Taipei: Taiwanese authorities faced criticism from activists over their handling of stray dogs at an international animal welfare conference in Taipei Tuesday, with the country's top animal welfare official defending the policy as tailored to local conditions.

According to Focus Taiwan, Taiwan's stray dog euthanasia issue was likened to the "Emperor's New Clothes" by longtime animal rights advocate Chen Yu-min at a workshop during the Asia for Animals Coalition (AfA) Conference. Chen highlighted that since Taiwan officially ended the euthanasia of stray animals in public shelters in February 2017, over 380,000 stray dogs have been caught, with approximately 140,000 undergoing trap-neuter-return (TNR).

Chen expressed concerns about the paradoxical situation, pointing out that while the Animal Protection Act punishes those who abandon animals, the government has taken the lead in neutering and releasing them back onto the streets. She suggested that authorities should regulate dog breeders and sellers more strictly and encourage the sterilization of household dogs to alleviate the burden on animal welfare workers.

Chen, who is the deputy chief executive director of the Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan (EAST), revealed that 20,000 of the 380,000 strays died in shelters from illness. She noted that authorities attempted to increase adoption rates post-2017 by encouraging animal protection groups to adopt the dogs and send them to orchards, only to find many dogs chained and confined at the sites.

EAST Executive Director Chu Tseng-hung echoed Chen's sentiments in a keynote speech, describing the authorities' progress on the stray dog issue as inconsistent and noting conflicts with wildlife conservation. Citing Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) data estimating over 100,000 stray dogs in Taiwan, Chen argued for a strategic approach to fully address the issue.

Chen suggested that the government should consider euthanasia for some stray dogs as a last resort to improve their quality of life, cautioning against a cycle of culling without addressing root causes. In response, Chiang Wen-chuan, head of MOA's Department of Animal Welfare, noted that TNR originated from suggestions by animal rights groups post-2017, and that local governments have adopted varying practices.

Chiang emphasized that TNR should not become a regular practice and addressed criticisms about using stray dogs as working dogs, explaining that some local governments find it preferable to crowded shelters. He stated that the measure is based on local conditions, with only a small number of dogs involved.