Taiwan designs 'Beagle Brigade' posters to warn travelers about ASF in multiple languages

台灣設計「米格魯」海報以多種語言警告旅客

The Ministry of Culture shared the collection of posters along with a bit of humor on their Facebook page Monday


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – In an effort to prevent the entry of contaminated meat products in to the country, Taiwan’s Ministry of the Interior has released several warning posters in multiple languages using the image of a beagle hound.

The posters released by the MOI on the ministry’s Facebook page, are partly inspired by famous lines from the Hollywood film Taken (2008), and the successful career of the customs border patrol detection hound named “Mini,” who is currently stationed in Kinmen.

Mini and the "Beagle Brigade," along with other customs hounds, have become unofficial mascots of the fight to secure the border from the dangerous African Swine Fever virus.

The MOI’s Facebook post, which includes the posters translated into 10 different languages, was liked by over five thousand people, and has been shared over 2,000 times, making it the most popular Facebook post ever made by the official MOI account.

The customs poster has versions in Chinese, English, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Bahasa Indonesia, French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese.

The Ministry even surprised some netizens with a nod to internet humor, by including a poster with the characters 汪汪汪 (“wang, wang, wang”) to deliver the message in the dog’s own words. The language is reportedly the official language of the "Dog Star People's Republic" (汪星人共和國).


It is hoped that the message, made available in multiple languages will make it clear to passengers that bringing potentially hazardous meat products into Taiwan will result in heavy penalties, and a denial of entry.

Despite Taiwan’s heightened efforts to inform travelers about the dangers of African Swine Flu and to screen passengers for pork and other meat products, some travelers, particularly from China, continue to attempt violations of the customs laws.

Foreign nationals caught with pork products as of 2019, will be forced to pay a fine of NT$200,000 (US$6,400). Those unable to pay the fine will be denied entry to the country.