NEW TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The New Taipei City Government Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office (新北市政府動物保護防疫處) announced on Monday (Dec. 24) that they have successfully controlled the stray dog population in four northeastern districts through a zoning inspection that began in October. Officials sterilized 76% of approximately 1,000 stray dogs, effectively managing their numbers.
A 2022 survey by the Ministry of Agriculture (農業部) estimated New Taipei City had around 10,000 stray dogs, primarily strays with a few owned but free-roaming dogs. To address this, the Animal Protection Office emphasized the need to proactively identify the dogs' locations for further sheltering and sterilization efforts. Officials noted that achieving a sterilization rate of over 70% effectively reduces the stray dog population, indicating the success of the city's sterilization and adoption promotion policies.
During the inspection, the office photographed, geolocated, and registered each stray dog while surveying local pet ownership. They found that 35.38% of residents own dogs. The office plans to guide owners in pet registration, sterilization, and rabies vaccination to control the stray dog population further.