Burning dog fur, beating dogs STOP: reporting rewards doubled, Council of Agriculture amends law hoping to deter animal cruelty

The Council of Agriculture recently gave advance notice of the drafting of the "Regulations Governing Rewards for Reporting Cases of Violation of the Animal Protection Act." If the amendment is completed smoothly, the maximum reporting reward is expected to rise to 20 percent, twice the current island-wide average, in the hope of increasing the public's incentive to report violations and thereby putting into practice the concepts of public oversight and animal protection. Most related groups hold a positive attitude, but only more concrete policy planning, stronger enforcement capacity and the promotion of public education can truly solve the problem of abuse.

Burning dog fur, beating dogs: both already violate the law

Under the current Animal Protection Act, the amount of the reward is determined case by case; the most serious cases, such as the mass slaughter of animals such as cats and dogs, or the intentional injuring of an animal's limbs, can draw a fine of up to NT$1 million.

According to statistics from the Animal Protection Section of the Council of Agriculture's Department of Animal Industry, reporting rewards currently offered by county and city governments across Taiwan, China, account for about 10 percent of the fine or penalty. Under the future new law, in addition to 20 percent or NT$200,000, an additional 10 percent bonus may be awarded if the case is serious and the public has contributed a great deal.

The most common abuse cases arise from boredom or from not knowing that one's behavior already violates the law. Jiang Wen-chuan said: "For example, some youths use lighters to burn dog fur or beat dogs," or owners fail to pay attention to how tight a dog's collar is, or do not feed it properly; there are even couples who quarrel and take revenge on each other's pets.