The National Police Agency’s Seventh Special Police Corps has forwarded a case of alleged illegal breeding of grade-two endangered species to prosecutors, citing the Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法).
The corps on Wednesday said it received a tip about a man surnamed Chiang (江) in Hualien County’s Guangfu Township (光復), and found a locked house on private property.
The officer leading the check applied for a warrant to enter the premises, saying that something “felt suspicious” and citing his two decades of experience as a police officer.
Photo provided by the Seventh Special Police Corps of the National Police Agency’s Seventh Division
When the officers, accompanied by officials from the Forestry Bureau’s Hualien branch, on Monday entered the premises, they found 79 Chinese box turtles, the corps said.
The turtle is on the conservation list, as it is among the most poached wildlife species worldwide, the corps said, adding that the turtles were hiding in earthen and twig mounds or placed inside an abandoned deer shed.
The bureau officials said they were surprised that Chiang had created a professional breeding setup, with safe spots for the turtles and earth for them to burrow in and lay eggs in.
Chiang was quoted as saying that he started keeping turtles more than a decade ago.
“I was quite moved to see the turtles being captured and sold to China, and started raising them for fear that they would go extinct,” Chiang was quoted as saying, adding that he was passionate about Chinese box turtle conservation.
The corps officers said no tools that could be used to capture turtles were found on the premises, nor were there any documents to counter Chiang’s claims.
However, the corps nonetheless forwarded the case to prosecutors, citing a suspected violation of the law.
The officers said they doubted Chiang’s claims, as the population of turtles on site pointed to a professional breeding operation.
The corps called on the public to contact it if they have any tips and to report any illegal breeding of Chinese box turtles to the Forestry Bureau’s Hualien branch office.
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if the next president of that country decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said today. “We would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said during a legislative hearing. At the same time, Taiwan is paying close attention to the Central American region as a whole, in the wake of a visit there earlier this year by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Lin said. Rubio visited Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Guatemala, during which he
RSS