Taiwan bans sale, eating of cat and dog meat

Taiwan has banned the sale and consumption of cat and dog meat, a departure from a controversial practice that is common among its Asian neighbors.

The island’s legislature on Wednesday amended the Animal Protection Act — widely believed to be the first of its kind in Asia — imposing steeper fines and lengthier punishments for acts related to animal cruelty. These include a fine of 50,000 to 250,000 new Taiwan dollars (about $1,600 to $8,000) for anyone caught selling or consuming cat and dog meat or products that contain parts of the animals, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency. The government will publicize the names and pictures of offenders.

Animal-cruelty acts are now punishable by up to two years in prison and a fine of 200,000 to 2 million new Taiwan dollars (about $6,500 to $65,400), according to the Central News Agency. Previously, the maximum punishment was one year in prison and up to 1 million new Taiwan dollars (about $32,700) in fines.

The amendments to the Animal Protection Act, enacted in 1998, come at a time of heightened awareness about animal cruelty in the country. Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, adopted three retired guide dogs in October, the Central News Agency reported. She also has two cats.

Canine meat, however, is still widely consumed in many Asian countries, specifically China, South Korea, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines and northern India, according to Humane Society International. The practice also exists in parts of Africa and remote areas of Switzerland.

Perhaps the most controversial is China’s dogeating festival in the town of Yulin, where thousands of canines are slaughtered annually. The event has been bombarded with petitions and online campaigns in recent years.

In 2016, Chinese and international animal rights activists presented a petition with 11 million signatures to protest the dogmeat festival. They say many of the dogs were either stolen or found astray, crammed in small cages and beaten to death in slaughterhouses.

China is thought to have killed more than 10 million of the roughly 30 million dogs slaughtered every year worldwide, according to Humane Society International. Four million cats are killed every year in the country.