by Johnny Lin
Have you ever noticed stray animals in your neighborhood? They may not be easily spotted, for sometimes they stay on roofs or hid under cars. Whether you enjoy their company or think they bring diseases and other problems to society, we should at least reach a consensus to cope with the stray animals problem. To solve these issues in a less controversial and more human way, people around the world are turning to TNR, which stands for Trap, Neuter, and Release. It involves cooperation between volunteers, veterinarians, and local governments to build a strong community network. TNR is believed to be a more effective and human way of dealing with stray animals than traditional methods such as eradication. Through TNR, the number of feral cats and dogs in communities can be effectively reduced. Meanwhile, TNR also prevents the annoying sounds and smells created by the animals when they are in heat. The origin of the program dates back to the early 1980s, when TNR was applied mainly to colonies of stray cats. The program was gradually accepted by local residents and several state governments in the United States. More recently, TNR has spread across the oceans and has been applied in several countries in Europe and Asia, including, Taiwan. With the help of the media, there are more and more people in Taiwan who are becoming aware of the sad fate of stray animals. However, those who are concerned about the problems can rely only on their own efforts or those of private organizations; we need help from the government to carry out TNR in Taiwan successfully. How does it work? Trap: This may be the most difficult part of the program, because volunteers have to build up trust with the animals before capturing them. Among stray animals, cats are the most sensitive and thus the most difficult to capture. One way for volunteers to get close to the animals is through food and water. And it often takes more than a week to develop minor trust between the human and the animal. With patience and some luck, and remembering to cover up the cage with a blanket to reduce the animals’ fear, one may capture them using a cage trap. Neuter: Bring the cats or dogs to a trustworthy vet, who will do most of the work. There are still a couple of points worth mentioning. First, because there are currently only 18 communities in Taipei supporting the TNR program, one should check before applying for a subsidy to neuter an animal. Also, since the government will cover only the surgery fee (usually NT 500), the remaining cost needs to come out of volunteers’ pockets. Also, stray cats and dogs who have been neutered will have one of their ears marked (male on the right, female the left). The end of the ear is cropped so that it has a square appearance, or a notch is cut at the tip or on the side. Therefore, be careful not to send ear-marked animals back to the hospital again! Release: After the surgery it’s very important to have the animals stay in the hospital for at least a week before releasing them back on the street, because just like us they need rest after major surgery. Some tragedies, such as wound-infections or other side-effects, often take place when animals don’t spend enough time in the hospital to recover. Then you need to bring the animals back to where you captured them and release them on the spot. Don’t feel frustrated when they run away from you, for their trust and friendship can be rebuilt after several days of interaction. Although TNR may not be the ultimate way of solving the stray-animal issue, I personally think it’s the best available means. Cats living near the NTU library have been successfully controlled with TNR; I often see students feeding or playing with them, showing a wonderful balance between humans and animals as living proof that TNR works. If you are interested in the TNR program, you can go to PTT> cat, or the following websites for more information. English: http://www.alleycat.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=191 http://www.neighborhoodcats.org/ http://www.suite101.com/plantsandanimals/ Chinese: http://www.meetpets.idv.tw/phparticle/ http://www.meetpets.idv.tw/phpbb2/index.php a
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May 2024
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