Taipei City Government

In preventing rabies in Taipei City, the Animal Protection Office (APO) will be conducting 28 itinerant rabies vaccination events for animals in low elevation mountain regions within the 7 administrative areas between June 13 and the end of September.

At the same time, vaccination notices will be sent to the pet owners reminding them to bring their pets to receive the vaccination at these vaccination events or at nearby veterinary hospitals. The aim of this campaign is to ensure the health and safety of pets and their owners.

According to the APO, there have been reported cases of rabid wild animals biting and injuring people in central and south Taiwan. Given Taipei’s high population density and its close proximity to mountains, there is therefore a high probability of pets coming into contact with wild animals, raising the former’s risk of contracting rabies enormously. To improve the immunity of pets living near mountain regions, the APO will conduct 28 itinerant rabies vaccination events in administrative areas near the low elevation mountain regions including Wenshan, Shilin, Beitou, Nangang, Neihu, Xinyi, and Daan. The first event will take place on June 13 in Wanfang Borough of Wenshan District, providing 200 government-funded rabies vaccinations and 50 microchip implants. At the same time, vaccination notices will be sent to pet owners, reminding them to bring their pets to receive inoculation. Owners of pets aged 3 months or above are welcome to bring pets in for vaccination (Reminder: Pet owners need to produce their ID card to receive the service), and those without microchip implants can also register their pets as well!

APO reminds the public that canines and felines participating in the itinerant vaccination event must be at least 3 months old. Animals exhibiting signs of allergy, fever, pregnancy, diarrhea, or heart, liver, and kidney-related illnesses on the day of vaccination should not be vaccinated.

As per past experience, a large number of pets will be present at the vaccination event, and in order to prevent fights from breaking out, pet owners are requested to keep their pets caged or leashed, and it is also imperative to clean up after their pets to maintain the venue’s orderliness and cleanliness. Please browse the rabies vaccination/public section on the TCAPO’s official website for details on the itinerant vaccination events (http://bit.ly/2Ls23ZP).

According to the regulations of the Statute for Prevention and Control of Infectious Animal Disease, pet owners are required to vaccinate their domestic dogs, cats, or ferrets against rabies every year, otherwise they will be subjected to fines between NT$30,000 and NT$150,000. So please make use of the itinerant vaccination events or approach nearby animal hospitals to have pets vaccinated yearly in order to protect your health and the health of your pets. Meanwhile, citizens are urged to abide by the Two Don’ts and One Do Principle of “Don’t touch wild animals, don’t abandon your pets, and do take your dogs and cats to receive rabies vaccination every year” in an effort to prevent rabies effectively.