Taiwan’s Animal Protection Act May Get a Major Overhaul After PETA Push
In Taiwan, it’s perfectly legal to scoop up animals—dogs from street corners or monkeys from forests, for instance—and transport them to the nearest laboratory, where they’ll be used in painful and deadly experiments.
PETA and other animal advocates in Taiwan have been working furiously to bring its woefully deficient, nearly 30-year-old Animal Protection Act up to international standards and put a stop to cruel and archaic practices.
There are plenty of problems with this act.
An estimated two-thirds of animals in Taiwanese laboratories are used for breeding. Shockingly, they’re not even covered by the act. And animal oversight boards—such as they exist—are toothless, self-policing entities devoid of any real power to help animals. There are no professional veterinarians to care for the animals in laboratories. And absurdly, laboratory inspectors are required to sign a confidentiality agreement, which serves only to protect animal abusers.
PETA and others have worked with Taiwanese government officials to move away from these cruel and antiquated practices. After much discussion, an amendment to the Animal Protection Act has been drafted and awaits approval.
Among other important stipulations, the proposed amendment would do the following:
- Prohibit wild-caught animals from being used in laboratories
- Prohibit harmful animal experiments through high school
- Make laboratory inspection reports public
- Mandate the prioritization of non-animal methods
- Include animals in laboratories who are used for breeding under the Animal Protection Act
- Require that laboratories include a veterinarian with relevant expertise on their staff
PETA and PETA Asia have already attended a public hearing, where we presented a statement in support of the amendment, and we’ve offered supplementary materials to government officials. We’re planning to attend more meetings with more officials soon in our continual push to bring Taiwan up to international standards.
What You Can Do
You can help by urging companies in Taiwan to stop experimenting on animals to make dubious health claims in marketing materials for food and beverage products:
