Original Title: One down… many more to go
One at a time, folks, one at a time…
[quote]TAIPEI, Taiwan –
Sanchung main dog shelter is closed until further notice as it will soon undergo t
ransformations, a Sanchung City official said yesterday.Hu Chia-chiang, chief of the Cleaning Unit at Sanchung City Government, made the announcement in response to a protest organized by a Hong-Kong based animal protection group in front of Sanchung administration building.
“We will continue to make necessary improvements [to the shelter],” Hu told the activists of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), who were confined to a cage as a protest.
“We have asked Sanchung Mayor Lee Chien-lung to provide adequate treatment to wounded dogs at the shelter,” stressed Coco Yu, campaign coordinator for PETA, who noted that authorities have only replied to some aspects of their open letters sent last May and July.
“It is not sufficient,” she added.
Jason Baker, director of PETA Asia-Pacific, lamented in a letter dated July 3 that “After years of attempting to work cooperatively with you and the shelter’s staff… we have not seen any improvements,” in reference to the various inspections PETA members have conducted since 2004.
…
[b]Yet, The China Post noticed that all the dogs had vanished ahead of an impromptu media tour organized by Sanchung authorities.
They provided contradictory information on the animals’ whereabouts, as Yu remarked that several animals, including puppies, had been kept at the shelter in July.
“I believe they let the animals go before typhoon Wong-fong,” she went on. “There is still a lot to be done!”[/b]
PETA has been working with animal shelters all over Taiwan for the last few years in an effort to improve conditions for animals. But, it deplores the fact that with the exception of the Sanchung shelter, all other shelters on the island have made notable improvements in recent years.
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http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/local/taipei/2008/08/06/168764/Sanchung-gov%27t.htm