Only 39 officials are tasked with handling wild animal protection cases, which last year totaled 22,517, Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan director Chen Yu-min (陳玉敏) said yesterday.
Chen presented the society’s findings at a news conference held by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lin Shu-fen (林淑芬) at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.
Of those cases, 13,120 involved working with dangerous animals, data compiled by the society showed.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
Only 16 full-time officials are working at agricultural agencies nationwide tasked with work related to wildlife, Chen said.
The government continues to cut the budgets for wildlife work, she said, citing the Forestry Bureau’s budget, which was NT$117 million (US$3.88 million at the current exchange rate) last year, NT$103 million less than what it was in 2007.
Taipei as well as Miaoli, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties have set up telephone hotlines to report incidents involving wild animals, while other municipalities put such lines through to the police, fire departments and other agencies, she said.
Chen called on the government to set up a professional agency to handle wildlife issues.
It is necessary to amend the Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法) to specify procedures about cure, shelter, rescue, release and mercy killing of wild animals, Lin said.
The Executive Yuan issued a statement in response, saying that it would prioritize the safety and rights of firefighters and others who respond to wildlife incidents.
Firefighters should continue to handle emergency cases, such as capturing aggressive bees and snakes, as well as any emergency after 10pm, while agricultural agencies should deal with less threatening cases, it said.
Though former premier Lin Chuan (林全) earlier this year said that the capture work can be returned to agricultural agencies within two years, Premier William Lai (賴清德) appeared unwilling to continue with the plan.
Asked to comment on the Cabinet’s response, National Association for Firefighters’ Rights president Yang Shih-wei (楊適瑋) said it was “abominable.”
Firefighters can accept a two-year transition period, but ultimately the work must be transferred to agricultural officials, Yang said.
“Money is really not the problem, considering the government offers firefighters a bonus of NT$4000 per capture,” he said, adding that the government should instead provide funding to agricultural agencies to help them recruit more personnel.
The issue should not evolve into a conflict between agricultural and firefighting agencies, Yang said.
The capture work could be outsourced to the private sector, as some companies have expressed interest in the business, he said.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
INDUSTRY: Beijing’s latest export measures go beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related tech, an academic said Taiwanese industries could face significant disruption from China’s newly tightened export controls on rare earth elements, as much of Taiwan’s supply indirectly depends on Chinese materials processed in Japan, a local expert said yesterday. Kristy Hsu (徐遵慈), director of the Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, said that China’s latest export measures go far beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related technologies. With Japan and Southeast Asian countries among those expected to be hit, Taiwan could feel the impact through its reliance on Japanese-made semi-finished products and
RSS