Farmer in Miaoli charged for death of endangered animal

Miaoli charged a farmer yesterday for trapping an endangered Formosan sambar deer.

On Friday, residents of Shihtan Township (獅潭鄉), Miaoli County, came upon a Formosan sambar that had fallen into a river, unable to get out of the water.

Using several people tried to pull the animal out of the river, but their efforts failed.

Officials Miaoli's Agriculture Bureau, aided by police, then covered the animal's eyes with a cloth and used a crane to pull it out of the river, police said.

Following two-hour rescue operation, the animal died on the bank. Its left leg had been seriously injured by a trap and its body had been badly bitten, police said.

A Miaoli Agriculture Bureau official said Formosan sambar usually live in mountainous areas at an altitude above 1,500m. He could not explain why the sambar had ventured so low.

Huang Yun-tang (黃雲堂), 58, admitted he had trapped the sambar, but said it was accidental.

"I have trapped wild pigs around the mountainous area for many years and I never expected a sambar would get caught," Huang told police, adding that sambars are never seen in the area.

Huang his surprise when, accompanied by several dogs, he came upon the trapped sambar while he was looking after his traps on Friday.

"As I opened the trap, the animal fled and my dogs chased after it and attacked it," he said.

The injured sambar had nowhere to go and fell from a cliff into the river, he said.

Police said Huang had apologized for killing the endangered animal.

Huang be charged with a violation of the Wildlife Conservation Law (野生動物保育法).