Rat on Taipei Dome field brings rodent control back into election campaign
In Taipei, Taiwan, a rat ran onto the field during a professional baseball game at Taipei Dome, after which rodent control once again became a topic of pre-election debate ahead of the city’s mayoral election. This was reported by Taipei Times.
Rat removed from the field during the game
The animal was spotted shortly before the start of the eighth inning of a game between the Fubon Guardians and Wei Chuan Dragons. The rat ran onto the field between home plate and the first-base dugout.
Stadium staff quickly surrounded the rodent, covered it with a paper bag and carried it off the field. The incident was resolved promptly, but it was discussed in a political context the following day.
City authorities’ response
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an told reporters that he had asked Farglory Group, which owns and operates Taipei Dome, to carry out disinfection. The city’s sports and environmental departments, as well as the Department of Health, also jointly inspected conditions at the arena.
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According to Chiang, the sports department must monitor the situation and impose sanctions if necessary. Chiang represents the Kuomintang party.
Trash bins became part of the discussion
Puma Shen, the Democratic Progressive Party’s candidate for Taipei mayor, said at a campaign event that the city’s rat problem had existed for a long time. At the same time, he said he had recently heard more complaints from residents about rodents appearing in homes.
Shen also referred to residents’ dissatisfaction with the reduction in the number of public trash bins. According to him, this creates inconvenience but does not reduce the number of reports about rats. In May, the issue of a possible rodent problem was already discussed in the media and city politics, after which authorities conducted a several-day cleanup campaign and promised to strengthen oversight.
Taipei Department of Environmental Protection Director Hsu Shih-hsun confirmed last month that the city is removing trash bins to prevent illegal disposal of household waste. Over several years, their number, excluding bins in tourist areas and business districts, was reduced from about 2,000 to 806. Local elections in Taiwan are scheduled for November 28.
