Department of Economic Development

The Taipei City Animal Protection Office received a report on July 4th that a cage full of birds was abandoned in the Taipei Cinema Park in the Wanhua district. With the assistance of the police, TCAPO reviewed the surveillance footage around the area and identified the man who abandoned the birds.

According to TCAPO, a citizen discovered the cage of approximately 16 birds left in Taipei Cinema Park on July 3rd. Initially, it was assumed that the owner had forgotten to take them, but since the owner did not come forward, the citizen reported the situation to the animal protection office on July 4th. To identify the person responsible for this illegal act of animal abandonment, TCAPO reviewed surveillance footage from six locations along the route. On the police surveillance footage, a male owner carrying the bird cage was seen renting a YouBike from a rental station on the 50th lane of Xining South Road. He then rode to Emei Street and entered the movie park, where he abandoned the cage. The animal protection office obtained the rental information from YouBike to track down the individual involved and subsequently interviewed him. The individual claimed that he couldn't sleep because the newly purchased birds made too much noise at night, so he decided to abandon the entire cage in Taipei Cinema Park, assuming someone would find and adopt them.

TCAPO emphasizes that no matter the reason, pet owners should never arbitrarily abandon their animals. If they cannot care for the animals until their old age, they should find a reliable new owner for them. Abandoning animals is punishable under Article 5, Section 3 of the Animal Protection Act, with fines ranging from NT$30,000 to NT$150,000. If anyone suspects animal abandonment, they are encouraged to immediately call the 24-hour animal protection hotline at 1959, and the animal protection office will dispatch personnel to handle the situation promptly.