A Las Vegas man who tried to smuggle 115 oven-ready iguanas into the US from Mexico has been sentenced to two years in prison for illegally importing the reptiles, authorities said on April 26.
A search found the beheaded, skinned, and deboned bodies of 115 green iguanas weighing 72kg hidden beneath fish in the coolers.
Green iguanas are eaten in Mexico and Central America. They are enjoyed in stews or roasted and served in tacos or flautas, usually with condiments. Some recipes recommend parboiling the reptiles first, but iguanas are also regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). While they are not endangered, CITES says they may become threatened if trade is not tightly controlled.
Photo courtesy of BjOrn Christian TOrrissen
照片由BjOrn Christian TOrrissen提供
Fonseca, who said he obtained the iguanas in Nayarit in western Mexico, had neither an import license from the US Fish and Wildlife Service nor any CITES permit from Mexico’s wildlife management authority.
A researcher working for an iguana conservation program in Mexico concluded that removing more than 100 iguanas from the Nayarit area essentially “means that the local population was technically wiped out.”
(Reuters)
當局四月二十六日表示,一名拉斯維加斯男子試圖將一百一十五隻可馬上放入烤箱烘烤的鬣蜥蜴肉,從墨西哥走私入美國,已因非法進口爬行動物被判兩年徒刑。
搜索發現一百一十五隻綠鬣蜥去頭、去皮、去骨的屍體,重達七十二公斤,裝在保冷箱中藏在魚底下。
墨西哥和中美洲人食用綠鬣蜥,以燉煮、烘烤方式處理,或包在墨西哥玉米餅、捲餅裡,通常還加上佐料。有些食譜建議先將鬣蜥蜴煮半熟。不過鬣蜥蜴受到「瀕臨絕種野生動植物種國際貿易公約組織」(CITES)管制。儘管鬣蜥蜴不是瀕臨絕種的生物,但CITES表示,如果未嚴格管制交易,鬣蜥蜴的生存可能受到威脅。
該名男子馮賽卡說,他從墨西哥西部的納亞麗特取得這些鬣蜥蜴,但他沒有美國漁業與野生動物局進口執照,也沒有任何由墨西哥野生動物管理機關發出的CITES許可。
一位在墨西哥從事鬣蜥蜴保育計畫的研究學者推斷,從納亞麗特地區抓走超過一百隻鬣蜥蜴,基本上「等於當地全部鬣蜥蜴已被徹底消滅。」
(路透/翻譯:陳維真)
A: I want to go to Neihu to see the cherry blossoms. B: Do you want to go by YouBike? A: Well, how much does it cost? B: The Taipei City Government just announced that riders can use the bicycles for free for the first 30 minutes! A: Great! Riding bikes is also more eco-friendly than driving. A: 我想去內湖賞櫻花耶。 B: 那要不要騎YouBike微笑單車去? A: 車費怎麼算? B: 台北市政府最近宣布︰前30分鐘免費! A: 太棒了,而且也比開車更環保。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
One of us is a murderer. The terrifying thought fills your head. There’s a corpse in the next room, and one of your fellow diners put it there. As the evening progresses, you learn disturbing secrets about everyone, and you’re forced to confess to a few yourself. You all have motives for the crime, but who committed it? Fortunately, it’s just a game. Murder mystery games are multiplayer role-playing games designed to be played over the course of an evening. The concept likely originated with “wink murder,” an amusing pastime that became popular in the early 1900s. In this game, a “murderer” kills
A: How does Taipei’s YouBike service charge after the free ride for the first 30 minutes? B: It’s NT$10 every 30 minutes within four hours. A: What a bargain. No wonder Taipei is listed by Britain’s “Time Out” magazine as one of the best 50 cities in the world. B: But I spotted a few English mistakes on YouBike’s Web site. A: I guess that aspect of it still has room for improvement. A: 台北市YouBike前30分鐘免費,之後怎麼算? B: 4小時內每30分鐘10元。 A: 真劃算,難怪台北市會入選英國《Time Out》雜誌全球最佳的50座城市。 B: 不過我在YouBike的網站上看到了好幾個英文錯誤。 A: 看來這個部分還有改善的空間。(By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/ 台北時報張聖恩)
Mullet roe is a highly-priced delicacy typically served during special occasions like wedding banquets or Chinese New Year’s dinners, where families come together in celebration. The mullet roe can be prepared in various ways. It is usually pan-fried but can also be roasted or torched. To cook a pan-fried mullet roe, soak it in liquor or wine and peel off its membrane. Then, it is browned over a low fire and turned several times. Finally, the fried mullet roe is cut diagonally and is ready to be served. This dish is usually served with garlic scapes and daikon slices, but