Chiayi County police yesterday said they questioned a man surnamed Lin (林) who was found with 34 blocks of stout camphor wood, the second case in days involving stout camphor trees.
Lin reportedly told police that he was using the cut-up wood blocks to cultivate stout camphor fungus, which he had heard can mask the consumption of narcotics, and thought he could profit from their sale to illegal drug users.
Harvesting of the fungus and logging of the trees are illegal, as both are endangered species, police said.
Photo: CNA, courtesy of the Chiayi County Rescue Association
In the other case involving stout camphor trees, officials from a mountain rescue team in Chiayi on Monday located a man who was reported missing last week and later found that he was poaching stout camphor fungus in one of the county’s forests.
The team was last week notified that the 48-year-old man, surnamed Liu (劉), from Nantou County’s Jhushan Township (竹山) had gone missing after driving his car to a forest in the mountains near Jhuchi Township (竹崎) in Chiayi earlier this month.
Chiayi City Mountain Rescue Association chairman Hsu Chao-tang (徐紹唐) said the search team was expanded to 20 members for a trip to the area on Sunday.
The team on Monday found some equipment and plastic bags left behind by Liu, and after an intensive search discovered him dead, suspended upside down inside the hollow trunk of a stout camphor tree, Hsu said.
Liu was likely illegally gathering stout camphor fungus, as a bag containing several collected specimens was found near his body next to the trunk, which had fallen down on a 60° mountain slope, Hsu said.
Based on the scene, he said Liu was likely collecting the fungus when he tripped and fell head-first inside the trunk.
Liu appears to have gotten stuck inside the irregular cavity, which averages 50cm in diameter, and was unable to free himself, he added.
It was the most bizarre death in a forest he and the rescue team have seen, as the tree trunk seemingly wrapped around Liu’s body, Hsu said, adding that the case has been turned over to prosecutors for an investigation.
Prosecutors are to examine the site and gather evidence to determine whether Liu asphyxiated, died from exposure to the cold or another cause, he said, adding that foul play could not be eliminated.
Liu’s body was so tightly trapped inside the trunk that the team could not remove it without causing damage, Hsu said, adding that they had to use an electric saw to cut the tree in half to finally free the body.
Due to its purported medicinal effects to fight cancer and other illnesses, stout camphor fungus has fetched significant prices in the past few years, with authorities reporting a surge of poaching in mountainous areas.
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau audited six hotels in an effort to prevent price gouging ahead of Korean band BTS’ concert tour in the city scheduled for Nov. 19, 21 and 22 this year. The bureau on Friday said that the audits — conducted in response to allegations of unfair pricing posted on social media — found no wrongdoing. These establishments included the local branches of Chateau de Chine, Hotel Nikko, My Humble House, and Grand Hai Lai, it said, adding that the Consumer Protection Commission would have penalized price gougers had the accusations been substantiated. The bureau said the Tourism Development Act
BACK TO WINTER: A strong continental cold air mass would move south on Tuesday next week, bringing colder temperatures to northern and central Taiwan A tropical depression east of the Philippines could soon be upgraded to be the first tropical storm of this year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the next cold air mass is forecast to arrive on Monday next week. CWA forecaster Cheng Jie-ren (鄭傑仁) said the first tropical depression of this year is over waters east of the Philippines, about 1,867km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), and could strengthen into Tropical Storm Nokaen by early today. The system is moving slowly from northwest to north, and is expected to remain east of the Philippines with little chance of affecting Taiwan,
RSS