The Council of Agriculture (COA) will act according to the law and professionally assess without regard to political considerations whether Taiwan can adequately care for the pandas that China has offered as gifts to the Taiwanese people.
COA Chairman Lee Chin-lung (李金龍) made the remarks after China announced earlier in the day that it would make several goodwill gestures toward Taiwan, including a gift of a pair of pandas to the people of Taiwan. The offer was made as visiting Chinese Nationalist Party Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) wound up his eight-day visit of China.
Lee noted that the panda is an animal protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITIES), and according to its regulations, the export and import of pandas requires permits from the organization.
Taiwan's wildlife conservation law also stipulates that only academic research and educational institutes can apply to import protected animals, which includes zoos, and that private individuals or commercial bodies cannot apply.
If China can provide the necessary documents from CITIES and submit the required paperwork to the recipient facility in Taiwan, the request will be made to the COA.
However, Lee said that China is an area affected with rabies, and that since pandas occasionally eat meat, they are susceptible to infection from rabies.
Ninety-nine percent of a panda's diet is made up of about 30 kinds of bamboo, with the other 1 percent being other plants and meat.
If pandas are sent to Taiwan, the COA will ask that they be inoculated against rabies 30 days before they are imported, and then quarantined for three weeks after their arrival in Taiwan, Lee added.
Lee said that pandas are internationally recognized and that if Taiwan fails to take proper care of the endangered animals, the country will face international condemnation.
For this reason, the COA will make a comprehensive study to determine whether the pandas can be adequately cared for, Lee said, adding that political considerations will not be included in the review process.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said that concerns on the technical and political fronts would play into its decision on whether to accept China's pandas.
"After making sure there are no technical difficulties, we need to make sure the move is not aimed at downgrading Taiwan politically," a high-ranking Mainland Affairs Council official said yesterday. The official said however that it was unclear at this point whether the gesture was politically charged. "We have to first consider whether we have what it takes to care for the pandas. If not, all else is moot," the official said.
additional reporting by Joy Su
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