It is now illegal to consume dog and cat meat in Taiwan. Wendy Higgins is a member of the Humane Society. He stated that this ban is a step towards ending dog meat trade. Jill Robinson is the CEO of the Animal Asia Foundation. She stated that the Animal Protection Act did not cover the sale and slaughter of cat and dog meat. However, she is happy to see the ban on eating dog and cat meat.
People who eat cat or dog meat can be charged a fine that ranges from $1,640 and $8,200. Taiwan has also imposed stricter laws for people who are charged with animal cruelty. People who are caught abusing animals could be charged a fine of $65,500.
There have been many shocking cases of animal abuse reported in Taiwan over the past couple of years. That is why animal rights activists have been pushing for harsher punishments for animal abusers. People were outraged last year after horrific abuse was caught on camera. A man was seen beating up a dog and strangling it. He then threw the dog in the ocean.
The Minister of Defense of Taiwan publicly apologized for the incident. Dog meat is still being consumed in many parts of Asia. China has long been criticized for its annual dog meat festival. Ten thousand animals are slaughtered during the festival and served as a meal.
However, Jill stated that more people in China are opposed to eating dog meat. A survey was conducted that asked 3,211 people about how they felt about eating dog meat. Half of the people were opposed to it. She stated that more people are becoming sympathetic to the plight of dogs.