Bird-watchers and wildlife photography clubs are engaging in illegal activities leading to the abuse and deaths of birds, animal rights advocates said yesterday.
“There have been many reports of abuse and cruel behavior by members of Taiwan’s wildlife photography clubs, but due to the inaction and negligence of authorities, it has worsened, spreading like a cancer to more locations and involving more flagrant offenses,” Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan (EAST) director Chen Yu-min (陳玉敏) told a news conference at the legislature in Taipei.
He and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lin Shu-fen (林淑芬) presented evidence from a two-year investigation.
Photo: CNA
EAST, together with wildlife conservationists, conducted on-site investigations, covertly joining wildlife photography clubs and chatting on their social media sites, as well as participating in outings to businesses and farms offering bird photography tours, Chen said.
They documented evidence and took “shocking” photographs of bird abuse, she said, adding that and it was “heart-wrenching to see the cruel treatment ... even of baby birds.”
She and advocates at the news conference listed six bird farms and related businesses across the nation that they said were the worst offenders.
“We have accumulated evidence ... documenting the smuggling of non-native birds, illegal poaching, the illicit rearing of protected species, presenting caged birds for photography … [and] shots being staged by fixing birds to tree branches,” Chen said. “ There were many instances of abuse, torment and rough handling of birds.”
Lin said that authorities must penalize offenders.
“The responsible agencies from the central government down to the local level have not acted on the complaints filed,” Lin said. “Also, the sources of photographs of birds or wildlife for official tourism promotions are often not checked.”
EAST members said that the proprietors of a farm in Taoyuan removed bird’s nests from trees, picking out the baby birds and placing them on tree branches for customers to photograph.
All the baby birds had died by end of the day, they said,
Another farm in Nantou County had caught a number of indigenous owls that belonged to a protected species. Mice were released so that clubs could take pictures of the owls catching them.
Chen said she estimated that most of these businesses were making millions of New Taiwan dollars in profit each year.
Some proprietors charged NT$500 for a photographer to take pictures in a staged booth or NT$1,000 to take photos of birds mating, while others offered for NT$8,000 for unlimited photography opportunities during packaged outings.
EAST’s attorney, Chan Shun-kuei (詹順貴), said the contraventions uncovered fall under the Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法), the Smuggling Penalty Act (懲治走私條例), the Statute for Prevention and Control of Infectious Animal Diseases (動物傳染病防治條例), among other laws.
“I have been a bird-watcher for more than 20 years... The abusive and cruel behavior of photographers has turned this recreation of sighting beautiful birds into an ugly scene,” Chan said. “We urge the public to boycott all these illegal businesses, and leave wild birds in their natural habitats by ending the practice of staged shots and the mishandling of birds.”
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) today condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after the Czech officials confirmed that Chinese agents had surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March last year. Czech Military Intelligence director Petr Bartovsky yesterday said that Chinese operatives had attempted to create the conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, going as far as to plan a collision with her car. Hsiao was vice president-elect at the time. The MAC said that it has requested an explanation and demanded a public apology from Beijing. The CCP has repeatedly ignored the desires
Many Chinese spouses required to submit proof of having renounced their Chinese household registration have either completed the process or provided affidavits ahead of the June 30 deadline, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Thursday. Of the 12,146 people required to submit the proof, 5,534 had done so as of Wednesday, MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. Another 2,572 people who met conditions for exemption or deferral from submitting proof of deregistration — such as those with serious illnesses or injuries — have submitted affidavits instead, he said. “As long as individuals are willing to cooperate with the legal
The Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant’s license has expired and it cannot simply be restarted, the Executive Yuan said today, ahead of national debates on the nuclear power referendum. The No. 2 reactor at the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County was disconnected from the nation’s power grid and completely shut down on May 17, the day its license expired. The government would prioritize people’s safety and conduct necessary evaluations and checks if there is a need to extend the service life of the reactor, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference. Lee said that the referendum would read: “Do
The Ministry of Environment yesterday held a seminar in Taipei for experts from Taiwan and Japan to exchange their experiences on the designs and development of public toilets. Japan Toilet Association chairman Kohei Yamamoto said that he was impressed with the eco-toilet set up at Daan Forest Park, adding that Japan still faces issues regarding public restrooms despite the progress it made over the past decades. For example, an all-gender toilet was set up in Kabukicho in Tokyo’s Shinjuku District several years ago, but it caused a public backlash and was rebuilt into traditional men’s and women’s toilets, he said. Japan Toilet Association
RSS