Taichung: A Thai woman was sentenced to 60 days in prison and fined NT$200,000 (US$6,560) for flushing 10 hamsters down a toilet and posting a video of it online, according to a Taichung District Court ruling released Tuesday.
According to Focus Taiwan, the court ruled on Sept. 19 that 27-year-old Promin Wannapon had violated Taiwan’s Animal Protection Act, stating that her actions caused “unnecessary suffering to the animals” and “a negative influence on society.”
Prosecutors revealed that Wannapon committed the act on Aug. 27 following a dispute with her Taiwanese ex-boyfriend after their breakup. At their Taichung residence, she flushed the hamsters down the toilet in batches, resulting in their deaths from impact, stress, or drowning in the sewage pipes.
On the same day, Wannapon uploaded four video clips of the incident to Instagram. Users reported the posts to the Taichung City Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office, which then alerted local police, prosecutors said. Police later identified Wannapon as the suspect, leading to her indictment for the animals’ deaths on Sept. 11.
The court took into account her admission of guilt during the investigation when delivering the verdict. The decision is subject to appeal.
