Taipei Rat Infestation Issue: Green Camp Criticizes Slow Response, Blue Camp Calls It an Election Tool
Taipei's rat infestation problem is escalating, with a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) councilwoman criticizing the city government's slow response despite expert recommendations. In contrast, a Kuomintang (KMT) councilwoman argues that the opposition is using the rat issue as a political tool for elections, turning a public health matter into political strife.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 4, 2026 at 16:50
- 🔍 Collected: May 4, 2026 at 17:01 (11 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 4, 2026 at 17:25 (23 min after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Taipei, May 4, CNA reporter Huang Li-chen) Taipei's rat infestation problem continues to spread, with Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor Hsu Shu-hua today directly criticizing that the rat problem should return to source management, and despite numerous experts offering suggestions, the Taipei City Government is still half a beat behind. Kuomintang (KMT) City Councilor Liu Tsai-wei, on the other hand, believes that the green camp is turning the rat into an electoral political tool.
Hsu Shu-hua posted on Facebook that the recent rat infestation problem in Taipei has drawn high attention from citizens, and she has continuously received many complaints from the public, expressing concerns about their living environment and public safety.
She said that many domestic experts and scholars have already offered concrete suggestions recently, emphasizing that control should start from the source. However, the Taipei City Government's response is clearly half a beat behind, having only held three related meetings so far, and Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an only presided over the first meeting on February 2nd, with the February 9th and April 17th meetings being presided over by the deputy mayor.
Facing the increasingly severe rat infestation problem, Hsu Shu-hua believes that citizens are watching Chiang Wan-an's determination and level of importance. Besides Hantavirus, experts have warned that it might also increase the possibility of a leptospirosis outbreak. The Taipei City Government should heighten its vigilance, hold regular and intensive inter-departmental meetings, accelerate the overall prevention rhythm, instead of passively responding.
She stated that the rat problem cannot rely solely on "poisoning," but should return to source management. This includes strengthening the sealed disposal of garbage and food waste, improving collection and transportation efficiency, and comprehensively inspecting loopholes in underground pipelines and drainage systems.
Regarding long-term governance, Hsu Shu-hua also proposed two major key directions: "inventorying stormwater sewers and initiating renewal and replacement mechanisms," and "revisiting urban zoning regulations."
She also put forward three concrete demands regarding current medication measures: comprehensively use bait boxes to dispense rat poison, to prevent accidental ingestion by pets and wild animals; disclose the areas and locations of medication to reassure citizens and facilitate external supervision; clarify the source of improper medication, such as the "scattershot" dispensing of medication in parks, and submit an investigation report within one week, while strengthening correct medication operation training across various departments.
Hsu Shu-hua called on Chiang Wan-an to personally convene inter-departmental meetings, integrate the Environmental Protection Department, Urban Development Department, Civil Affairs Department, Health Department, and other units, and regularly report prevention progress to citizens.
KMT City Councilor Liu Tsai-wei, through media groups, stated that DPP Legislator Shen Po-yang's election "stepping stone rat" only allows the DPP to hype the rat infestation issue and forbids the Taipei City Government from controlling it. She believes that the DPP's strong hype of the rat infestation issue has gone overboard, not only with "southern rats sent north" by their affiliates but also using inaccurate apps to blame all kinds of rats on Taipei, which is utterly absurd.
Liu Tsai-wei said that now even green camp representatives are simultaneously asking the Taipei City Government to prevent and medicate rats, while also criticizing the city government's medication, which is an absurd situation. This makes people wonder if the DPP has decided to continue manipulating the rat infestation issue, using rats as a political tool for Shen Po-yang's election.
She stated that medication is the most important work in rat control. At this stage, the Taipei City Government continues to carry out rat control work in accordance with central regulations, even strengthening medication in response to representatives' demands, and also reminding about pet safety issues. However, the same councilor then used this to verbally abuse the Taipei City Government.
Liu Tsai-wei believes that political stances can differ, but setting traps to frame grassroots civil servants does not help in controlling rats or discussing public policies. Shen Po-yang wants to rise to power by using rats, and the entire DPP cooperates. The rat infestation issue, which should have returned to public health professionalism, has become Shen Po-yang's election "stepping stone rat."
In addition, Taiwan Statebuilding Party Taipei City Councilor candidate Wu Hsin-tai also expressed her views on Facebook, believing that not everyone who sees a rat is a "bluebird" (a term for DPP supporters), and she does not want the public health issue of rat infestation to ultimately become a political problem.
Wu Hsin-tai mentioned that the current situation is that a Hantavirus death case appeared in Taipei's Daan District, which attracted widespread attention; and the rat map compiled by netizens receives new reports almost every minute. Faced with citizens' reactions, the Taipei City Government can hardly provide any data in response, offering an objective assessment.
She said that public health methods for monitoring rat infestations have been established and in use internationally for 50 to 60 years. According to Integrated Pest Management (IPM) guidelines, there is an objective monitoring model for rat infestations. The Taipei City Government should immediately activate inter-departmental cooperation between the Department of Health, the Environmental Protection Department, and the Building Administration Office to conduct building inspections in hot zones, grasp the "prevalence of rat traces," including rat droppings, gnaw marks, and active rat holes.
At the same time, the Environmental Protection Department should disclose the proportion of exposed garbage in each district, and the Building Administration Office should incorporate the concept of "building defect rate" into building inspections. These are all internationally established indicators that require regular monitoring.
