To prevent farmers from suffering losses caused by Formosan rock monkeys, the Taitung County Government has decided to allow hunters to fire shotguns to scare the monkeys away.
As the new measure came into effect this month, the Beinan Township (
In recent years, farmers say, the monkeys have helped themselves to numerous agricultural products, such as loquats and lychees. The monkeys apparently visit the farms just before harvest time and cause havoc. Farmers in eastern Taiwan, in particular, claim to have suffered serious financial losses.
In an attempt to solve the problem, Liao Fu-shan (
Farmers can apply for the service at local township offices, which are responsible for hiring licensed hunters to fire their shotguns twice a day -- once in the morning and once in the evening. The hunters are to be paid NT$1,500 per day.
In the past, farmers had attempted to scare monkeys away by setting off firecrackers, but the results were unsatisfactory. Other noisemaking methods only succeeded in keeping the monkeys away for a couple of months.
According to the council's latest statistics, there are between 200,000 and 300,000 Formosan rock monkeys in the country. Since they are categorized as endangered animals, killing the monkeys is prohibited.
However, the council added that the Wildlife Conservation Act (
Liao said that farmers in Beinan, Donghe (東河) and Haiduan (海端) townships in Taitung County had all suffered financial losses. It is estimated that between 50 to 60 groups of monkeys live in these areas, numbering perhaps 3,000 in total.
Some local governments have repeatedly called on the central government to remove the monkeys from the list of protected animals.
Although the Forestry Bureau has studied the possibility for 10 years, it has drawn no conclusions so far.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
Taiwan and its Pacific ally Tuvalu on Tuesday signed two accords aimed at facilitating bilateral cooperation on labor affairs, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). The governments inked two agreements in Taipei, witnessed by Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and visiting Deputy Tuvaluan Prime Minister Panapasi Nelesone, MOFA said in a news release. According to MOFA, the agreements will facilitate cooperation on labor issues and allow the two sides to mutually recognize seafarers’ certificates and related training. Taiwan would also continue to collaborate with Tuvalu across various fields to promote economic prosperity as well as the well-being of their
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 today amid outcry over his decision to wear a Nazi armband to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case last night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and covering the book with his coat. Lee said today that this is a serious
RSS