Cabinet approves animal protection amendmentsBy Hollie Younger / Staff writer, with CNAThe Executive Yuan today approved amendments to the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法) that would increase penalties for animal abuse and animal abuse resulting in death. Photo: Tsai Wen-chu, Taipei TimesThe amendments proposed by the Ministry of Agriculture are to be submitted to the Legislative Yuan for review. Pets sent to animal shelters would have to meet specific conditions or owners would be liable for abandoning them, the amendments state. The measure would prevent owners from repeatedly claiming that pets are “lost” during animal protection investigations by local authorities, the amendments say. If the amendments are passed, the penalty for abandoning pets would be increased from NT$30,000 to NT$150,000 to NT$100,000 to NT$1 million.

Source: Taipei Times January 08, 2026 09:43 UTC