Hon Hai Group Chairman Terry Guo will donate a total of NT$200 million (US$6 million) over the next three years to National Taiwan University's (NTU) stray animal relief program, the largest single pledge to an organization towards an animal welfare cause in Taiwan's history, local media reported yesterday.
With the motto "Care for Life, Love and Protect Animals," the fund's mission is to reduce the number of stray animals in Taiwan while providing better medical treatment for the homeless animals. The fund will be used to ramp up neutering campaigns, promote ID chip implants in pets, and establish a network of medical treatment centers for stray animals.
During the donation ceremony, Guo said that the problem of stray dogs is best approached through better public awareness and cooperation with experts in the field of veterinary medicine rather than more animal shelters, reported the United Evening News.
NTU President Lee Si-chen said the money will fund a joint project between the NTU's veterinary medicine department and the Taipei County Government for research and public education on solutions to the problem of strays. Specialized classes and training on animal care will also be offered to members of animal welfare organizations.
The NTU has created a special team in charge of overseeing the fund to make sure money is channeled towards efforts related to animal welfare.
According to Taipei County Magistrate Chou Hsi-wei, the county sees an increase of 10,000 stray dogs each year.
In tackling this problem, the county several rules on dog ownership in place, requiring that owners tag their dogs with ID chip implants before their pets turn four months old. Owners are also required to report their missing dogs within five days of disappearance. Violators are subject to a fine of up to NT$300,000.
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