Park authorities and police have opened an investigation after two Formosan sika deer were found decapitated inside Kenting National Park on Saturday.
Pingtung Environmental Protection Alliance president Chang Yi (張怡) said that members of the alliance made the discovery near Gangkou River (港口溪) during a visit to the park on Saturday night.
The two deer carcasses, both without heads, were found on the river bank partially decayed and about 2m from one another, Chang said.
Photo courtesy of Chang Yi-lu
After receiving a report about the finding, Kenting National Park authorities dispatched personnel to the scene and contacted the Seventh Special Police Corps, a unit similar to park rangers in the US, to launch an investigation, park deputy director Hsu Shu-kuo (許書國) said.
The park officials who visited the site said that one of the deer appeared to have been decapitated while still alive, as its body had no other external signs of injury, Hsu said, adding that the other had likely been dead for some time and was in an advanced state of decomposition.
The park is holding the carcasses to see if forensic testing can shed any light on what happened to them, Hsu said.
Although sika deer are not a protected species in Taiwan, hunting in national parks is punishable by a fine of up to NT$3,000 (US$93.97), Hsu said.
If a suspect is identified, they could also face more serious charges under the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法), and those found guilty of killing or seriously injuring an animal under certain circumstances can be sentenced to up to two years in prison and fined NT$200,000 to NT$2 million, he said.
After years of conservation, there are about 2,000 sika deer in Kenting National Park.
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