Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture (COA) said Sunday that the 154 pet cats found on a fishing boat a few days ago had to be euthanized because they had been smuggled from China, where rabies is endemic, and they posed a risk to Taiwan.

The cats were found in Friday in 62 cages on a fishing vessel that had been intercepted the day before by Taiwan’s Coast Guard and escorted into Kaohsiung port, based on a tip off.

On Saturday, the 154 cats, including breeds such as Russian Blue, Ragdoll, Persian American Shorthair, and British Shorthair, were put down by veterinarians at the COA’s Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection (BAPHIQ).

While BAPHIQ said the decision was in accordance with the Statute for Prevention and Control of Infectious Animal Diseases, it came under fire from animal rights advocates in Taiwan, who argued that the action was inhumane and that the government should be more flexible in handling such cases.

At a press conference Sunday, BAPHIQ Director General Tu Wen-jane (???) said however that the cats had been smuggled from China, which is a rabies endemic area.

The cats may have brought the virus into Taiwan, which is currently not a high risk area for the disease, Tu said, adding that the mortality rate of rabies is virtually 100 percent once clinical symptoms appear.

The case will be forwarded to prosecutors for investigation, and if the cat buyers are found, they should be held accountable, she said.

Meanwhile, COA Minister Chen Chi-chung (???) said at the press conference that he will hold discussions with the Ministry of Justice on the public’s call for stiffer penalties against animal and plant smugglers.

He said that while some people have suggested that the government could have checked the cats’ health and spared their lives, they should be aware that such inspections almost always have loopholes, which in turn could endanger the health of dogs, cats, and people in Taiwan.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel