Between 2021 and 2023, Taipei Animal Save held two vigils in front of a Wanhua slaughterhouse – euphemistically and formally known as the Taipei Poultry Wholesale Market. In an Animal Save vigil, activists bear witness to the plight of animals and try to comfort animals on their way to being killed for meat. Typically, Save activists try to negotiate with slaughterhouse owners for permission, or they would take the opportunity to spend time with animals briefly when a truck is parked or stopped at traffic lights. In Taipei, however, industrial-scale slaughterhouses are unlikely to grant permission for activists to visit, and there are no safe locations where activists can interact with animals. Because of this lack of access, activists stationed themselves outside the slaughterhouse, watching the chickens tightly packed in cages from the gate. The vigils started in the late afternoon, but activists did not stay for the slaughter, which typically starts around midnight...
During a historically unprecedented pandemic, it would be not unusual for any nation to debate and discuss vaccines. Unfortunately, in Taiwan, such discussions morphed into post-factual political attacks and sensational commentaries that sow unnecessary distrust in its population at the time when public trust of our institutions is of paramount importance...
Running parallel to Extinction Rebellion, another nascent group, Animal Rebellion, was formed in 2019. Animal Rebellion’s focus is also climate justice with the same civil disobedience tactics and organizational structure. But unlike XR, whose goal is carbon neutrality, Animal Rebellion focuses on a plant-based food system...
The business of wild marine animal exhibitions and performances in aquariums always requires the kidnapping, torture, imprisonment, and abuse of animals. This is no different with XPark in Taoyuan, something that has recently been the object of controversy...
On Christmas Day 2020, after much contention, the lifting of limits on American pork imports was passed by the Legislative Yuan, with KMT lawmakers vowing to continue to oppose pork imports, possibly by way of referendum. More broadly speaking, media coverage and political discussions around the issue of ractopamine and American pork imports to Taiwan have reached the point of absurdity in past weeks...
