Taipei, July 21 A pet market -- the first of its kind in
Taiwan – will open July 29 in Taipei City, officials said
Friday.
The market, located under the Hsinsheng overpass as part of the
Hsinsheng holiday farm market, will comprise 60 stands run by pet
sellers, pet accessory sellers and animal protection organizations,
according to Huang Shao-peng, executive secretary of the Hsinsheng
holiday farm market.
Huang pointed out that one in every 11 people in Taiwan owns a
pet and that sanitation issues have become a cause of tension
between pet owners and non-pet owners.
The pet market will bring together pet sellers and animal
protection groups who will provide the public with information on animal
safety and sanitation to help them take better care of their pets, he
said.
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Just wondered if there’ll be an AT presence at this thing. Anybody know anything about it? I suppose this Hsinsheng overpass place must be fairly close to Grandma Nittis, yes?
[quote=“irishstu”]Dunno about anyone else, but when I see this: “The pet market will bring together pet sellers and animal protection groups”, my mind sees this:
This is gonna be disaster for animals. I don’t know what animal rights organization would be willing to work with a pet seller, who for example puts their animal for sell, either in a cage too small or either together with a bunch of other animals. And maybe more people would try to breed animals so that they can sell it and make money. Disaster is coming for Taiwan, the kingdom of depressed animals.
That’s what I mean. I’m hoping Stray Dog will weigh in on this. I know AT wants to keep a positive, non-confrontational image, but lord god almighty, if this is what it sounds like, it has “venue for protest” written all over it.
Actually this “pet market” has already been open since the end of last year. Its location is under the ShinSheng North Road overpass, between NanJing E Road and Bade Road. There always was a weekend vegetable and fruit market there (I believe the area is owned by the Agriculture Dept), but has not proven to be as popular as the weekend jade market or the flower market. Hence this new gimmick of opening a pet market as well. When I looked into it last year I was told that they would sell pet accessories, but NOT pets themselves - I don’t know if this policy is now changed. A local animal volunteer organization - the Rose Stray Animal Group has had a table there for dog and cat adoption since the inception of the market last year. I’ve been there twice to take a look during the colder months, but there really were no customers there - to either buy produce or pet accessories. Perhaps the place has become more popular in warmer weather. In stead of jumping to conclusions about this place, it might be best to go for a visit, and see how things and policies might have changed in recent months - also talk to the Rose volunteer group who have been there for more than 6 months.
I went to check out the “pet market” this afternoon. It never got off the ground past the initial stage. Protest over possible noise and sanitation issues prevented the “pet market” from becoming reality. When I was there today, I saw a few vegetable and fruit vendors, a roast chicken stand, a plant vendor (maybe a total of 12 vendors and and 20 customers total). The Rose Garden people (a local animal protection group) was no longer there. I don’t know if the city abandoned this idea, or this is a temporary set back. But from the number of customers there, it doesn’t look like it would be worth the effort.
