An international animal rights group has praised the Taiwanese government for cracking down on the illegal practice of gambling on pigeon races.
Police in the southern city of Kaohsiung raided a club that was engaged in the illegal gambling, and it froze the club’s assets, totaling nearly US$4 million. The move was in response to complaints from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) about Taiwan’s pigeon race gambling industry.
The vice president of PETA Asia, Jason Baker, said that more than a million pigeons die every year in Taiwan as a result of the races. The organization’s website says the races are held over the open seas at ever-increasing distances.
With the recent crackdown, Baker said Taiwanese authorities have shown the world that animal protection should be priority.