A baboon yesterday died after being captured in Taoyuan due to wounds allegedly inflicted by a hunting rifle, Taoyuan authorities said.
The animal had been spotted several times in the city’s Pingjhen District (平鎮) over the past 17 days.
It was spotted in a residence at about 3:10pm yesterday.
Photo courtesy of a reader via CNA
The owner of the house informed the bureau and it was captured at about 3:25pm using a tranquilizer dart, a Taoyuan Agriculture Bureau official said.
The baboon was allegedly found to have been wounded by a hunting rifle, the bureau said.
Based on a veterinarian’s advice, it was rushed to Leofoo Village Theme Park for treatment, but to no avail, the bureau said.
The case has been reported to the police as the city government personnel who were tasked with capturing the animal had only been equipped with dart guns, it said.
Under the Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法), people found killing protected animals for no reason face a fine of up to NT$1 million (US$32,925) and a maximum of five years in jail.
The baboon was first spotted on March 10 near a local factory in the central Taoyuan area, Jhensing Borough (振興) Warden Huang Chih-chieh (黃志杰) said.
After it was spotted a second time on March 18, he notified Leofoo Village and asked for help in capturing the animal, Huang said.
Leofoo Village representatives said that the baboon had not escaped from the park, which is about 12km from Pingjhen District.
Taoyuan’s Animal Protection Office said it has no record of baboons registered to owners in Taoyuan, which means the animal might have been kept there illegally or was abandoned by owners from another city or county.
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