On Tuesday, the Taiwanese government passed the dog and cat meat law that bans the trade and consumption of the animals’ meat. The news went viral overseas, but not everyone supports the law.
China Post’s article on the law has been viewed over 10,000 times. Reddit, a social news aggregation and discussion forum, recorded above 5,000 comments on threads linked to the ban.
The law gained the approval of some netizens while others questioned why did the predicament on other animals, such as cows and pigs, was not taken into consideration.
One netizen wrote: “So eating one animal is ok, but eating another is not? Sounds fishy to me?”
Another user said that the selling of dog or cat meat was illegal in the U.S. but its consumption was permitted in 44 of its 50 states.
Animal Protection Act amendments were also raised in the online discussions. Some suggested the increase of penalties in terms of prison time and fines for those who are guilty of animal cruelty.
The law was the first of its kind in Asia, according to Wang Yu-min, a proponent of the provision on the consumption of dog and cat meat. A number of Reddit users agreed, noting that while some Asian countries ban dog and cat meat trade, eating the meat is still legal.
“Apparently it is banned in the capital, Manila. But honestly, that will not stop our local drunkards from making snacks out of stray dogs. Also, while cats are not ‘illegal,’ I can’t find any Filipino recipe for cat meat,” a user from the Philippines wrote.
The news of the passing of the law was applauded by many Facebook users who are hopeful that the development would also be adopted by other Asian countries.
But still, not everyone agreed with the law. Some debated on its selectivity.
“I don’t get it (the eating part not the abuse part). An animal is an animal. Farm animals are domesticated just like dogs and cats. Meat is meat,” a user wrote.
“All life is precious, but human beings and dogs have a unique relationship that is incomparable to any other cross-species bond,” another user argued.
Animal welfare groups around the world consider Taiwan’s dog and cat meat law a milestone in animal protection. However, some remain hopeful that such laws will not be selective.