Aboriginal hunters have been recruited by farmers in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州) to scare away monkeys eating their crops by firing rifles, but at least one environmentalist has questioned the appropriateness of the effort.
Manjhou Township Mayor Yu Tseng-chun (余增春) joined hunters Pan Jung-fu (潘榮富) and Fu Jen-yi (傅仁義) on Friday when they shot over a black soybean field that has been plagued by monkeys to highlight the establishment of a 25-member team of “field guardians.”
They only plan to drive away monkeys with the sound of gunfire, not to kill them, Yu said.
Photo: Tsai Tsung-hsien, Taipei Times
The township office on Friday asked Pingtung County Police Bureau and Kenting National Park Administration officials to discuss the legality of the program.
While the National Park Act (國家公園法) bans hunting in national parks, the ministry in 2015 said that wildlife may be hunted or killed under certain circumstances, such as when they damage crops, administration section chief Hsu Mao-ching (徐茂敬) said, citing Article 21 of the Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法).
However, gun usage is not governed by the park agency, he added.
Photo: Tsai Tsung-hsien, Taipei Times
The conservation act does not prohibit gun use, but if people want to set up “guardian teams,” the prospective members should file an application with the county government to establish the group and explain its purpose, police said.
Farmers who use hunting rifles to drive away invading monkeys are advised to keep video footage of their actions as well as inform the county’s Department of Agriculture, which can help protect them from possible legal problems, police said.
However, Lin Mei-mei (林美美), a spokesperson for a Formosan rock macaques watch group, said that while the farmers’ concern is understandable, killing or removing wild monkeys might not resolve their problems, as other animals might also eat their crops.
People should contemplate whether they really want to continue reducing wildlife numbers until there are no animals left that might affect their interests, Lin said.
Farmers should use methods that are more animal-friendly, such as electric fences and netting that can keep monkeys out, which the Forestry Bureau subsidizes, Lin added.
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
A saleswoman, surnamed Chen (陳), earlier this month was handed an 18-month prison term for embezzling more than 2,000 pairs of shoes while working at a department store in Tainan. The Tainan District Court convicted Chen of embezzlement in a ruling on July 7, sentencing her to prison for illegally profiting NT$7.32 million (US$248,929) at the expense of her employer. Chen was also given the opportunity to reach a financial settlement, but she declined. Chen was responsible for the sales counter of Nike shoes at Tainan’s Shinkong Mitsukoshi Zhongshan branch, where she had been employed since October 2019. She had previously worked
TRANSPORT DISRUPTION: More than 100 ferry services were suspended due to rough seas and strong winds, and eight domestic flights were canceled, the ministry said Tropical Storm Wipha intensified slightly yesterday as it passed closest to Taiwan, dumping more than 200mm of rain in Hualien and Taitung counties, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 11am, Wipha was about 210km southwest of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and was moving west-northwest at 27km per hour (kph). The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 101kph and gusts reaching 126kph, with a 150km radius of strong winds, CWA data showed. Wipha’s outer rainbands began sweeping across Taiwan early yesterday, delivering steady rainfall in the east and scattered showers in other regions, forecasters said. More heavy rain was expected, especially in the eastern
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
RSS