In response to the National Zero-killing Policy which comes into force on February 4, Tainan city announced seven original policies which will help further integrate rescue and shelter animals into the lives of residents. During the 2017 Humane Animal Protection Policies press conference held today (Feb. 3), Mayor Lai expressed that hopefully the seven new measures can cultivate a more animal-friendly environment and encouraged citizens to support the concept of “no-kill”. If owners are responsible and cherish their pets, then the issue of stray animals will no longer be a problem.
The Mayor pointed out that, with the joint effort of animal protection groups and the government, Tainan city was the first city in Taiwan to reach the zero-killing goal in 2015. Tomorrow (Feb. 4) when the National Zero-killing Policy is officially launched, animal protection will become an even more serious issue for the local government. He encouraged citizens to be responsible and caring owners, not to abandon their pets, and support the zero-killing policy. This would greatly improve stray animal issues in Tainan.
According to the Mayor, the SEVEN UP Policies, a set of humane animal protection measures, can not only help to cultivate an animal-friendly city, but also alleviate stray animal problems and improve related policies. The policies include the establishment of the Furry Friends Playground and Educational Park, the first of its kind in Taiwan. This family-friendly park will offer a space for the whole family, pets included, to exercise, spend time together, and learn to respect all creatures. Mayor Lai also encouraged residents interested in having a pet to choose adoption over buying one and help improve the adoption rate of stray dogs.
Mayor Lai also spoke about developments in the area of working dogs. In addition to existing factory guard dogs and sniffer dogs, police dogs at stations and companion dogs are now listed as categories of working dogs as well. Furthermore, the government designated Yuguang Island as a TNVR demonstration area and put up a Furry Friends of Yuguang Island Info Board to teach visitors more about TNVR (Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return). The aim is to familiarize people with local stray animals and help everyone find a way to co-exist comfortably. Other related policies and projects include assisting private animal shelters to become legal organizations, building a community animal caretaker database and promoting clean feeding and caring methods for resident strays, and setting up a animal welfare fund which resources can be allocated to quality private animal shelters via open and transparent means.
Wu Ming-pin, Director of Greater Tainan Animal Health Inspection and Protection Office, remarked that the Office takes practical and innovative measures to effectively improve stray animal issues. The annual number of stray cats and dogs in animal shelters was 14,889 before 2010 and has dropped to 8,432 in 2016, adoption rate has increase from 13.4% to 66.5%. Number of animals euthanatized used to reach 8,400 per year, but Tainan has managed to lower the number to zero in 2015. With the assistance of district offices and village chiefs, the Office did a survey on stray dogs for five consecutive years. Stray dog population has decreased from 9,195 to 3,817, dropping half within three years. As increasing adoption rate is also a way to reach the zero-killing goal, the public now can choose to adopt retired work dogs or sniffer dogs as well as shelter dogs. After a stray dog is send to the shelter, the animal will undergo a physical exam, scanned for its ID chip, vaccinated and neutered. The dog may also be trained for a job according to its temperament. Currently 5,096 rescue animals have been assigned jobs.
The seven new animal protection policies of Tainan city government are as follows:
- Taiwan’s very first “Furry Friends Playground and Educational Park”: Tainan is to establish Taiwan’s first park that educates the public and promotes animal protection concepts. The park will be a space where family pets can exercise and residents can enjoy a relaxing day. Tainan has obtained a budget of NTD 180 million from the central government for this project. The park is scheduled to be completed and opened to public in 2019.
- Collaboration between private and public sectors to promote adoption: The city government will work with animal protection groups and volunteers to increase adoption sites and set up more convenient adoption places. Tainan will also continue to promote “don’t buy a pet, adopt one instead” and increase adoption rate.
- Find more opportunities for working dogs: Discover more opportunities and areas for dogs to be of service, such as factory guard dogs at industrial areas, police dogs at police stations in rural areas, and companion dogs at senior homes or village chief offices. This will also increase the adoption rate of rescue dogs.
- Integrate pets into our residents’ lives and promote TNVR demonstration areas: Tainan city government has been implementing TNVR (Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return) measures since 2011. The program, which aims to build trust between humans and dogs and achieve a win-win solution, has a SOP and supporting policies for crisis management. Yuguang Island, a TNVR demonstration area, has a Furry Friends of Yuguang Island info Board to teach visitors more about TNVR animals. Hopefully this will encourage the public and animals to co-exist peacefully and make the place a new tourist destination. If the program is successful, the model will be replicated in other places.
- Build a community animal caretaker database and promote clean feeding: Set up a community animal caretaker database and organize roadshows between districts and villages in Tainan to promote clean feeding and caring of resident stray animals. This will cultivate a better environment for our citizens and pets.
- Assist in improving private shelter management and legalizing the organizations：Animal shelters will receive assistance to set up a management system to document animal incoming and outgoing and build a website for better management. In the future, the government will plan and draft self-governance articles to help legalize the land usage of existing private shelters.
- Set up an animal welfare fund：Set up an exclusive fund account to which the public can donate. The funds will be effectively distributed to listed animal shelters run by the private sector for dog food and canned food. This can help alleviate the financial burden of these private shelters.