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Students protest killing of strays
STAFF WRITER, WITH CNA
Tuesday, Aug 24, 2010, Page 2
Students from 27 universities have launched a campaign to end
the euthanasia of stray animals found on campuses, a conservationist said
yesterday.
Members of 29 student groups from the universities gathered in Taipei from Aug.
13 through Aug. 15 for the first annual meeting of a league that aims to protect
stray animals and particularly stray dogs, said Chou Chin-shan (©P˝@¬Ŕ), a
spokeswoman for the non-profit Life Conservationist Association of Taiwan.
It was resolved at the meeting that the students would help create ˇ§no-kill
campusesˇ¨ for stray animals, based on the belief that caring for animals is part
of showing respect for life.
League members called on the public to stop using brutal, inhumane methods to
capture strays and to stop killing the animals.
Instead, they suggested that a TNR (trap, neuter and release) program be
introduced on campuses to allow stray dogs to be caught using humane methods and
neutered before being released to stay on campus or be adopted by dog lovers.
Participants at the meeting said that when spotting stray dogs on campuses,
faculty or students should find out why the animals are there before notifying
government centers to have them captured and killed.
They also said that university authorities should help student bodies
financially to facilitate animal management on campus.
The TNR program, first launched at National Taiwan University in Taipei City in
2006, has also been promoted and implemented at National Chengchi University and
National Yangming University in Taipei City, as well as Tamkang University in
Taipei County, Chou said.
According to tallies compiled by the Council of Agriculture, a total of 68,018
stray animals were captured nationwide and sent to animal centers in 2002. The
figure had risen to 132,905 by 2008 and was 125,106 last year.
Of these animals, 42,222 were euthanized in 2002, and the figure grew to 93,205
by last year.
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