China News Agency, Taipei, August 22. Taiwan authorities have recently uncovered a case of luxury cat smuggling, in which 154 pet cats were culled on the 21st in accordance with current regulations.
The humanitarian disputes in the handling of the case have caused an uproar in Taiwan, and there are talks that prevent smuggling should be strengthened at the source.
Taiwan’s media, including the Central News Agency, China Times News, and United News, reported on the 22nd that a task force established by Taiwan’s “Marine Patrol Agency” recently seized smuggled fishing boats in the waters near Penghu and found 62 cages and 154 valuable pet cats. The amount involved was up to 10 million New Taiwan dollars.
The smuggled cat has been "euthanized" in accordance with the "procedures for handling smuggled and confiscated animals and their supplies".
Due to the speed of law enforcement exceeding expectations, an animal protection group in Taiwan stated that many private groups have expressed their willingness to invest resources in rescuing pet cats, including quarantine costs, but law enforcement has not yet been communicated. "The emotional impact of (the public) has caused public opinion to boil. ".
There is a view that the euthanasia of smuggled cats is an epidemic prevention requirement. He Zongxun, secretary general of Taiwan’s "Animal Protection Administrative Supervision Union", believes that the "procedures for handling smuggled and confiscated animals and their supplies" are administrative rules and there is room for modification. The number is large, and law enforcement should be given flexibility in discretion.
After the head of the Taiwanese administrative authority, the "Council of Agriculture," had a dialogue with animal protection groups on the evening of the 21st, people in Taiwan's social, political, legal, and academic circles continued to speak out on the dispute.
Professor Zhou Jincheng of the College of Veterinary Medicine of National Taiwan University said that the current laws and regulations focus on quarantine work. At this stage, it is necessary to go back to the source and strengthen the review to prevent smuggling and prevent smuggled animals from entering Taiwan.
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