The island nation, Taiwan, has passed legislation outlawing the eating of cats and dogs, the first such ban in Asia, where Cat and Dog meats are traditional delicacies. There is skepticism among observers about whether other Asian countries where the tradition is deeply entrenched, will follow suit…
Animal Rights protesters mob accused cat killer Chan Ho-yeung
as he leaves his preliminary hearing in Taipei, Taiwan.
Do you remember, during the Beijing Olympics, when the government of China temporarily banned street food vendors from the city who sold Cat and Dog Meat, Snake and toasted Insects? They were afraid western visitors would condemn their society and their government for allowing such horrific (by western standards) practices.
But not until now has any Asian country passed national legislation banning the eating of cats and dogs. Those convicted of violating the new animal welfare law will face minimum fines of (NT)$2 million ((US)$65,000). That’s for a first offense. The penalty jumps to (NT)$5 million ((US)$163,000) and up to five years in jail.
Violators will also be prohibited from licensing pets or applying to adopt pets.
A culture shift?
The new legislation came in response to a growing tide of anti-cat and dog eating feeling in Taiwan’s populace. At the recent trial of one accused cat killer, Chan Ho-yeung, hundreds of Animal Rights activists protested outside the courthouse and mobbed Chan as he left after his preliminary hearing, calling him ‘human trash’ and a ‘low-life’ and demanded the court hit him with the maximum penalty possible. A number of Police Offices, protesters and media people were injured in the fracas.
He’s currently out on (NT)$200,000 bail, awaiting trial. He told the judge he has a mental defect that compels him to catch and kill cats. On top of all that, he’s accused of stealing and killing the feline mascot of a popular vegetarian restaurant in Taipei. But that’s another story.
We’ll be watching this one with interest…
~ Maggie J.