Animal welfare meets ecology – Taitung becomes No. 1 animal-friendly city

Taiwan’s public animal shelters have been implementing a no-kill policy for a year now. Recently, Taiwan Animal Protection Monitor Network (台灣動物保護行政監督聯盟) awarded Taitung county-administered city with 1st place for animal handling at its shelters.

Head of Taitung County Animal Disease Control Center (台東縣動物防疫所), Mr. Li, said that since Taitung is an agricultural county and city, it is implementing a joint animal protection system in a natural and ecological way with "precise catching." The system, which employs the trap/neuter/vaccinate/return (TNVR) concept, ensures captured numbers don’t exceed shelter capacity and that the stray animal population is slowly reduced, making Taitung a genuinely animal-friendly city.

The key to success has been the earnest efforts of local government heads and various units on the ground. Often, it is not that things cannot be done, but more a question of whether we are prepared to put in the required effort; with effort, we have the opportunity to savor the sweet fruits of achievement. Hopefully, other counties and cities will catch up soon, and through life education, together march towards a new animal-friendly era.

以下為中文對照

台灣公立動物收容所實施「零撲殺」已經滿一週年了，台灣動物保護行政監督聯盟發現，106年全國公立動物收容所收容處理情形，台東縣在縣轄市動保中榮獲第一。

台東縣動物防疫所代理黎所長表示，其實台東縣是農業縣市，在推行動保上都以自然生態的方式相互結合，因此會落實具體的「精準捕捉」，一方面控制收容所不爆籠，二方面也透過TNVR讓動物以自然的方式漸漸減少，讓台東成為動物友善城市。

有地方首長支持及業務單位主管的認真努力，是推行的成功關鍵，許多事情不是做不到，而是有沒有用心，付出相對應的努力，就有機會得到甜美的果實，期望其他縣市能迎頭趕上，一同體驗生命教育，邁向不一樣的友善動物新時代。

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