Taiwan activists, police scuffle over killings of strays
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Animal rights activists throw symbolic "ghost money" reserved for the dead at police outside of the Ministry of Agriculture over a longstanding government policy they say has led to an estimated 80,000 stray dogs being euthanised on the island each year in Taipei, Taiwan, Friday, Jan 4, 2013. Activists say half a million puppies are abandoned a year, and some 70 per cent of dogs caught and placed in Taiwanese shelters are killed after a 12-day waiting period, despite government efforts to find them homes. -- PHOTO: AP
TAIPEI (AFP) - Dozens of Taiwanese animal rights activists scuffled with the police today in a protest against the widespread practice of killing stray animals, mainly dogs and cats.
Supporters of the Taiwan Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals waived placards and chanted slogans to "stop the abuse and killing" as they rallied outside the agriculture ministry.
The protesters threatened to throw dog excrement on the ministry's facade, but instead ended up scattering ritual paper money for the deceased.
After a confrontation with the police, two of the activists were taken away by officers.
