(TW) Taiwanese Stray Dog Caught on Highway Median for 2 Years

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Taiwanese Stray Dog Caught on Highway Median for 2 Years

By Yen Hung-chun

STAFF REPORTER

Taipei Times

 

'Dog of Changhua' wins sympathy of the nation

 

NOTHING LIKE HOME: 209, as he is also known, has lived on an interchange island

for close to two years. A plan is now being hatched to help him return to

civilization

By Yen Hung-chun

STAFF REPORTER

Sunday, Feb 04, 2007, Page 2

 

The 'dog of Changhua,' also known as 209, is seen on Jan. 31.

PHOTO: YEN HUNG-CHUN, TAIPEI TIMES

 

Over two years ago, a black stray dog wandered onto the Sun Yat-sen Freeway and

has lived ever since on the central island of the freeway, under bad conditions,

perhaps because it dares not cross the busy road again.

 

The medium-sized dog lives on the central island between Changhua Interchange

and Yuanlin Toll Station in central Taiwan.

 

The dog lives on food thrown at it by drivers. Since the place is located at the

209th kilometer of the freeway, local police have called the dog " 209, " while

reporters at National Traffic Network of the Police radio station call it the

" dog of Changhua. "

 

" I bet it is the stray dog that has survived the longest on a freeway island, "

said a driver surnamed Yen, who drives through this section almost every day.

 

Yen first noticed " 209 " on a rainy morning over two years ago and he saw it

again at the same location the next day.

 

Nobody knows exactly where " 209 " is from.

 

Local police said that it usually lingers on the 1m-wide island between Changhua

Interchange, located at the 200th kilometer of the freeway, and Yuanlin Toll

Station, at the 216th kilometer of the freeway.

 

Numerous drivers called Police Radio Station to show their concern, and " 209 "

became famous.

 

A woman surnamed Lai usually prepares a piece of bread for her regular commute

between Changhua County and Taichung City and throws it onto the island to feed

" 209. "

 

Lai said that she feels happy whenever she sees " 209, " because it is good to

know that the dog is still alive. She hopes it will be leave the freeway

someday, because a wide and beautiful world is waiting for it on the other side

of the road, she said.

 

Local police said that " 209 " mostly waits for food around the 209th kilometer of

the freeway between 7am and 9am when drivers go to work and between 4pm and 6pm

when they go off work.

 

It is a miracle that " 209 " has survived under such difficult conditions, they

added.

 

In response to the case, workers from Taichung Universal Animal Protection

Association said they would provide necessary tools and assistance to local

police to move " 209 " from the island.

 

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2007/02/04/2003347600

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Taipei Times

 

Letters:

 

The dogs of Taiwan

 

Sunday, Feb 11, 2007, Page 8

 

I really enjoyed reading the unique story about the dog named " 209 " that lives

on the freeway island ( " 'Dog of Changhua' wins sympathy of the nation, " Feb. 4,

page 2). It is truly amazing that it has managed to survive in that situation

for more than two years.

 

While it was heart-warming to hear that the dog is going to be helped off the

island by the Taichung Universal Animal Protection Society, the story left one

unanswered yet crucial question. What will happen to 209?

 

Is this dog going to find a home? Will it be set free only to roam the streets

looking for food, in which case it might just want to return to its former home

and face the dangers of maniacal freeway drivers, because home is where it knows

it will be fed? Or will it simply be put into an animal shelter, only to be put

down seven days later as is the custom here?

 

Until these questions are answered, this story will not be a heart-warming one

but rather a reminder of the thousands of poor dogs that inhabit Taiwan.

 

In the time I spent in Taiwan, I have seen hundreds of sad, emaciated street

dogs with various injuries barely hanging on to life. They are often treated as

nothing more than large pests, more like big rats, beaten and often even

poisoned. I would hate to see 209 freed only to end up as one of these poor

street dogs.

 

On three occasions two years ago I found puppies in Tainan County with metal

wires clamped around their necks so that as they grew they would eventually be

choked by the " collar. "

 

I have also seen two dogs poisoned. It's great to see some good news about

people who truly are compassionate and care for dogs like 209, but there is

still a long way to go before all dogs get such treatment.

 

David May

 

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2007/02/11/2003348574

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Taipei Times

 

Editorial:

 

Dog rescuers, police in the doghouse

 

Tuesday, Feb 06, 2007, Page 8

 

The saga of " 209, " a stray dog that lived for nearly two years on a 30cm-wide

divider between the north and southbound lanes on the Sun Yat-sen Freeway near

Changhua, was brought to an end on Sunday when several volunteers from an animal

welfare group took it upon themselves to mount a rescue operation and capture

the dog.

 

It took the nine volunteers five hours of chasing the poor animal and three

attempts to sedate it before they could finally remove the dog. But while the

intentions of the animal welfare group were entirely honorable, their highly

irresponsible modus operandi left a lot to be desired and raises a number of

important issues.

 

First, the group failed to contact the highway authorities to ask for permission

prior to attempting their daring rescue, which involved crossing the busy

freeway on foot. The freeways are hazardous enough without a group of

unauthorized people putting both their own lives and those of motorists at risk

by running around after a stray dog. One can only imagine the traffic chaos that

ensued during the rescue operation.

