The Life Conservationist Association yesterday said that hundreds of wild animals are sold over the Internet because they are not included in the Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法).
At a press conference held with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ting Shou-chung (丁守中), the group said that a survey of more than 60 blogs and Internet sites revealed that more than 260 types of wild animal were being sold openly. As the animals are not part of the act, there are no laws to govern or prohibit the sale of such animals, despite their rarity and need for protection, the group said.
Chen Chien-chih (陳建志), a professor of environmental education and resources at the Taipei Municipal University of Education, said the results of the survey showed that the government should seriously consider an amendment to the act that would prohibit such sales.
“Not only are many of the wild animals being sold on the Internet rare and precious, if their owners neglect to care for them and the animals are released it would pose a serious threat to the nation’s ecosystem,” Chen said.
Ting called on the Council of Agriculture to establish a comprehensive set of mechanisms to investigate the sale of wild animals over the Internet and conduct stricter and wider inspections of animals brought into Taiwan to prevent the sale of protected species.
In response, Forestry Bureau Deputy Director-General Lee Tao-sheng (李桃生), who was present at the press conference, said the bureau is doing its best with limited resources and manpower.
“We will gather a committee of experts and academics to discuss expanding the types of species included in the Wildlife Conservation Act,” Lee said.
Lee said that because the act is outdated, the bureau has already begun the process of drafting an updated list of species that should be protected.
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