Lawmakers urged the government yesterday to assume a positive attitude toward the breeding of protected or endangered species for non-commercial purposes by the private sector, rather than just imposing punishments for such practices.
Two DPP lawmakers called on the Council of Agriculture (COA) to amend articles of the Wildlife Conservation Law so that it stops discouraging the private sector from nurturing and breeding animals from rare and valuable species.
The lawmakers made the call at a press conference yesterday after an appeal by Pingtung resident Lee Teng-cheng (李藤正), who is facing a fine of NT$50,000 (US$1,429) for having successfully bred a baby Formosan black bear. The species has been declared endangered and, in the past several decades, has seldom been seen in the wild.
PHOTO: AFP
Lee said that he was given two Formosan black bears by friends more than 10 years ago and that he has since kept the animals in his orchard. The female bear gave birth to a healthy baby bear more than four months ago and the "three of them have lived happily ever since."
DPP lawmakers Lin Yu-sheng (林育生) and Tang Huo-sheng (湯火聖) said government agencies should be more pragmatic when dealing with private-sector suc-cesses in breeding protected or endangered species -- or at least stop imposing penalties for such practices.
Legislator Lin, elected from Pingtung County, said he fully supports the Wildlife Conservation Law's goal of restricting the private sector from breeding or conserving protected and endangered species -- which are aimed at preventing the country's wildlife conservation efforts from becoming unmanageable.
However, he said that, based on humanitarian principles, people who keep animals privately should at least not be punished if they successfully breed endangered species, such as the rare Formosan black bear -- if they do so without the goal of publicly displaying them, selling them or using them for other forms of commercial gain.
Tang said that cases of the successful breeding of Formosan black bears are rare and that even the COA-sponsored wildlife research center only just last year managed to breed a baby bear, after years of painstaking efforts.
Lee's nurturing of the rare animals should not be seen as a crime or dealt with through the imposition of a fine, Tang said. He added that the government should instead implement measures which are more pragmatic and less rigid to help bolster the nation's wildlife conservation efforts.
NEW AGREEMENT: Malaysia approved imports last year after nearly two years of negotiations and inspections to meet quarantine requirements, officials said Up to 3.6 tonnes of pomeloes from Taiwan cleared Malaysian customs on Friday, in the first shipment of Taiwanese pomeloes to Malaysia. Taiwan-grown pomeloes are popular in domestic and overseas markets for their tender and juicy taste, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said. The fruit is already exported to Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines, it added. The agency began applying for access to the Malaysian market in 2023, compiling data on climate suitability, pests and diseases, and post-harvest handling, while also engaging in nearly two years of negotiations with Malaysian authorities and submitting supplementary
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
One of two tropical depressions that formed offshore this morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. It is expected to move in a northwesterly direction as it continues building momentum, possibly intensifying into Typhoon Mitag this weekend, she added. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is expected to approach southeast of Taiwan on Monday and pass through the Bashi Channel between Tuesday and Wednesday,
Tigerair Taiwan and China Airlines (CAL) today announced that several international flights were canceled or rescheduled due to Typhoon Ragasa. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) has maintained sea and land warnings for the typhoon. Its storm circle reached the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) on Taiwan's southern tip at 11am today. Tigerair Taiwan said it canceled Monday's IT551/IT552 Taoyuan-Da Nang, IT606/IT607 Taoyuan-Busan and IT602 Taoyuan-Seoul Incheon flights. Tomorrow, cancelations include IT603 Seoul Incheon-Taoyuan, as well as flights between Taoyuan and Sapporo, Osaka, Tokyo Narita, Okinawa, Fukuoka, Saga, Tokyo Haneda, Nagoya, Asahikawa and Jeju. On Wednesday, the IT321/IT322 Kaohsiung-Macau round-trip would also be canceled. CAL announced that today's
RSS