Taipei man charged with killing hamster during argument with girlfriend
Taiwan News
Date: 2019/02/12
By: Keoni Everington,Taiwan News, Staff Writer
Hamsters adopted by couple. (Photo from Chang’s Facebook page)
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Taipei man has been charged with violating the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法) after he was found to have killed a hamster when he got into a heated argument with his girlfriend, reported Liberty Times.
In a fit of rage during an intense argument in August last year, a man surnamed Shih (施) grabbed a cage with a male and a female hamster he had been raising with his girlfriend Chang (張) and smashed it against the wall. When Chang tried to save the hamsters, Shih picked up the male hamster and hurled him against the wall, killing the hapless rodent.
According to an investigation by the prosecution, Shi and Chang after dating for more than three years, but not living together, the couple decided to purchase two hamsters on the internet. They named the male hamster “Mochi,” which stayed on weekdays in Chang’s apartment in Taipei’s Nangang District, where Shih would visit for time to time to have dinner with Chang.
The prosecution stated on the evening of August 20 last year, the two returned to Chang’s residence after dining out. As they started to have a dispute over trivial matters, Chang started to clean the hamster cage. [FULL STORY]