 

Thankfully the volunteers' rescue effort did not lead to any accidents. But how

could nine people spend such a long time running around on a freeway without the

police intervening?

 

These people should at least have been detained, and even though police said

they would be slapped with fines of between NT$3,000 and NT$6,000, that is

hardly severe enough to deter this kind of reckless behavior. They could have

ended up causing the deaths of several people, including their own.

 

The second issue that arises is the apathy of the nation's freeway police.

Having been there for nearly two years and having gained minor celebrity status

in the region, the dog was known to present a serious traffic hazard. It had

reportedly often brought traffic to a screeching halt when it jumped down onto

the freeway.

 

The authorities made 52 attempts to capture the stranded dog, including the

laying of baited traps. But they couldn't have been trying very hard, and this

says something about even the authorities' lackadaisical attitude to an issue as

important as road safety.

 

Third is the pitiful existence of many of the nation's stray dogs, which has

long been a contentious issue. The plight of strays and the inhumane treatment

they receive from authorities in the past prompted the World Society for the

Protection of Animals to declare Taiwan the worst place in the world for dogs.

 

And although there are many kind-hearted people and organizations that go out of

their way to care for an estimated 2 million strays, the fate of these animals

still presents a serious problem that needs to be tackled. The government needs

to take the problem far more seriously and come up with an intelligent

alternative to its preferred solution of extermination.

 

The authorities need to work with charitable foundations and come up with

innovative ways to tackle the religious and social issues responsible for the

high number of strays around the nation. Only by doing this can we ensure that

the tale of " 209 " will not be repeated.

 

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2007/02/06/2003347919

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'209' adapting to off-road lifestyle

 

CANINE CAPER: The head of the group that rescued the dog from the freeway said

they have no regrets, though they are likely to be fined for the risky venture

By Angelica Oung

STAFF REPORTER

Tuesday, Feb 13, 2007, Page 2

 

Wang Chun-ching, director of the Kaohsiung Concern Stray Animal Association,

holds " 209, " the female dog her group rescued after it had lived along the Sun

Yat-sen Freeway for almost two years, in this photo taken on Feb. 5.

PHOTO: LIN YA-LI, TAIPEI TIMES

 

For three days, the nation's eyes were riveted on an unremarkable black street

dog. As the TV cameras looked on, the dog nimbly evaded capture while traffic

whizzed by her at more than 100kph.

 

The dog, dubbed Er-ling-jiu, or " 209, " because of the kilometer marker she lived

near, is said to have lived on the freeway divider on a stretch of the Sun

Yat-sen Freeway near Changhua for around two years, when the cable network TVBS

made her household news. She quickly became the most famous stray in the country

as other media followed suit.

 

However, 209's existence was no secret to the highway department and local

commuters. According to TVBS, the freeway bureau had received more than 50 calls

about the dog, although the wily canine managed to evade numerous attempts at

capture, including baited cages, chases along the shoulder of the road, and

bizarrely, an attempt to lure 209 with a bitch in heat

 

But 209's life on the road finally ended when the Kaohsiung Concern Stray Animal

Association (KCSAA) formed a team of volunteer dog catchers, who after an

exhausting six-hour test of wills, brought her down with an anesthetic blow

dart.

 

" When I heard about 209's story, I knew we had to help her, " said Wang

Chun-ching, the director of KCSAA. " It was no life for a dog, and she was a

constant danger to herself and others. "

 

According to Wang, the team thought long and hard before putting the plan into

action, including a decision not to inform the highway bureau of their

intentions.

 

" We knew that the rescue would take a long time, " Wang said. " We decided to act

alone. "

 

Although 209 was safely nabbed, Chen Han-yang of the Changhwa Animal Disease

Control Center could not condone the risk taken by the group.

 

Chen had only became aware of 209's plight shortly before the media storm broke

and had been attempting to capture her with baited cages, to no avail.

 

" We considered blow darts too, but decided that it would be too risky to dart an

animal on a highway, " Chen said. " Blow darts can take minutes to work. In that

time the startled animal could have run onto the highway and caused an

accident. "

 

" We took that into account, " Wang said.

 

" We knew that 209 was a very clever dog who could never be caught with baited

traps. She had lived on the highway for so long, she was too smart to run into

traffic, " she said.

 

Nevertheless, KCSAA's rescue effort could cost the group a fine of between

NT$3,000 to NT$6,000.

 

" We're okay with that. We know we broke the rules, " Wang said. " There was no

other way. "

 

Wang is scheduled to meet with freeway bureau officials today to discuss the

issue.

 

" Yes, it was against the rules, but they did it out of love for the dog, " Chen

said. " Maybe that will be taken into consideration. "

 

According to Wang, 209 is very healthy, although skittish around people, other

dogs -- and traffic. Now the group has to find a home for her.

 

" We've had more than 100 calls from people asking to adopt 209. We've even had

five or six who claimed to be 209's former owners, " Wang said. " You really have

to wonder about those people's motives. Do they really want to help her, or do

they just want a celebrity dog? "

 

Wang said she will keep 209 for another month to give the her more time to

adjust to a non-freeway life while a new home is chosen for the now famous

canine.

 

But it is not just 209 who needs a new home.

 

" Our association has more than 300 strays in our shelters, " Wang said. " They are

equally deserving of good homes. "

 

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2007/02/13/2003348792