Help Taiwan's millions of abandoned dogs

Dear Honorable President Chen:

We would like to first of all congratulate you on your ongoing efforts towards improving the
conditions and management of Taiwan's million stray dogs, which have occurred
since the passage of the Animal Protection Law in Taiwan four years ago.

Sadly, we have been alerted of the still ongoing, terrible abuse and cruelty Taiwan's stray dogs suffer in
the actual public dog pounds, which are supposed to provide shelter, food, water, and a chance
for these animals to be adopted. Unfortunately, a recent investigation at the Hualien dog pound on Feb. 8, 10, and 14, 2002 by animal rights activists revealed the gruesome reality of starving dogs who actually resorted to cannibalism, as no food or water were provided for them.

Although the federal government has been trying to make improvements in dog
pound facilities and establish guidelines for humane methods of euthanasia, many backward local
governments are unwilling to implement these changes. Usually, the only time
that fresh water and food are provided or the dog pound facilities are
cleaned is on the day of an announced inspection. Since the animals are
unable to speak for themselves, they must also endure neglect and brutal handling
by dog pound workers.

According a report published by the Life Conservationist Association in
December 2001, most dog pounds in Taiwan are still located at garbage dumpsites or in
remote areas, inaccessible to the public for either adoption of the dogs or
monitoring of their conditions. Out of the 48 dog pounds that LCA visited a few
months ago, only 8 shelters are considered humane environments. The rest of
the 40 dog pounds throughout the island are either built with makeshift
structures or the dogs are left outdoor in small cages.

We desperately need your help and urge you to take immediate action with the Council of
Agriculture to investigate the worst dog pounds in Taiwan, such as Ta-Li City
in Taichung, Shu-Lin City in Taipei, Ta-Shi in Tao-Yuan and Tai-Pin in
Taichung. Other dog pounds needing urgent attention are in Tan-Shuai,
San-Chung, Miao-Li and Tao-Yuan. The current dog cannibalism in the Hualien dog pound
is not an isolated case. Dogs in most public pounds are still suffering tremendously.
This is a wake up call for the government to take immediate action by conducting a countrywide
investigation to assess the conditions in the dog pounds by means of un-announced inspections,
enforce the law and ensure once and for all that the cruelty, abuse and inhumane conditions
the dogs endure are eliminated.

As members of various animal protection organizations in the USA, we have
utmost faith and confidence in your compassionate leadership. In terms of economic
success and achievement in arts and sciences, Taiwan is one of the most
progressive countries in the world. We know that you have and will continue to lead the country towards
a more humane treatment of animals as well. Your immediate and decisive action are the only
things to ensure each local government enforces the law, cleans up their dog pounds
and upgrades the qualifications of animal wardens.

We thank you for your attention and help in this crisis and we will continue to monitor the situation,
trusting to see immediate positive changes.

Respectfully Yours,