Consumption attracts large fine and repeat offenders could be named and shamed under law that is first of its kind in Asia 
 
 Taiwan is set to become the first country in Asia to ban the consumption of dog and cat meat, as increasing pet ownership across the continent has seen attitudes shift. 
 
 The revised Animal Protection Act imposes a fine of up to 250,000 Taiwan dollars (£6,500) for eating dog or cat meat, while the penalties for animal cruelty or slaughter were raised to up to two years in prison and fines of up to 2m Taiwan dollars (£52,000). 
 
 Repeat offenders can be jailed for up to five years and face stiffer fines, and those convicted under the new law may also be publicly shamed, with their names and photos published by the government. 
 
 The law also makes it illegal to “walk” a pet while riding a scooter or driving a car. The amendment still needs to be signed by the president, but could be law by the end of April. 
 
 Dog meat is not widely consumed in Asia, but it is featured in some regional cuisines, and cat meat is more rare. Dogs were once widely consumed in Taiwan, but are now almost universally seen as pets rather than food on the island. 
 
 Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, is a well-known cat lover, frequently posing with her two cats during her campaign. She also adopted three retired guide dogs last year. 
 
 The most notorious mass slaughter of dogs for food occurs once a year in China during the Yulin dog meat festival. About 10,000 dogs are killed every year and eaten throughout the southern city of Yulin, but the festival has increasingly attracted the ire of animal rights activists. 
 
 Taiwan previously banned the sale of dog and cat meat in 2001, and some local governments had prohibitions on consumption. 
 
 A student convicted of killing two stray cats last year was sentenced to 10 months in prison. The case sparked national outrage toward the man, who was from Macau, and animal rights activists protested and attacked him outside the court. 
 
 Hong Kong banned the slaughter and sale of dog and cat meat while under British colonial rule, but did not specifically outlaw consumption. ||||| Story highlights People found to be eating the meat could be fined more than $8,000 
 
 "Walking" dogs on a leash behind cars and bikes is also banned 
 
 Beijing (CNN) Taiwan has outlawed the consumption of dog and cat meat, as the island's legislature on Tuesday passed a landmark amendment to its animal protection laws, according to island's official Central News Agency (CNA). 
 
 "Taiwan's progressive ban is part of a growing trend across Asia to end the brutal dog meat trade," said Wendy Higgins with Humane Society International. 
 
 "Previously, the Animal Protection Act only covered the slaughter and sale of dog and cat meat, but this amendment specifically prohibiting the actual consumption of dog meat today is welcome," said Jill Robinson, founder and CEO of Animals Asia Foundation. 
 
 Individuals who eat or trade dog or cat meat can now be fined between $1,640 and $8,200. 
 
 The amendment also bans "walking" the pet on a leash pulled by cars and motorcycles and raises the penalty for cruelty to animals. ||||| Taiwan has become the first country in Asia to outlaw both the sale and consumption of dog and cat meat. Under a new animal protection bill, anyone who sells, purchases or eats dead dogs or cats can be fined up to £6,500 and anyone who intentionally harms or kills animals will face a maximum £52,000 and two years in jail. Offenders will be publicly named and shamed. 
 
 The bill also bans the "walking" of dogs by attaching their leash to their owner's scooter or car and forcing them to run alongside. 
 
 Legislators pushed for a tightening of animal protection laws after a series of scandals shocked the public. 
 
 In one last year, a video went viral of a group of Taiwanese marines hanging a stray puppy by its neck over a seawall and throwing its lifeless body into the ocean. The incident triggered an investigation, public protests, and an apology from the defence minister. ||||| © Provided by AFP A Chinese animal lover consoles a dog after a convoy of trucks carrying some 500 dogs to be sold as meat, were stopped along a highway in Beijing on early April 17, 2011, and the dogs were later rescued to the China Animal Protection Association 
 
 A Chinese woman has paid over $1,000 to save 100 canines from being eaten during a dog meat festival, media said Sunday, as activists have lashed out at the event labelling it cruel. 
 
 Animal-loving Yang Xiaoyun paid about 7,000 yuan (US$1,100) to save around 100 dogs in the southern city of Yulin on Saturday, web portal Netease reported. 
 
 The city holds an annual festival devoted to the animal's meat on the summer solstice, which has provoked an increasing backlash from animal protection activists. 
 
 Reports said that Yang, 65, plans to rehouse the dogs at her home nearly 2,000 kilometres (124 miles) away in Tianjin. 
 
 Pictures posted online showed her browsing a market in Yulin where the dogs were kept in cages. 
 
 © Provided by AFP A vendor waits at a corner of a makeshift dog market in the suburb of Beijing 01 April 2001, with various mongrels in cages for sale to dog meat lovers 
 
 Activists, who say the festival is cruel, have in the past travelled to the city to hold demonstrations, sometimes buying dogs to save them from the cooking pots. 
 
 Locals have been quoted as saying that animals are killed in a humane way for the festival, where their meat is then served with lychees. 
 
 The majority of "meat dogs" in the country are stolen pets and strays, according to an investigation published this month by Hong Kong-based charity Animals Asia, though eating dog is unusual in most parts of China. 
 
 Around 30 million households in the country are estimated to keep dogs as pets, helping to fuel the growing animal rights movement. 
 
 This year the festival has been targeted by British Comedian Ricky Gervais, who posted a series of messages on Twitter with the hashtag "StopYuLin2015". 
 
 The city's government has tried to distance itself from the event. 
 
 "Some residents of Yulin have the habit of coming together to eat lychees and dog meat during the summer solstice," the city's news office wrote on Sina Weibo, a Chinese Twitter equivalent. 
 
 "The 'summer solstice lychee and dog meat festival' is a commercial term, the city has never (officially) organised a 'dog meat festival'," it added. 
 
 Eating dog is not illegal in China, but the government called on meat vendors to respect food safety laws. 
 
 "Yulin is an open, tolerant and civilised city," it said. "We welcome people across the world to pay attention to Yulin."
– A big win for animal rights activists—and a bigger win for dogs and cats—in Taiwan. With the legislature's approval of an amendment to the country's Animal Protection Act, Taiwan appears on track to become the first country in Asia to ban the possession, sale, purchase, and consumption of cat and dog meat, reports the Guardian. The amendment that passed Tuesday, which includes fines of up to $8,100 for offenders, still needs to be signed by the president, but Tsai Ing-wen is known to be an animal lover and is expected to do so by the end of the month. The measure also doubles the maximum penalty for animal cruelty to up to two years in prison and a $65,000 fine. Though dog and cat meat were once popular in Taiwan, the animals are now most often viewed as pets and family members. Tsai even brought her two adopted cats along on the campaign trail prior to her election last year, while promising to do more to protect animals, reports the Telegraph. She also has three retired guide dogs, which she adopted. Animal activists hope China and South Korea, where the consumption of dog meat is more common, will follow Taiwan's lead, per CNN. However, China's infamous Yulin Dog Meat Festival, where 10,000 dogs are slaughtered and eaten each year, is expected to kick off without a hitch on June 21—even with 675,000 signatures on a petition calling for its end. (In Moscow, orange-toothed river rat is now a popular meal.)