Recent sightings of cobras in Taichung’s Daguan Village (達觀) — believed to have been released into the wild in nearby Miaoli County by religious groups — have unsettled residents, who are calling on the local government to take action.
Residents of Daguan — which lies directly across the Daan River (大安溪) from Miaoli County’s Taian Township (泰安) — said they have recently sighted an increased number of snakes.
Daguan Elementary School staffer Pilin Yapu said on Facebook that the snakes must be those rumored to have been released into the wild by religious groups, adding that locals have reported seeing more than 20 snakes over the past month.
Photo: Cheng Hung-ta, Taipei Times
Ten snakes have been caught, but many of the local women are now afraid of going to the mountains alone to work, Pilin Yapu said.
A dog had also been bitten and died, he said, adding that local health centers do not have serums for snake bites.
The dog’s owner, Yeh Ying-tuan (葉英端), said she has lived in the area for 20 years, but had never seen a cobra before.
She and her husband were about to head home from work on their persimmon farm on Monday when their dog saw the cobra and tried to chase it away, but was bitten.
The dog died after they reached home, despite Yeh’s attempt to treat it by making it drink liquor with Glaucescent Fissistigma root.
Pilin Yapu wrote that an unidentified religious group has claimed that the snakes are harmless, as their fangs have been removed, but the death of the dog proved otherwise.
The villagers are forced to rely on themselves, he said, urging the city government to take action.
According to Taichung’s agricultural department, local representatives have told the local government of the situation and the city is working with wildlife conservation groups to teach residents about cobras’ habits as well as providing snake traps.
The city government said the Autonomous Regulation on Reintroduction of Wildlife and Conservation (放生保育自治條例) has been enforced since 2012, and if rumors that conservation groups have been releasing cobras into the wild prove to be true, these groups face fines of up to NT$100,000.
Miaoli County’s Siangbi (象鼻) and Shihlin (士林) townships have also reported cobra sightings.
Miaoli County Department of Agriculture Director Hsu Man-hsien (許滿顯) said that experts have identified the snakes as the Naja Atra — or the common cobra — which usually resides on the eastern plains of Taiwan.
The high density of common cobras found in the county may be the work of religious groups, Hsu said, but added that there is no evidence to show which group it is.
The county government has purchased more than 40 snake traps and distributed them to local villages and schools, as well as instructed experts to visit these establishments and teach locals what to do, Hsu said.
The county government has also stepped up police and volunteer patrols to look out for strangers entering these areas, Hsu said.
An official notice will soon be issued requesting that religious groups in the county refrain from releasing snakes into the wild.
Additional reporting by Chang Hsun-teng
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
RSS