At the entrance to Taiwan's small Houtong village is an image of a monkey, a miner and a cat standing on a bridge. The monkey represents the original name of the place, "Hou Dong", or "monkey cave", as the animals were the constant presence of a nearby cave. The miner represents the important coal mining industry that dominated the local economy until the 1970s. The cat represents the new economy that revitalized the small community after the decline of coal. And the bridge is Houtong's connection with the world.
During the most prosperous period, the village produced about 220,000 tons of coal, which caused many people to migrate to Houtong. At its peak, the place had 6,000 residents. But the demand for coal has been decreasing and as a result the economic problems have begun. Young people left the community looking for new opportunities elsewhere, and many animals, especially cats, were left behind. In the 1990s the village had only a few hundred older residents, and of course a large number of animals.
It was then that life in Houtong took a new and unexpected turn. A Taiwanese cat lover and a photographer, Chien Pei-ling, decided it was the community's responsibility to take care of the stray cats. They organized a volunteer team, started a blog with photos and videos of the cats, and asked for help from around the world. A large number of people wanted to help, which benefited not only the animals but all the local people.
A lot of people started visiting the community to hang out with the cats and the number of tourists increased considerably. The population began to undertake to serve all these people. For example, they started making cat-shaped cakes and selling themed souvenirs. All the excitement also resulted in cat murals around the city, cat traffic signs, wooden cat houses and even a catwalk, with ears at one end and tail at the other.
The photographer was surprised at how it all happened. “Our love of animals has made stray cats a tourist resource. We built a model of peaceful coexistence between people and animals to show the good side of the human being. Is it an attitude of respect for life? He published a book with pictures of Houtong's cats and won first prize in a photo contest.
See in Flickr countless photos of Houtong and the kittens that are the main attraction of the place, which is now also known as? cat village? (city of cats). This unusual story shows how a simple act of kindness can bring happiness and bring hope to many people!
Everyday Stray Cat Begs For Meat And Delivers Somewhere | SBS Animal (April 2024)
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