Public Space Animal Enclosure Issues
When it comes to animal welfare, most people immediately think of abandonment, rescue, or adoption. Yet another important issue often slips under the public radar — the confinement of small pets in public spaces.
It is not uncommon to see owners keeping small animals such as rabbits, pet mice, or birds in cages placed under covered walkways, beside drainage ditches, in fire lanes, or even in parking lots. These setups are often justified as providing "better ventilation" or "easier care." But are these environments truly suitable for animal keeping?
Such practices raise concerns about safety, hygiene, and the well-being of the animals themselves. Public spaces are shared environments, and exposing animals to extreme weather, pollution, and human interference not only endangers their health but may also affect the community. It is time we look beyond simple rescue and adoption efforts and pay closer attention to the hidden issue of public space confinement.
Are These Places Really Suitable for Pets?
Take pet rabbits as an example. If an owner keeps a rabbit in an outdoor public area, even with the protection of a cage, that little animal must endure harsh sunlight, chilling winds, and rainfall throughout its entire life. Naturally timid, rabbits also face constant barking from dogs, threats from stray cats, and teasing from mischievous children. Some irresponsible owners may not even bring them indoors at night.
This issue is not limited to rabbits. Birds and rodents suffer in similar ways, and even some kittens and puppies confined in iron cages experience the same distress. We can confidently say that when small animals are kept in public spaces, such treatment amounts to nothing less than psychological abuse.
Disgust or Care? The Paradox of Outdoor Pet Keeping
When volunteers ask pet owners why their animals are kept in outdoor public areas, the answers often sound both contradictory and troubling. Some say they dislike the smell, others can't tolerate the shedding fur or the mess of cleaning up. A few even argue that it's good for passersby to interact with the animals, or that letting others feed them saves on food costs—reasons that, at best, reveal a confused sense of responsibility.
But if one finds an animal's presence so unpleasant, why keep one in the first place? Is it merely to satisfy a selfish desire to "own" a pet, without truly caring for its well-being?
This mismatch between affection and avoidance—wanting the title of a pet owner but shirking the duties that come with it—has become a visible irony in many Taiwanese cities. Across alleys and streets, makeshift cages and fenced-off corners reveal how some people occupy public spaces for private convenience. Such behavior not only undermines communal harmony but also contradicts the vision of Taiwan as a society striving to be friendly to animals.
A truly compassionate society shows love not just in words, but in the willingness to bear responsibility.
The Tragic World of Captivity
Hidden behind the glass walls and cages of public spaces lies a world of quiet suffering. Many small animals kept in captivity endure extreme neglect and poor health conditions. Their daily interaction with owners often amounts to nothing more than routine feeding and the occasional pat on the head. Inside their narrow cages, these animals spend their days surrounded by waste, leftover food, and unclean environments.
The long-term lack of interaction and proper care leaves them with severe, yet unnoticed, illnesses. Out of sight of their owners, many animals' bodies gradually deteriorate — weakened limbs, broken nails, patches of missing fur, bone fractures, skin infections, even festering wounds. Tragically, such suffering often remains unseen until volunteers visit, gently turning each frail body to uncover the damage done by loneliness and confinement.
This hidden misery calls for greater compassion, education, and responsible pet ownership. Every living creature deserves more than survival — it deserves care, attention, and a chance to thrive beyond a cage.
This Behavior Should Be Completely Banned
The act of occupying public spaces to confine animals should be completely banned! When the shared life between pet owners and their animals has already been met with rejection, what remains is a shallow routine of feeding—nothing more. Those animals, shunned and left outside, are forced to eke out an undignified existence, coexisting with illness and neglect.
Along with these enclosures come territorial disputes between owners and neighbors, conflicts over the environment, sanitation issues, and even threats to public safety. All this just because someone wants to keep pets—yet it ends up making even more people dislike animals.
Is that really what pet owners want?
Urgent Need to Close Legal Loopholes in Taiwan's Animal Protection Laws
Taiwan's Animal Protection Act urgently needs improvement due to a critical loophole concerning pet-keeping conditions. Because the law does not clearly define where pets may be kept, even when volunteers report suspected neglect to local animal protection departments, inspectors often dismiss cases on the grounds that the owner provides food and water. These cases are routinely closed without further action, ignoring Article 20 of the Act, which requires that pets entering public spaces be accompanied by their owners.
When law enforcement adopts such a lenient interpretation, these behaviors cannot be effectively deterred or corrected. Authorities lack the power even to require owners to move animals indoors to protect them from sun and rain—let alone to remove the animals from the scene immediately. As a result, the current system leaves animals vulnerable while enforcement remains powerless.
Improving Taiwan's Animal Protection Laws
How can this issue be addressed? In light of the current shortcomings of Taiwan's Animal Protection Act, the most fundamental solution is to amend the law directly to fill the existing gaps. Local city and county councils can also strengthen their own ordinances by adding supplementary regulations. Furthermore, local leaders may issue administrative orders that directly prohibit the keeping of animals in public spaces.
The Animal Protection Act should clearly specify that pets must not be kept, placed, or tied in any public area accessible to the general public (or similar wording). By explicitly banning pet owners from keeping animals in public spaces, law enforcement officers would be empowered to carry out inspections and enforcement without hesitation.
Corresponding penalties should be enacted in line with the provisions mentioned above. City and county governments can revise their local ordinances to expand the scope of existing regulations governing specific pet industries, thereby prohibiting owners from confining their pets in public areas. Local leaders may also issue administrative directives to immediately prohibit such behavior.
The Power of Words in Promoting Animal Welfare
Do you like this article? The power of words is a positive force for spreading accurate ideas about animal protection. Through reading and reflection, we can achieve deeper understanding and empathy toward animals in shared public spaces.
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