TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A New Taipei community has come under fire for posting a notice encouraging people to catch stray cats and release them far away.

Yang Shu-fang (楊淑方), director of the New Taipei City Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office, told CNA on Tuesday (Nov. 16) that residents of a community in Yingge District have been irritated by the presence of stray cats and the excrement they leave as well as the damage they have caused to scooters with their claws.

In response, the community’s management committee posted a notice on its bulletin board announcing that those who catch stray cats and release them at least 20 kilometers away will receive a NT$1,000 reward (US$34) after providing photo evidence, the report said.

The committee’s action incurred the wrath of cat lovers, with many of them calling the animal protection office to complain, Yang said. “Terrified” by the overwhelming response, the committee took down the notice, the director added.

The office has also sent personnel to assess the situation and asked the community to improve its disposal of edible trash, the report said.

If anyone harms an animal, they can be fined a minimum of NT$3,000 (US$103), according to the Animal Protection Act, Yang said. She recommended the TNVR approach (trap, neuter, vaccinate, and return) as the best way to handle the problem.

The community’s management committee has agreed to the approach, and the animal protection office has placed several cat traps in the area. However, so far, none have been caught.

(New Taipei City Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office photo)