The Ministry of Agriculture yesterday said it is planning to ban the ownership or importation of 955 more animals, including racoons and alligator snapping turtles.
The Department of Animal Welfare in a meeting on Friday discussed amendments to the ministry’s List of Animals Banned from Being Owned, Imported or Exported, with the goal of adding more species to it.
The department said the addition of 955 animals to the list was based on three major considerations.
Photo courtesy of the Animal Disease Control Center of Changhua County
First, priority was given to animals that were not included in the Schedule of Protected Species as specified in Article 4 of the Act on Wildlife Conservation (野生動物保育法).
Second, species that were regulated in other countries but had no records of formal imports to Taiwan were pre-emptively added to the list.
Third, species carrying deadly venom or posing public safety risks — causing death, serious injuries or great pain — were also included.
Animals banned from import or ownership include the spectacled caiman, all species of the Dasypodidae family, Castor genus and Canidae family, except for domestic dogs, the department said.
Animals banned from ownership include eight categories, such as Burmese pythons, raccoons, and all species of the Chelydridae family, it added.
The Taiwan Amphibian and Reptile Association on Saturday in a Facebook post said that the 955 added species were decided by the Industrial Technology Research Institute.
“An agricultural policy formulated by an agricultural agency was entrusted to an industrial research institute for evaluation, instead of an institution specializing in wildlife and unusual and eccentric pets, and the agency adopted its evaluation results. This approach is unacceptable,” it said.
While many species were banned due to public safety risks or animal welfare issues, the department could prohibit almost all species from ownership if animal welfare is its main concern, it said.
“All people or entities owning amphibians or reptiles as eccentric pets might be accused of abusing animals and infringing animal rights,” it added.
The policy might not be effectively implemented, as local governments’ animal welfare units do not have enough workers to identify the 955 additions and to accommodate the captured animals, it said.
National Taiwan Normal University Department of Life Science professor Lin Si-min (林思民) said the listed species were certain to be risky, but keeping cats or dogs as pets also involves risks.
The point is to manage the risks and educate the owners, he said.
If the ministry’s policy develops into comprehensive prohibition, such ownership might be forced underground while the problem remains, Lin said, calling for enhanced risk management and owner education instead.
Department of Animal Welfare Director Chiang Wen-chuan (江文全) said the list and the implementation date are being discussed, and not all 955 species would immediately be banned.
The final decision on pet ownership bans would be based on the greatest possible common ground, which would be identified through meetings and discussion, he said.
KEY INDUSTRY: The vice premier discussed a plan to create a non-red drone supply chain by next year, which has been allocated a budget of more than NT$7.2 billion The government has budgeted NT$44.2 billion (US$1.38 billion) to cultivate Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) industry over the next five years, which would make the nation a major player in the industry’s democratic supply chain in the Asia-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday. Cho made the remarks during a visit to the facilities of Cub Elecparts Inc (為升電裝). Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Su-yueh (陳素月) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsieh Yi-fong (謝依鳳) also participated in the trip. Cub Elecparts has transitioned from the automotive industry to the defense industry, which is the top priority among the nation’s
SOUTH KOREA DISPUTE: If Seoul continues to ignore its request, Taiwan would change South Korea’s designation on its arrival cards, the foreign ministry said If South Korea does not reply appropriately to a request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, the government would take corresponding measures to change how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. Taipei has asked Seoul to change the wording. Since March 1, South Koreans who hold government-issued Alien Resident Certificates (ARC) have been identified as from “South Korea” rather than the “Republic of Korea,” the
SUFFICIENT: The president said Taiwan has enough oil for next month, with reserves covering more than 100 days and natural gas enough for 12 to 14 days A restart plan for the Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Wanli District (萬里) and the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County’s Hengchun Township (恆春) would be submitted to the Nuclear Safety Commission by the end of the month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, reversing the government’s policy to abolish nuclear energy. On May 17 last year, Taiwan shut down its last nuclear reactor and became the first non-nuclear nation in East Asia, fulfilling the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government’s pledge of a “nuclear-free homeland.” Even without nuclear power, Taiwan can maintain a stable electricity supply until 2032,
‘UNFRIENDLY’: Changing the nationality listing of Taiwanese residents to ‘China’ goes against EU foreign policy as well as democratic and human rights principles, MOFA said Taiwan yesterday called on Denmark to correct its designation of the nationality of Taiwanese residents as “China” or face retaliatory measures. The Danish government in 2024 changed the nationality of Taiwanese citizens on their residence permits from “Taiwan” to “China.” The decision goes against EU foreign policy and contravenes democratic and human rights principles, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉) said. Denmark should present a solution acceptable to Taiwan as soon as possible and correct the erroneous designation to preserve the longstanding friendship between the two nations, Hsiao said. The issue could damage Denmark’s image and business reputation in Taiwan,
RSS