TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Agriculture's Department of Animal Welfare held a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the management of exotic pets.
A decision was reached requiring owners to register their pets with relevant authorities as well as meet the necessary ownership conditions to keep exotic animals. Owners will also be barred from breeding if they do not have special permits, per CNA.
Chen Chung-hsing (陳中興), deputy director of the Department of Animal Welfare, said the meeting invited various animal welfare groups, owner representatives, industry professionals, and municipal officials to discuss the management of exotic pets such as meerkats, snapping turtles, caimans, pythons, and others.
Chen said that businesses breeding exotic pets will require special licensing and compliance with relevant facility standards. Breeders will also be subject to inspections and assessments to ensure overall operations meet animal welfare standards.
He said that other breeding regulations may be enforced, such as breeding thresholds to manage the exotic pet population. Individual owners are prohibited from breeding to ensure management of the population.
Animal welfare groups have objected to the government's inclusion of meerkats on the "gray list" and called on the Ministry of Industry to ban meerkat ownership. They allege meerkats are social animals and do not fare well in private ownership, often falling into poor health and engaging in self-harm.
The government's "gray list" refers to a system that allows pets to be kept by the public after regulations are established for their breeding, sale, and ownership. Commonly accepted pets such as dogs and cats are “white list,” while prohibited pets are on the “black list.”
Chen said meerkat ownership in Taiwan is already quite common, making an outright ban on ownership difficult. He said including meerkats in a proposed program governing exotic pets would require owners to meet special conditions to keep them, encouraging meerkat owners and breeders to adjust their facilities to meet animal welfare standards.
