Leofoo Village Theme Park yesterday apologized and said it owned the baboon that had escaped earlier this month and was killed on Monday.
It had earlier denied that the animal came from the park.
The baboon, which had been sighted on the loose in Taoyuan since March 10, was captured on Monday afternoon before dying later in the day from serious injuries.
Photo: CNA
Multiple parties involved in the attempted capture of the animal have given different and often contradictory accounts over what led to a firearm being discharged at the scene and the baboon being fatally wounded.
During a news conference at the park yesterday, park senior director Yeh Chung-yueh (葉忠岳) bowed and apologized, saying it remained unclear how the baboon had escaped.
Following the incident, the park closed its Wildlife Kingdom zoo area to take stock and assess its facilities, he said.
The park has not decided when the area would reopen to visitors, he said, adding that it might reopen in sections.
The park had checked the baboon enclosure on March 18 and determined that it was secure, Yeh said.
Explaining the park’s initial response that the baboon had not escaped from the park, Yeh said the park’s zoo area covers several hectares with lots of open space, and that taking stock of its animals was challenging.
The park’s senior supervisors would be reprimanded for the oversight, he added.
“Leofoo Village will boost security measures in the zoo area, including the use of a more scientific method to identify and count the number of animals,” he said.
Asked whether the park would pay for the use of public resources to track the animal, Yeh sidestepped the question, saying that the park’s main concern at present was taking stock and ensuring the safety of the animals.
As to whether the animals in the park would be chipped, Yeh said the park’s position was that microchipping was “inhumane,” as it requires the use of tranquilizers.
The park would “consult experts” on how to best track the animals, he added.
Asked whether any other animals had escaped from the park, Yeh said that an investigation was under way.
Separately, the Hsinchu County Agricultural Department said that under the Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法) there is no legal requirement for wild animals held in captivity to be microchipped.
Rules for wild animals are different from those for pet dogs and cats, which are stipulated in the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法), it said.
When it comes to the management of captive wild animals, city and county governments are limited to simply requiring zoos to register the animals, it said.
“We hope the central government will consider amending the law to require that wild animals also be microchipped to prevent a recurrence of incidents like the death of this baboon,” it said.
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.
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
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
RSS