Lawmakers urged the government yesterday to assume a positive attitude toward the breeding of protected or endangered species for non-commercial purposes by the private sector, rather than just imposing punishments for such practices.
Two DPP lawmakers called on the Council of Agriculture (COA) to amend articles of the Wildlife Conservation Law so that it stops discouraging the private sector from nurturing and breeding animals from rare and valuable species.
The lawmakers made the call at a press conference yesterday after an appeal by Pingtung resident Lee Teng-cheng (李藤正), who is facing a fine of NT$50,000 (US$1,429) for having successfully bred a baby Formosan black bear. The species has been declared endangered and, in the past several decades, has seldom been seen in the wild.
PHOTO: AFP
Lee said that he was given two Formosan black bears by friends more than 10 years ago and that he has since kept the animals in his orchard. The female bear gave birth to a healthy baby bear more than four months ago and the "three of them have lived happily ever since."
DPP lawmakers Lin Yu-sheng (林育生) and Tang Huo-sheng (湯火聖) said government agencies should be more pragmatic when dealing with private-sector suc-cesses in breeding protected or endangered species -- or at least stop imposing penalties for such practices.
Legislator Lin, elected from Pingtung County, said he fully supports the Wildlife Conservation Law's goal of restricting the private sector from breeding or conserving protected and endangered species -- which are aimed at preventing the country's wildlife conservation efforts from becoming unmanageable.
However, he said that, based on humanitarian principles, people who keep animals privately should at least not be punished if they successfully breed endangered species, such as the rare Formosan black bear -- if they do so without the goal of publicly displaying them, selling them or using them for other forms of commercial gain.
Tang said that cases of the successful breeding of Formosan black bears are rare and that even the COA-sponsored wildlife research center only just last year managed to breed a baby bear, after years of painstaking efforts.
Lee's nurturing of the rare animals should not be seen as a crime or dealt with through the imposition of a fine, Tang said. He added that the government should instead implement measures which are more pragmatic and less rigid to help bolster the nation's wildlife conservation efforts.
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
Typhoon Krathon, a military airshow and rehearsals for Double Ten National Day celebrations might disrupt flights at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in the first 10 days of next month, the airport’s operator said yesterday. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a statement that it has established a response center after the Central Weather Administration issued a sea warning for Krathon, and urged passengers to remain alert to the possibility of disruptions caused by the storm in the coming days. Flight schedules might also change while the air force conducts rehearsals and holds a final airshow for Double Ten National Day, it added. Although
SEMICONDUCTORS: TSMC is able to produce 2-nanometer chips and mass production is expected to be launched by next year, the company said In leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing China is behind Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) by at least 10 years as the Taiwanese chipmaker’s manufacturing process has progressed to 2 nanometers, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said yesterday. Wu made the remarks during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee when asked by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) about a report published in August by the Chinese version of Nikkei Asia that said Taiwan’s lead over China in chip manufacturing was only three years. She asked Wu Cheng-wen if the report was an accurate
PRO-CHINA SLOGANS: Two DPP members criticized police officers’ lack of action at the scene, saying that law enforcement authorities should investigate the incident Chinese tourists allegedly interrupted a protest in Taipei on Tuesday held by Hong Kongers, knocked down several flags and shouted: “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.” Hong Kong democracy activists were holding a demonstration as Tuesday was China’s National Day. A video posted online by civic group Hong Kong Outlanders shows a couple, who are allegedly Chinese, during the demonstration. “Today is China’s National Day, and I won’t allow the displaying of these flags,” the male yells in the video before pushing some demonstrators and knocking down a few flagpoles. Radio Free Asia reported that some of the demonstrators
RSS