Woman referred to prosecutors for flushing hamsters down toilet

Taichung, Sept. 1 (CNA) A woman who posted a video of herself flushing 10 hamsters down a toilet on social media has been referred to prosecutors in Taichung for investigation on suspicion of animal cruelty, the city government said Monday.

The clip, originally published as an Instagram story, drew outrage last week after a netizen shared it on the Threads social media platform, condemning the woman's "cold-blooded" actions and saying she had reported her to animal protection authorities.

In the video, a woman is seen dumping and then flushing 10 hamsters down the toilet, one by one, and then several at a time.

The Threads user who highlighted the case said the woman appeared to be a Thai national living in Taichung and working in the so-called "eight major special industries," which include nightclubs, hostess bars, teahouses and saunas.

In a statement Monday, the Taichung City Animal Protection and Epidemic Prevention Department said it had requested that Taichung prosecutors investigate the video, saying the woman's actions clearly violated the Animal Protection Act.

Under the act, killing or deliberately causing severe injuries to an animal is punishable by a prison sentence of up to 2 years and a fine ranging from NT$200,000 (US$6,529) to NT$2 million, the department said.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued later Monday, Taichung police said they had identified the woman in the video was a 24-year-old absconded migrant worker from Thailand.

The woman, whose name was not made public, was taken into police custody in Taichung's North District in the early hours of Aug. 28, after she refused to leave her boyfriend's residence when he tried to break up with her, the police department said.

She was later transferred to a National Immigration Agency detention center, it added.