Our 64th Snare Amputee

10th January, 2023

One week ago, we received a report of a badly injured dog on YangMing Mountain, just north of Taipei City. The kind passerby sent us a blurry photo and we immediately knew what had happened to the poor stray, because we’ve seen this kind of injury hundreds of times: the black dog had been maimed by a cruel wire snare put out to catch wild boar or deer who come down the mountain in the cold winter months.

ACT currently cares for 63 dogs who have lost at least one limb to these barbaric devices that not only maim for life but which are also indiscriminate about what innocent animal they hurt. We also rescue cats, squirrels, and even monkeys who have unknowingly stepped in a snare or leg-hold trap. It’s an endless and terrible problem here in Taiwan, even though they are largely banned.

One of our rescue team, Ross, set off immediately, arriving at the location on the bend of a mountain road 90 minutes later. Within an hour, the stricken stray appeared, emerging from a bank of tall grass. His poor leg was a mangled mess, and we knew he must be in a lot of pain.

Since then, our rescue team worked hard to establish where the dog sleeps, feeds, and roams. From there, we were able to work out the best spot to leave a humane trap baited with stinky food to tempt the stricken stray in. As it happens, it turned out to be exactly at the spot in the video above. Our rescue team made sure there was no other food around so he would be hungry enough to take the bait very soon.

Our two rescuers worked around the clock, sometimes sleeping in the car, other times arriving at first light, to ensure we could catch the dog and get him to a vet as soon as possible. It wasn’t easy: sometimes the dog just wasn’t around; other times cats and wild animals such as civets, squirrels, and blue magpies would sneak in and eat the bait before the injured dog even knew it was there.

14th January, 2023

Four days later, around midnight, the maimed dog appeared again hobbling up the road about a kilometre from where we had set a humane cage trap for him. It was raining hard, and unfortunately he disappeared into the jungle before reaching the spot where our trap was. It’s incredibly frustrating and heartbreaking when we can see a dog in such a terrible state and not yet have the opportunity to change their fate.

Many people ask us why we don’t just go and grab a dog like this, and here’s why: these dogs are semi-feral, almost certainly never been touched by a human, and will just run away. If we try to net them and fail, or run after them, they become super-wary of us and everyone else, making a speedy rescue now very difficult.

Experience has taught us that taking our time to rescue a dog like this is actually the fastest way to get them the help they need. Sometimes, though, if we’re almost certain we can chase a dog down or throw a net over them, then it’s worth having a go. On this occasion, though, we all felt it would be better to let the dog find the trap we had baited for him. So that’s what we continued to do. Our rescuers would go up and down the mountain several times a day, in all kinds of weather, sometimes at dawn, sometimes throughout the night—and all while dashing away to perform other rescues, some of which you will have seen here on our blog or on our Facebook page.

17th January, 2023

With no more sightings of the maimed dog for three days, we were starting to become more concerned about him—but also more determined to get him as soon as possible. On this particular morning, the weather was once again very cold and wet—and this was perfect: cold and rain meant far less chance of cats, birds, or squirrels being out and about and sabotaging our efforts by stealing all the food from our humane trap. And we knew that there had been no food around for a few days either, so the dog the dog was certain to be hungry enough to enter the trap despite his wariness. We cleaned the trap floor, put lots of stinky food at the far end (tinned cat food!) and a trail of tidbits leading in, and we set the trap so the door would close quickly and firmly once triggered, giving the dog almost no chance of escaping before the trap was locked shut.

And then he appeared!

From there, it was just a waiting game, as we knew he was hungry, and he was already showing interest in the trap. But the presence of our rescue vehicle was giving him a little cause for concern, so we decided to drive away to let him relax a little.

After giving the nervous stray a little time to relax around the trap, we returned, parking a little further away with the engine off. As our team watched through the rain from the rescue vehicle, the maimed dog disappeared into the long grass where the cage trap was ready—baited and set.

And then we heard it: the familiar and welcome sound of the trap door dropping shut. It always feels so good when we know a badly hurt dog’s life is about to get better. But was he actually in the trap? Or had he managed to somehow barge back out before the door could lock itself shut? Our rescuer Sean got out of the car and started filming as he quietly approached. We all really needed this attempt to be a success, because it was early this morning that we got the news that Luna the puppy had passed away.

18th January, 2023

Albert is still at the vet but will be released to us in the morning. Blood tests showed that he is far too anaemic to undergo surgery yet, so our care staff will now do their best to feed him up so that he can have the operation on his leg in two weeks’ time. He is getting painkillers and antibiotics for his leg and has also begun treatment for heartworm and ehrlichiosis, two blood parasites that can be debilitating and even fatal if left untreated. Albert also had his teeth lightly cleaned while at the vet, as they were actually a very dirty green colour from the long-term build-up of plaque and tartar. He will take up residence at our beautiful new dog sanctuary, becoming the 64th dog in our care to have lost at least one limb to these cruel and indiscriminate hunting devices.

We’ll post updates about Albert’s condition right here, so be sure to subscribe.

You Can Transform the Life of a Suffering Taiwan Stray

ACT works tirelessly not just to save the lives of stray dogs like Albert here but also to gather evidence to bring to justice the people who illegally employ life-threatening wire snares and steel gin traps for hunting. We rescue a badly injured or very sick dog, cat, or wild animal every one or two days. Because of their very poor condition, our vet bills tend to be huge—especially when we rescue a maimed dog in the middle of the night and have to use a fully operational 24-hour vet.

We can only give these suffering animals a chance with your kind support. Please consider becoming an ACT donor today. Your donation—big or small, single or recurring—truly makes a difference and is greatly appreciated. It breaks our hearts when we see dogs like Albert trying to survive as a stray in Taiwan with one of his feet severed. We mean it when we say that we are so grateful that we can save dogs like him thanks to the kindness of people like you.

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