Civic Groups Call for Enhanced Sheltering and Adoption to End Stray Animal Tragedies
In Taiwan, as accidents and public health issues caused by stray animals worsen, civic groups, veterinarians, and legislators jointly held a press conference to advocate for strengthened sheltering facilities and the promotion of adoption systems. The goal is to return stray dogs and cats to homes and end the tragedy of straying.
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- 📰 Published: May 4, 2026 at 12:33
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- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 4, 2026 at 13:14 (13 min after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency Reporter Wang Shu-fen Taipei 4th News) Doudou, a well-known stray cat in the National Taiwan Normal University commercial district, recently died tragically after being run over by a car, which many people mourned. Civic groups, veterinarians, and legislators today jointly held a press conference, calling for strengthened sheltering and adoption mechanisms to bring stray dogs and cats back to homes and end the tragedy of straying.
The Wildlife Action Alliance, Puzzle Meow Halfway House, veterinarian Guan Xin-ling, and Democratic Progressive Party legislator Zhang Ya-lin called at the press conference for emotional mourning to be transformed into institutional reinforcement, allowing stray animals to fully return to a responsible management system and ending the tragedy of stray dogs and cats.
Chen Ren-xiang, founder of Puzzle Meow Halfway House (Puzzle Meow Life Equality Promotion Association), pointed out that public resources should be directed towards more efficient and animal welfare-friendly 'sheltering and adoption.' The government should invest resources in the halfway house system and shelter operations to increase turnover rates, allowing stray animals to truly enter homes.
Chen Ren-xiang cited the association's 'Street Power Good Cat Project' as an example, which, through a community halfway care concept collaborating with social welfare organizations and homeless individuals, not only provides employment opportunities but also increases the chances of animals returning to homes.
Chen Ren-xiang believes that only when resources serve as an intermediary function can a virtuous cycle of animal welfare be achieved. If resources continue to be invested in policies lacking management goals, shelter capacity will remain saturated, unable to fulfill rescue functions. He suggested that the government should redirect resources to assist private shelters and halfway institutions, regulate relevant private institutions, and standardize adoption criteria to ensure both shelter quality and adoption efficiency, solving the stray animal problem through public-private cooperation.
Guan Xin-ling stated that 'Doudou' lived on the streets for nearly 20 years, but ultimately died in an extremely painful accident, reflecting the inadequacy of life education in Taiwanese society.
Guan Xin-ling believes that animal welfare should include 'freedom from fear and pain.' Enduring extreme weather, pathogens, accidents, and territorial disputes on the streets is by no means welfare but rather a devastation to the physical and mental health of companion animals. Especially since dogs and cats have become companion animals in human society, returning them to a family environment and providing immediate medical monitoring is the happiest outcome.
Li Zong-chen, chairman of the Wildlife Action Alliance, stated that allowing dogs and cats to remain on the streets for extended periods not only endangers their lives but also puts predatory and disease transmission pressure on wildlife, which does not comply with the basic principles of animal welfare.
Li Zong-chen pointed out that there are currently about 140,000 stray dogs throughout Taiwan, causing nearly 3,000 traffic accidents annually. Only by establishing a complete responsibility system, practicing 'adoption instead of purchase, adoption instead of feeding, lifelong care instead of abandonment,' and implementing 'no straying dogs and cats,' can animal welfare truly be ensured and external social costs be reduced.
Attendees called for reducing subsidies for controversial 'relocation' (sterilizing, vaccinating, chipping, and then returning animals to their original capture locations), and instead investing in increasing shelter turnover rates, regulating private institutions, and promoting professional adoption, implementing the policy of 'gradually returning stray animals to homes.' At the same time, for ecologically sensitive areas, human-animal conflict zones, and high-risk areas for traffic accidents, legislation should prohibit feeding and set removal targets, addressing the current policy's dilemma of having 'hot zones' but no 'enforcement tools.'
Attendees also hoped that the government would strengthen animal protection education based on animal welfare, suggesting that through integration into various subjects (animal protection education, life education, environmental education), students can understand how to properly raise animals and relevant legal knowledge, and emphasize the animal welfare and ecological problems arising from stray animals.
Zhang Ya-lin stated that in recent years, the Ministry of Agriculture's budget for animal protection has increased year by year, but traffic accidents, public safety, and animal welfare problems caused by stray animals continue to occur, indicating that policies cannot merely stop at investigation, sterilization, and relocation. Instead, follow-up tracking and strengthened community communication should be incorporated.