Wu Hsin-tai believes that Taipei, as an international city, allowing the rat infestation to become a political problem is a governance failure and a dereliction of duty by the Taipei City Government. (Edited by Chang Ming-kun) 1150504
Choose to stand with facts, every sponsorship you make is a force for protecting press freedom.
Download the CNA "First-hand News" APP to grasp the latest news instantly.
Text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and utilized without authorization.
(Taipei, May 4, CNA reporter Huang Li-chen) Taipei's rat infestation problem continues to spread, with Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor Hsu Shu-hua today directly criticizing that the rat problem should return to source management, and despite numerous experts offering suggestions, the Taipei City Government is still half a beat behind. Kuomintang (KMT) City Councilor Liu Tsai-wei, on the other hand, believes that the green camp is turning the rat into an electoral political tool.
Hsu Shu-hua posted on Facebook that the recent rat infestation problem in Taipei has drawn high attention from citizens, and she has continuously received many complaints from the public, expressing concerns about their living environment and public safety.
She said that many domestic experts and scholars have already offered concrete suggestions recently, emphasizing that control should start from the source. However, the Taipei City Government's response is clearly half a beat behind, having only held three related meetings so far, and Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an only presided over the first meeting on February 2nd, with the February 9th and April 17th meetings being presided over by the deputy mayor.
Facing the increasingly severe rat infestation problem, Hsu Shu-hua believes that citizens are watching Chiang Wan-an's determination and level of importance. Besides Hantavirus, experts have warned that it might also increase the possibility of a leptospirosis outbreak. The Taipei City Government should heighten its vigilance, hold regular and intensive inter-departmental meetings, accelerate the overall prevention rhythm, instead of passively responding.
She stated that the rat problem cannot rely solely on "poisoning," but should return to source management. This includes strengthening the sealed disposal of garbage and food waste, improving collection and transportation efficiency, and comprehensively inspecting loopholes in underground pipelines and drainage systems.
Regarding long-term governance, Hsu Shu-hua also proposed two major key directions: "inventorying stormwater sewers and initiating renewal and replacement mechanisms," and "revisiting urban zoning regulations."
She also put forward three concrete demands regarding current medication measures: comprehensively use bait boxes to dispense rat poison, to prevent accidental ingestion by pets and wild animals; disclose the areas and locations of medication to reassure citizens and facilitate external supervision; clarify the source of improper medication, such as the "scattershot" dispensing of medication in parks, and submit an investigation report within one week, while strengthening correct medication operation training across various departments.
Hsu Shu-hua called on Chiang Wan-an to personally convene inter-departmental meetings, integrate the Environmental Protection Department, Urban Development Department, Civil Affairs Department, Health Department, and other units, and regularly report prevention progress to citizens.
KMT City Councilor Liu Tsai-wei, through media groups, stated that DPP Legislator Shen Po-yang's election "stepping stone rat" only allows the DPP to hype the rat infestation issue and forbids the Taipei City Government from controlling it. She believes that the DPP's strong hype of the rat infestation issue has gone overboard, not only with "southern rats sent north" by their affiliates but also using inaccurate apps to blame all kinds of rats on Taipei, which is utterly absurd.
Liu Tsai-wei said that now even green camp representatives are simultaneously asking the Taipei City Government to prevent and medicate rats, while also criticizing the city government's medication, which is an absurd situation. This makes people wonder if the DPP has decided to continue manipulating the rat infestation issue, using rats as a political tool for Shen Po-yang's election.
She stated that medication is the most important work in rat control. At this stage, the Taipei City Government continues to carry out rat control work in accordance with central regulations, even strengthening medication in response to representatives' demands, and also reminding about pet safety issues. However, the same councilor then used this to verbally abuse the Taipei City Government.
Liu Tsai-wei believes that political stances can differ, but setting traps to frame grassroots civil servants does not help in controlling rats or discussing public policies. Shen Po-yang wants to rise to power by using rats, and the entire DPP cooperates. The rat infestation issue, which should have returned to public health professionalism, has become Shen Po-yang's election "stepping stone rat."
In addition, Taiwan Statebuilding Party Taipei City Councilor candidate Wu Hsin-tai also expressed her views on Facebook, believing that not everyone who sees a rat is a "bluebird" (a term for DPP supporters), and she does not want the public health issue of rat infestation to ultimately become a political problem.
Wu Hsin-tai mentioned that the current situation is that a Hantavirus death case appeared in Taipei's Daan District, which attracted widespread attention; and the rat map compiled by netizens receives new reports almost every minute. Faced with citizens' reactions, the Taipei City Government can hardly provide any data in response, offering an objective assessment.
She said that public health methods for monitoring rat infestations have been established and in use internationally for 50 to 60 years. According to Integrated Pest Management (IPM) guidelines, there is an objective monitoring model for rat infestations. The Taipei City Government should immediately activate inter-departmental cooperation between the Department of Health, the Environmental Protection Department, and the Building Administration Office to conduct building inspections in hot zones, grasp the "prevalence of rat traces," including rat droppings, gnaw marks, and active rat holes.
At the same time, the Environmental Protection Department should disclose the proportion of exposed garbage in each district, and the Building Administration Office should incorporate the concept of "building defect rate" into building inspections. These are all internationally established indicators that require regular monitoring.
Wu Hsin-tai believes that Taipei, as an international city, allowing the rat infestation to become a political problem is a governance failure and a dereliction of duty by the Taipei City Government. (Edited by Chang Ming-kun) 1150504
Choose to stand with facts, every sponsorship you make is a force for protecting press freedom.
Download the CNA "First-hand News" APP to grasp the latest news instantly.
Text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and utilized without authorization.