Animal rights activists in Taiwan are promoting the idea that stray cats and dogs are invasive species that pose a threat to native wildlife.
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00:00Dogs and cats are everywhere in Taiwan.
00:05While they are beloved pets and companions,
00:07they are actually considered invasive species.
00:24In 2022, dogs and cats were added as invasive species
00:28in Taiwan's official list of animals in the country,
00:31just like the green iguana and African sacred ibis,
00:34due to the threats they pose to the country's wildlife.
00:37Although many of Taiwan's dogs and cats have owners,
00:40they can still harm wildlife.
00:42In eastern Taiwan, where much of the country's wildlife is found,
00:46a wild animal hospital has seen a growing number
00:49of native animals injured by stray cats and dogs.
00:52They went from just treating five cases in 2020 to 84 in 2023.
00:58Some of the cats and dogs were attacked by wild animals,
01:01such as hawks and hawks.
01:03When they are attacked, their injuries are quite serious,
01:06especially hawks.
01:07Despite cats and dogs being listed as invasive species
01:10for two years now, most people don't know about it.
01:14Animal activists hope to change that.
01:16Dogs and cats are not to be avoided.
01:18Dogs and cats are not to be avoided.
01:20The government must face the inevitable.
01:22Over the weekend, animal rights groups took to the streets
01:25of the capital Taipei
01:27for the Walk for Wildlife March.
01:29They have several proposals,
01:31including pushing the government to add dogs and cats
01:33to the curriculum as examples of invasive species
01:37to better educate the public.
01:39However, this brings up another problem.
01:41Taiwan has a no-kill policy for shelters.
01:44How can the country manage its stray population?
01:47In fact, stray dogs are not the only way to solve the problem.
01:50What we need to do is to take them to the wild
01:52and discuss it with everyone.
01:53Only then can we come up with the best solution.
01:55Taiwan is home to around 160,000 stray dogs.
01:59To reduce the threat they pose to local wildlife,
02:02the government has been implementing the TNR method,
02:05which means trapping, neutering and then releasing the animals.
02:09However, animal activists say that this method is not effective enough.
02:14In fact, we still need more than 10 years.
02:17After the TNR process,
02:19the number of stray dogs can be reduced to zero.
02:22They don't consume as much as 10 years.
02:27Despite the TNR efforts,
02:29the stray dog population is still growing,
02:32climbing almost 5,000 according to the latest numbers.
02:35There aren't even official figures for the stray cat population.
02:39Animal activists hope to find a more effective and humane approach
02:43to manage the stray animal population
02:45while also protecting Taiwan's native wildlife.
02:48Alex Chen and Sunny Chi for Taiwan Plus.