TAIPEI (The China Post) — Agriculture Bureau of Kaohsiung City Government (高雄市農業局) announced on Thursday that the Council of Agriculture (農委會) stated pit bulls will be branded animals that are prohibited from raising or importing (指定禁止飼養或輸入之動物) starting from March 1, 2022.
According to the latest announcement, those who currently keep pit bulls as pepts need to declare this through a written form for future reference before Feb. 28, 2022, so that both can be categorized under “legally raised pit bull” (合法飼養的比特犬) and “legally pit bull owner.” (合法的比特犬飼養者)
If the owner fails to file a declaration form, they will face high fines and the dog may be taken away.
Kaohsiung City Animal Protection Office (高雄市動保處) explained that pit bulls who are already in households merely need to be registered and need to be implanted microchips for pet registration. Afterwards, they need to update information if they switch places of residence or if the animal dies.
Director-General of the Kaohsiung City Animal Protection Office Yeh Kun-sung (葉坤松) explained that in order to gradually reduce the number of pit bulls raised, the new regulations will limit only pit bulls which have completed registration can breed, and the offsprings bred will not be able to breed again.
In addition, in the future, the breeding, trading and transfer of pit bulls after the death of the original owner are limited to “legal pit bulls”.
If they fail to register, or are illegally raised, traded or transfered, those found with the animals can be fined between NT$50,000 and NT$250,000 according to the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法).
The Agriculture Bureau also reminded the public that in addition to legal breeding, pit bulls should be accompanied by adults when entering and leaving public places or places where the public can enter and leave.
They should be on a leash that is no longer than 1.5 meters in length, and wear a breathable mask that does not affect heat dissipation as a protective measure.
Otherwise, according to the Animal Protection Act, owners can be fined between NT$30,000 and NT$150,000.
這篇文章 Taiwan issues ban on Pitbulls as pets 最早出現於 The China Post, Taiwan。