or factories -- is preferable to keeping them in crowded shelters.

"The measure was introduced based on local conditions, with the number of dogs involved not large," Chiang said, noting that not all stray dogs can be adopted into new homes.