In April of 2014 the Taiwan SPCA inspectors were in XinZhuang investigating an abuse and neglect case. The dog in question, DaTou, had been chained up for his whole life (12 years) and had severe medical problems that had been left untreated. Once on scene, SPCA inspectors immediately noticed massive tumors around the anus of the dog, which were rotting and had an awful odor that was attracting flies. Because Datou had been chained in the same area for his whole life, he had to lie in his own excrement and blood, which cause the wound to become severely infected. His owner didn’t provide any medical care for DaTou, which is a violation of the Animal Protection Act.
According to The Animal Protection Act, Article 11, Pet owners must provide the necessary medical treatment if their pet becomes injured or sick. Medical treatment must be performed by a veterinarian, who can properly assess the needs of the animal. Our inspectors persuaded the owner to take responsibility for his dog and take DaTou to the vet clinic with us immediately. He complied. Once at the vet, it was determined that DaTou had severe anemia, a high liver index and was very weak. Emergency surgery was necessary. During the night after the surgery, there was concern that DaTou might not survive due to his extreme anemia and age. Luckily, 12-year-old DaTou did make it through, the doctor even said he had a very strong will to live!
DaTou is now fully recovered, living with his foster family, enjoying love and affection. He goes for walks every day and loves to stop and smell the flowers. He’s also discovered he loves cuddling!
Having a pet means you are responsible to give them the care and love deserved! Animals can suffer immensely from neglect when owners are ignorant about proper animal care. DaTou’s case is the perfect example of this often seen problem in Taiwan. TaDou was originally a stray dog, who was brought home by the owner’s children. The kids quickly lost interest in DaTou, ignoring him and not giving him any care. Both the owner and kids didn't’ have the proper animal care knowledge and DaTou was given a sentence of being chained to a wall for his whole life. The Taiwan SPCA strongly urges everyone to abide by the animal protection laws and be a responsible pet owner and educate your family and friends. Your pet’s physical and mental wellbeing is your responsibility, and failure to provide could result in fines.
The current Animal Protection Act is not perfect and it is hard to legally deter neglectful behaviour. Please support the TSPCA’s amendments to the Animal Protection Act, which is being pushed by legislator Hsiao Bi-Khim. The amendments to article 5 include a clear definition of neglect and a fine for those who break the law. Once the current laws are void of loopholes, the protection of animals suffering from neglect will be much easier!
Animal Protection Act:
Article 30:
Any person in violation of one of the following is subject to a fine between NT$15,000 and NT$75,000::
1. In violation of Subparagraph 4 of Paragraph 2 of Article 5, that is, to inflict vicious or unjustified disturbance, maltreatment or harm on animals without causing serious handicap, malfunction of their major organs, or their death to said animals
2. In violation of Subparagraph 3 of Article 5, that is, to abandon animals without causing damage to the ecology
3. In violation of Article 6, that is, to inflict disturbance, maltreatment or harm on animals intentionally or without justification
4. In violation of Paragraph 1 of Article 11, that is, pet owners fail to provide injured or sick animals with necessary medical care and without curing such failure by the deadline given by the municipal or county (city) competent authority
5. In violation of Subparagraph 1, Paragraph 1 of Article 13, that is, to slaughter animals at public sites or in places accessible to the public
6. In violation of Subparagraph 4of Paragraph 1 of Article 13, that is, failure to slaughter excessive animals in the manner approved by the competent authority
7. In violation of Paragraph 2 of Article 13, that is, failure to slaughter animals in accordance with regulations for slaughters of animals stipulated by the central competent authority
8. In violation of Paragraph 1 of Article 14.1, that is, to capture animals with banned methods without the approval of the competent authority
9. In violation of Article 14-2, that is, to manufacture, sell, display or imports/exports clamps (leghold traps) without the approval of the central competent authority
10. In violation of Paragraph 3 of Article 22-2, that is, pet breeding or fostering merchants refuse to provide purchasers with documents of pet-related information in the trade of pets
11. In violation of Paragraph 4 of Article 22-2, that is, pet breeding, trading or fostering merchants fail to identify their license number, when advertising via the electronic media, print media, telecommunications network, or other media
When violating Subparagraphs 1 to 3 of the preceding paragraph that cause serious injuries to or death of animals, or violating more than two times of any of Subparagraphs 1 to 8 of the preceding paragraph within five years, offenders shall be subject to imprisonment up to one year.
