Taipei City launches 24-hour 1959 hotline for animals

Taipei City launches 24-hour 1959 hotline for animals

2022-11-18

According to the latest data, the total population of dogs and cats in Taiwan reached 2.95 million last year, which exceeded the number of children aged 14 and under in the country. To help injured or abused pets and strays, the Taipei City Government has launched a 24-hour emergency hotline that allows people in Taipei to report animal abuse and access animal-rescue services. FTV reporter Stephany Yang has the details.

Stephany Yang
FTV reporter
This new 24-hour emergency hotline 1959 will allow people to report animal abuse and seek animal rescue services.

To improve the efficiency of animal-rescue services, Taipei has launched a 24-hour pet rescue hotline, accessible by dialing 1959. People who find animals that need rescue or protection in the city they can call the line to file a report.

Lin Chung-chieh
Taipei Department of Economic Development
We already had a rescue line at the animal protection office, but the number was not easy to remember, so people would tend to call the general city helpline at 1999 instead. After calling 1999, you’ll be transferred over, which takes time and often leads to missing the golden window for treatment. So we worked hard on the issue with the central government, and after passing the NCC’s review, we launched the first animal-rescue hotline in the country. It’s a 24-hour service, so people can notify authorities immediately, and rescue services can be dispatched in a timely manner.

The number of pets in Taiwan is growing by 10% annually. According to the Taipei City Animal Protection Office, last year there were roughly 10,000 cases reported through the animal-rescue hotline in the city. Around 1,700 cases involved dogs or cats.

Chen Ying-hao
Taipei City Animal Protection Office
According to statistics for last year, there were around 10,000 animal-rescue cases in Taipei, 1,700 cases involving dogs and cats. Many of the other cases involved birds. Birds often fall out of their nests or are injured from flying into buildings. If the public reports these sightings, our animal protection team will go there to rescue the animals.

The city government also cooperates with the police and 24 special animal hospitals. This allows police to assist with the emergency rescue and evacuation of animals, so that injured animals can receive professional medical treatment as soon as possible.

Chen Ying-hao
Taipei City Animal Protection Office
Some animal protection cases, especially in the community, require the intervention of the police. The Taipei City Police Department has established a relevant cooperation mechanism with the Animal Protection Office. When some cases occur within the police’s jurisdiction, they will cooperate with the Animal Protection Office to help handle the situation. The line is used for rescue and animal protection. Rescue entails saving animals that are injured on the road, or birds that have fallen out of their nests. You can call the line to report such cases and request rescue. The focus of animal protection is abuse. For example, if someone notices their neighbor or someone on the street mistreating animals, they can report that through the dedicated line.

When someone finds an animal that needs to be rescued in Taipei, they should first confirm the animal’s condition, specific location, and surrounding environment, and then dial the 1959 animal protection hotline to seek help.