September 5, 2025 | Chiayi
Typhoon Danas left devastating damage to Chiayi County’s livestock sector, with estimated losses of NT$160 million and the deaths of about 10,000 pigs at a Taiwan Sugar Corporation (Taisugar) farm. As the Ghost Festival nears, the Chiayi County Government’s Livestock Disease Control Center held a solemn memorial today at the “Animal Soul Monument” to honor the animals lost in the disaster.
For the first time, Taiwan Sugar Chairman Wu Mingchang personally attended the ceremony, lighting incense to pay respects to the drowned livestock.
According to Lin Pei-ru, head of the Livestock Disease Control Institute, the “Animal Soul Monument” was erected in 1962 and has since become the site of annual rituals during the Ghost Festival. Unlike typical household offerings, the center prepares symbolic items for animals, such as feed, canned food, and even pet toys. This year, large amounts of pig feed were included to commemorate the pigs lost in the floods. In addition to the festival, fixed offerings are made on the 2nd and 16th of each lunar month, with the items later donated to charitable groups.
Lin recounted that Taisugar’s farm was severely inundated during the typhoon. Floodwaters lingered for weeks, rising above the animals and leaving them no escape. Despite rescue attempts, thousands of pigs drowned, with the cleanup and carcass removal taking three grueling weeks to complete.
The county government also conducted a Zhongyuan Festival service earlier in the day. County Magistrate Weng Zhangliang led officials in offering prayers at the county hall before proceeding to the livestock center’s memorial. Together with representatives of the farming industry, they sought blessings for public safety, smooth governance, and stability for the livestock sector.
Weng stressed that the rituals are meant not only to pray for peace but also to show gratitude for the sacrifices of animals that sustain people’s daily lives. He said this year’s offerings were especially abundant, reflecting both remembrance of the lost animals and hopes for healthy growth and safety for all livestock in the future.
