Taichung story

[Guest guest]

Recently, bad conditions at a Taichung City, Taiwan,

dog pound were revealed when photographs taken at the

pound were shown by two Taiwanese TV stations.

Combined with existing public anger over the dog

catching methods used in Taichung, this was too much.

 

This is the story and photographic record of events;

the photos taken in the pound, protest marches,

meetings, government officials having to own up, etc.

 

What a friend the stray dogs and cats of Taichung have

in the photographer, " Boogier " Chen. What a gift to be

able to turn something bad into something good.

............

spaces.msn.com

24 March 2006

 

A Tragic Story Of Dogs

 

A canine disaster takes place silently at Taichung

City, a city in Taiwan: the stray-hunters are chasing

to hunt stray dogs around the city. Under the

authority's pressure, the stray-hunters catch all kind

dogs on streets, domestic or stray. Therefore, some

groups for animal protection and individuals at

Taichung City protest to the City Government. However,

their voice only gets insolent response of bureaucrat.

Furthermore, these groups decide to continuously fight

with the government for this issue. They aggressively

collect evidences about the hunting of the

stray-hunters under the authority's command and the

scandals curbed in the authoritative kennel for stray

dogs in Taichung City .

 

Since he lost his dog, my friend went to the

authoritative kennel for it on the afternoon of March

5th, 2006. He witnessed the astonishing tragedy,

CANNIBALISM between these stray dogs. I went there at

once after receiving this news. There was no any

warden in the kennel and the bad environmental health

was disgusting. In one cage living over two-dozen

cubs, the ferocious picture only appearing on the

Discover Channel was witnessed but the scene was not

on the savanna of Africa and the actors were doggies

rather than antelopes and lions. The reason of

cannibalism was they were hungry and they needed

foods. In the cage, one cranium without skin and one

leg were left and some cubs were nibbling the carcass

of the dismembered cub. (See the pictures)

 

The bowls for food in the cage were totally empty and

the excrement was left in one of them. The bags

containing the dog foods were also empty. There was a

smell of feces and carcass pervading the atmosphere.

It was ironic that there was one portrait of

Bodhisattva on the wall and some burned joss sticks. I

believed that the Bodhisattva had no power to protect

these miserable animals and it could not console the

soles of dead animals by burning more joss sticks.

 

I took pictures as evidences and informed to the

journalists of ERA news and ETTV, the TV stations of

Taiwan, to report this news. (They have broadcasted

this news on the afternoon of March 6th.)

 

After the news is broadcasted, the officials are busy

to relieve their responsibilities. The cannibalism

took place in the authoritative kennel located on the

east side of Taichung City . However, on the morning

of March 6th, the related officials guided other

reporters to the Lovable Animal Park, which is on the

mountain of the west side of Taichung City and the

living conditions for stray dogs are better than the

kennel.

 

They lie that the news are taken at other kennel for

stray dogs and insist there is prejudice existing in

some reports for the City Government. However, these

officials change their attitude abruptly after the

news is broadcasting continuously on the screen at

every hour. The Mayor Hu's attitude is key. Because

the picture that he cannot answer the journalists'

question about this issue is broadcasting, Mayor Hu is

very livid and wants to punish the related officials.

Not until Mayor's saying do the officials know they

cannot conceal the truth.

 

To see the pics:

http://www.pbase.com/boogier/gehenna

(most of the photos are bloodily, before you want to

see them, please be sure that you are prepared)

 

http://spaces.msn.com/queeniegeoge/

-----------------------------

The follow up on the Taichung City Website:

 

Taichung City Government Apologizes for the Recent

Stray Dog Shelter Tragic Incident and Enacts

Multi-Level Improvement Efforts in care of Stray

Dogs(2006-04)

 

Taichung City Mayor Jason Hu has taken full

responsibilities and expressed deep regret over the

unfortunate incident of cruelty towards animals at the

Taichung City Animal Quarantine Center's stray dog

shelter, owing to the negligence of concerned

personnel at the Center, which is under the

administration of the Animal Health Inspection and

Quarantine Institute. As a form of serious punishment,

the City Government has immediately demoted Wu,

Long-Tai, former chief of the Animal Health Inspection

and Quarantine Institute. At the same time, the Animal

Health Inspection and Quarantine Institute is working

closely with animal protection groups and veterinarian

specialists from the Veterinarian Department of the

National Chung Hsing University, to make inspection

and evaluation of the Taichung Animal Pet Zoo's

quarantine and adoption zone. Initial projects

regarding the improvement of medical facilities and

overall environment there have been completed on April

1, 2006, and the stray dog quarantine shelter is now

transferred to the Taichung Animal Petting Zoo.

 

Mayor Hu stressed that the City Government has long

been concerned with the stray dog situation, and has

conducted a series of measures to help alleviate the

difficult circumstances including clamping down on the

illegal dog breeders and traders, cooperation with

various authorities animal protection groups to

upgrade the training of the concerned City employees,

promotion of pet sterilization and proper handling of

whelp while unable to keep them, and most importantly,

build shelters in the Animal Petting Zoo for stray

animals. However, this unfortunate incident of

negligence by a few city employees has prompted the

City Government to conduct a full investigation on the

matter and chastise those responsible for their

misconduct, while taking immediate measures to improve

the treatment of stray dogs in the shelter. The City

Government has also made plans to form a Taichung City

Animal Protection Consultation Committee before April

20, which will see the establishment of the Taichung

city Stray Animal Protection Code and Regulations, and

other active measures to promote animal welfare.

 

At the same time, the City's Environmental Protection

Bureau will also do its best to further improve their

dog-catching skills soon as possible, in order to

capture sick or vicious strays reported by the public.

Citizens reporting on strays to be captured are

requested to leave their name and telephone number as

a record. In the next three months, the City

Government will be touring the city to actively

promote neutering operations for dogs. And, in the

near future, concerned departments will hold meetings

with animal protection groups to examine the

possibility of establishing a few more stray dog

adoption stations so that more and more citizens may

find it easier to consider adopting “homeless” puppets

and dogs.

 

Regarding the enforcement of dog euthanasia, the City

Government has made strict regulations according to

international standard process on the agencies

commissioned for implementation of the work. Yet in

view of the tragic incident caused by negligence and

aloofness, the City Government plans to recruit animal

protection volunteers, who will be trained and

assessed by professionals, to help care for dogs

subjected to euthanasia as well as supervise the due

process taken by the commissioned agencies. Finally,

the City Government will use every possible channel

including websites, printouts, radio broadcast and

local cable TV station to promote animal protection

concept, and extensive knowledge and information on

animal birth-control.

 

In the end, the city wishes to extend its utmost

gratefulness to those have expressed concern over the

matter and those who have offered their loving hand to

improve the condition. Any further advice and support

to help us build or find a home for the strays will be

greatly appreciated.

 

Animal Protection Website(open new window)

 

http://animal.tccg.gov.tw/page20/page20-1.htm

 

Website on efforts to improve the stray animal

shelter(open new window)

 

http://animal.tccg.gov.tw/page19/p19-01.htm

 

http://english.tccg.gov.tw/index.php?page=government_news_01 & cate=1 & id=177

-----------------------------

The photography of Boogier Chen:

 

-Website

http://www.boogier.net/

-Photo galleries

http://www.pbase.com/boogier

-Blog

http://www.wretch.cc/blog/boogier

 

 

 

 

 

 

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