Prosecutors in Pingtung County have arrested a man suspected of killing a Formosan black bear, while an investigation into several alleged accomplices is ongoing.
A man surnamed Yen (顏), a resident of Pingtung’s Wutai Township (霧台), was apprehended during a police raid on Friday last week, after reports of illegal poaching and killing of wild animals.
The carcasses and body parts of a Formosan black bear, a Formosan sambar deer, a Taiwanese serow and wild goats were found in a freezer in Yen’s home.
Photo: CNA
After questioning, Yen was released on bail of NT$200,000.
He faces pending charges of contravening the Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法).
The raid was conducted by Pingtung County head prosecutor Chang Chun-hsiang (張鈞翔) together with local police officers, and they also seized a modified rifle.
A video of Yen and other Wutai residents started to circulate online yesterday, showing two scooter riders holding a dead bear between them as they drove down a road, while a man holding a rifle, allegedly Yen, sat in the rear seat of a scooter behind them.
The video sparked outrage, as people demanded justice to be brought to all the alleged accomplices.
Due to the additional evidence in the video, prosecutors yesterday said they would re-investigate the case, and would question the alleged accomplices of illegal poaching.
Some people criticized the law that only allows indigenous people to own rifles for hunting, but under restricted conditions, such as conforming to local practices and registering the arms with the local police station.
“I also got angry when seeing the video... We give respect to indigenous people’s hunting culture, but they also must obey our the nation’s legal statues,” Pingtung County Commissioner Pan Men-an (潘孟安) said yesterday.
“The Formosan black bear is a protected species, it is in serious decline with very few left, and should not be hunted. Police have focused on the suspects, and are investigating the case,” Pan said.
“As citizens of Taiwan, no matter where people live, we must protect these wild animals. Killing of protected species is not allowed in Taiwan,” Pan added.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
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
RSS