Zhang Ya-lin believes that straying is not freedom, and free-ranging is not kindness. The government should review budget allocation and implementation effectiveness, strengthen sterilization, adoption and sheltering, responsible pet ownership, and environmental education to gradually reduce free-ranging, abandonment, and street tragedies. (Editor: Zhang Ya-jing) 1150504
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(Central News Agency Reporter Wang Shu-fen Taipei 4th News) Doudou, a well-known stray cat in the National Taiwan Normal University commercial district, recently died tragically after being run over by a car, which many people mourned. Civic groups, veterinarians, and legislators today jointly held a press conference, calling for strengthened sheltering and adoption mechanisms to bring stray dogs and cats back to homes and end the tragedy of straying.
The Wildlife Action Alliance, Puzzle Meow Halfway House, veterinarian Guan Xin-ling, and Democratic Progressive Party legislator Zhang Ya-lin called at the press conference for emotional mourning to be transformed into institutional reinforcement, allowing stray animals to fully return to a responsible management system and ending the tragedy of stray dogs and cats.
Chen Ren-xiang, founder of Puzzle Meow Halfway House (Puzzle Meow Life Equality Promotion Association), pointed out that public resources should be directed towards more efficient and animal welfare-friendly 'sheltering and adoption.' The government should invest resources in the halfway house system and shelter operations to increase turnover rates, allowing stray animals to truly enter homes.
Chen Ren-xiang cited the association's 'Street Power Good Cat Project' as an example, which, through a community halfway care concept collaborating with social welfare organizations and homeless individuals, not only provides employment opportunities but also increases the chances of animals returning to homes.
Chen Ren-xiang believes that only when resources serve as an intermediary function can a virtuous cycle of animal welfare be achieved. If resources continue to be invested in policies lacking management goals, shelter capacity will remain saturated, unable to fulfill rescue functions. He suggested that the government should redirect resources to assist private shelters and halfway institutions, regulate relevant private institutions, and standardize adoption criteria to ensure both shelter quality and adoption efficiency, solving the stray animal problem through public-private cooperation.
Guan Xin-ling stated that 'Doudou' lived on the streets for nearly 20 years, but ultimately died in an extremely painful accident, reflecting the inadequacy of life education in Taiwanese society.
Guan Xin-ling believes that animal welfare should include 'freedom from fear and pain.' Enduring extreme weather, pathogens, accidents, and territorial disputes on the streets is by no means welfare but rather a devastation to the physical and mental health of companion animals. Especially since dogs and cats have become companion animals in human society, returning them to a family environment and providing immediate medical monitoring is the happiest outcome.
Li Zong-chen, chairman of the Wildlife Action Alliance, stated that allowing dogs and cats to remain on the streets for extended periods not only endangers their lives but also puts predatory and disease transmission pressure on wildlife, which does not comply with the basic principles of animal welfare.
Li Zong-chen pointed out that there are currently about 140,000 stray dogs throughout Taiwan, causing nearly 3,000 traffic accidents annually. Only by establishing a complete responsibility system, practicing 'adoption instead of purchase, adoption instead of feeding, lifelong care instead of abandonment,' and implementing 'no straying dogs and cats,' can animal welfare truly be ensured and external social costs be reduced.
Attendees called for reducing subsidies for controversial 'relocation' (sterilizing, vaccinating, chipping, and then returning animals to their original capture locations), and instead investing in increasing shelter turnover rates, regulating private institutions, and promoting professional adoption, implementing the policy of 'gradually returning stray animals to homes.' At the same time, for ecologically sensitive areas, human-animal conflict zones, and high-risk areas for traffic accidents, legislation should prohibit feeding and set removal targets, addressing the current policy's dilemma of having 'hot zones' but no 'enforcement tools.'
Attendees also hoped that the government would strengthen animal protection education based on animal welfare, suggesting that through integration into various subjects (animal protection education, life education, environmental education), students can understand how to properly raise animals and relevant legal knowledge, and emphasize the animal welfare and ecological problems arising from stray animals.
Zhang Ya-lin stated that in recent years, the Ministry of Agriculture's budget for animal protection has increased year by year, but traffic accidents, public safety, and animal welfare problems caused by stray animals continue to occur, indicating that policies cannot merely stop at investigation, sterilization, and relocation. Instead, follow-up tracking and strengthened community communication should be incorporated.
Zhang Ya-lin believes that straying is not freedom, and free-ranging is not kindness. The government should review budget allocation and implementation effectiveness, strengthen sterilization, adoption and sheltering, responsible pet ownership, and environmental education to gradually reduce free-ranging, abandonment, and street tragedies. (Editor: Zhang Ya-jing) 1150504
Choose to stand with the facts, every sponsorship from you is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency 'First-hand News' APP to stay updated with the latest news.
No text, images, or audio/video from this website may be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.
Keywords: