The Rise and Construction of Stray Cat Protection Movement in Taiwan
Date Issued
2010
Date
2010
Author(s)
Wu, Hui-Ju
Abstract
This research paper discusses about the rise and development of a movement of stray cat protection in Taiwan, and tries to figure out a progress of human-animal relationship in Taiwanese history, which means who those agencies are, in what kind of social and historical backgrounds they show up, and what change they have made after they perform their actions are presented in this report. First, the author discuss how the relationship between human and animal changes culturally through the history of Taiwan based on historical texts and legal regulations those to solve problems of street animals.
Compared to the human-animal relationship and ideas of animal protection of westerners, Taiwanese have a different attitude and history in this subject. In the end of the war, Taiwanese raise their cats and dogs outdoors without caging and limiting these animals’ area of activities. However, because of urbanization and industrialization, these cats and dogs are expelled from Taiwanese’s life. In 1950’s, stray dogs are caught and killed extensively in the name of rabies, which has connected stray dogs to a image as a threat to public sanitation and social safety ever since. As to stray cats, they have been ignored for a long time because they have lost their use value in Taiwanese’s life.
In 1998, animal protection act is passed in Taiwan. The state still uses its power to expel stray dogs systematically, which does not solve problems about animal welfare at all. The problem of stray cats was “discovered” because the number of stray dogs decreases, and these cats become the next target of being cleaned. However, this regulation leaves a negotiable space to stray cats to survive.
The author interviews some major agencies and public officials of stray cat protection. From the point of view of new social movement theory, the author considers that stray cat protection community completes their construction of identity, organization and mobilization through the rising internet. They redefine stray cats as “mixed cats” ,which are in contrast with pure-bred cats and renamed as “street cats” which share and live together with humans in the same colony. The community forms stray cats as cute and intimate neighbors. Also, at the same time, they carry out alignment, organization and mobilization under this frame, and bring up Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) policy as a method to fight for local survival right for the stray cats.
At this moment, TNR policy is under a trial practice in Taipei City supported by public-private partnership. The author analyzes the development and policy of stray cat protection community before and after TNR is practiced, how the community uses their policies to fight for survival space of stray cats, and what motivations and actions people who interact with the community have. The author presents how these groups of people all together compose the stray cat protection movement in Taiwan.
Subjects
human-animal relationship, Animal Protection Act, companion animal, pet, stray animal, feral cat, street cat, new social movements, framing
SDGs
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