《TAIPEI TIMES》 Marchers seek to solve stray problem

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People take part in the 3rd annual “Walk for Wildlife” march in Taipei yesterday. Photo courtesy of the Walk for Wildlife Association

ROAMING FREE: Hundreds gathered yesterday to urge a more effective and comprehensive involvement in solving the problem of stray animals in Taiwan

By Esme Yeh / Staff reporter

The Walk for Wildlife Association yesterday in Taipei held a march urging the government to incorporate ecological governance into free-roaming animal management schemes to curb conflicts between strays and wildlife.

Association president Lee Tsung-chen （李宗宸） said this year’s march has four demands:

First, push for legislation for free-roaming animal management to reduce ecological conflicts.

Second, to establish a scientific evaluation mechanism based on conflicts between wildlife and stray animals.

Third, to improve the animal shelter and relocation system to reduce the number of stray animal.

Fourth, to establish a biodiversity governance mechanism with clearly defined authority and responsibility to bridge the ecological governance gap.

The fourth demand is the most important, as many free-roaming animal issues originated from poor management by humans, Lee said.

With the ecological impacts caused by strays and their own animal welfare in mind, stray management should shift from a trap-neuter-return approach to a trap-neuter-shelter-adopt approach, he said.

“Let dogs and cats return to environments with proper care by humans, reducing the threat they pose to wildlife,” Lee said.

Policy effectiveness should translate into improvement levels instead of “what has been done,” Lee said.

The government usually points to the number of stray animals they have captured or sterilized, but whether such approaches improved the situations of people, strays and wildlife remains questionable, he said.

Chuang Chao （莊喬）, who took part in the march, said he lives near a graveyard in New Taipei City’s Sindian District （新店） and has long suffered from loud barking by packs of stray dogs that frequent the area, drawn by food that well-intentioned residents leave out.

The barking disrupted his sleep for days, Chuang said, adding that over the past few years, he has talked with about 10 people who had fed stray dogs in the region.

“I chatted with all of them and asked how many dogs they knew, whether they understood the dogs’ situations, and what their next step or plan is for the dogs,” Chuang said.

While there used to be almost 30 free-roaming dogs around the graveyard, it is down to about seven due to Chuang’s communication with those feeding the dogs, he said.

Chuang said sterilization and a feeding ban on strays could help address the issue of free-roaming animals.

“What matters most is to apply strategies tailored to local conditions and start by changing people’s behavior,” he said.

Another marcher, Anrou Hu （胡安柔）, said she has long been concerned about wildlife conservation, adding that she used to keep cats, rabbits and green iguana as pets.

“It’s a shame that such household pets got involved in conflicts with people or other animals simply because they wandered off or were abandoned,” Hu said.

Wild at Heart executive director Chen Hsien-cheng （陳憲政） said he is concerned about wildlife habitat protection, particularly where human development undermines natural habitats.

Coastal energy development projects are threatening Taiwanese humpback dolphins, while water diversion engineering could dry up Taitung County’s Jhihben wetlands and drive away local waterbirds, Chen said.

Protected wildlife populations such as humpback dolphins could dwindle with disappearing habitats, he said, adding that such losses might be irreversible or require high restoration costs.

Proper ecological impact assessments should be done prior to development, he added.

March lead organizer Chuang Po-jun （莊博鈞） said other issues, such as roadkill and habitat fragmentation or degradation are as important as free-roaming animals in terms of wildlife protection. However, most people are less aware of threats posed by stray animals, he said.

“People knew that clearing a forest would destroy wildlife’s homes, but they might not imagine how much unattended cats or dogs could harm other animals in the wild,” he said, adding participants could explore many other ecological issues at the event’s stalls.

The association said about 3,000 people participated in the march.

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