Taiwan bans euthanisation of stray animals

NNN: Taiwan has banned the euthanisation of stray animals in shelters, becoming the second country in Asia to adopt the practice, the Council of Agriculture said on Monday.

Euthanisation, is the act of ending of life of a person or animal suffering from an incurable disease.

“They are lives, even if they are dogs or cats, we today announce the zero euthanasia policy,’’ Council of Agriculture vice minister Huang Jin-cheng told a news conference, according to the Apple Daily.

The law, which came into effect Saturday after it was passed by Taiwan’s legislature in 2015, amended the Animal Protection Act to end the killing of adoptable stray animals, granting public shelters a two-year grace period for preparation.

Previously, Taiwan’s stray cats and dogs were put down after being kept in public shelters for 12 days.

The record number of stray animals’ euthanised in a year was about 100,000, the council said.

The issue became the focus of national attention in May when female veterinarian Chien Chih-cheng committed suicide using animal euthanasia drugs in an apparent attempt to draw attention to the practice.

India has already banned euthanising animals for cultural and religious reasons, the council added in a statement.

Edited by: Abigael Joshua/Sadiya Hamza
(NAN)