The legislature yesterday approved amendments to comprehensively ban the use of steel-jaw traps, as well as dynamite and other explosives to kill wild animals.
Although the hunting methods were already formally banned, the amendments to the Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法) closed a loophole that had allowed for their continued use.
Specifically, the revisions deleted a section of Article 21 in the act that allowed exceptions for the use of steel-jaw traps, dynamite or explosives to kill animals that pose a threat to public safety, crops, livestock or aquaculture.
Photo: Taipei Times
The amendments also establish review and documentation procedures for indigenous people who hunt or kill wild animals for personal use as a part of their traditional culture or for religious ceremonies, although steel-jaw traps and explosives are prohibited.
The amendments also created a separate class of penalties for contraventions of the act by indigenous people, stipulating a fine of NT$20,000 to NT$100,000 (US$610.41 to US$3,052.04) for illegally killing a protected species and NT$1,000 to NT$10,000 for illegally killing a non-protected species.
Prior to the changes, the law stipulated prison terms of six months to five years, and a fine of NT$200,000 to NT$1 million for anyone caught illegally killing a protected species, and NT$50,000 to NT$250,000 for illegally killing a non-protected species.
The amendments also have a non-binding resolution urging the Ministry of Agriculture to hold consultations with indigenous groups to decide whether references to “other” prohibited hunting devices should include snare traps.
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
NAMING SPAT: The foreign ministry called on Denmark to propose an acceptable solution to the erroneous nationality used for Taiwanese on residence permits Taiwan has revoked some privileges for Danish diplomatic staff over a Danish permit that lists “Taiwan” as “China,” Eric Huang (黃鈞耀), head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of European Affairs, told a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Reporters asked Huang whether the Danish government had responded to the ministry’s request that it correct the nationality on Danish residence permits of Taiwanese, which has been listed as “China” since 2024. Taiwan’s representative office in Denmark continues to communicate with the Danish government, and the ministry has revoked some privileges previously granted to Danish representatives in Taiwan and would continue to review
The first bluefin tuna of the season, brought to shore in Pingtung County and weighing 190kg, was yesterday auctioned for NT$10,600 (US$333.5) per kilogram, setting a record high for the local market. The auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Siaoliouciou Island-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the “Pingtung First Tuna” it had caught for bidding. Bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram — NT$300 ,more than last year — for a total of NT$2.014 million. The 67-year-old skipper
China has reserved offshore airspace over the Yellow Sea and East China Sea from March 27 to May 6, issuing alerts that are usually used to warn of military exercises, although no such exercises have been announced, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Sunday. Reserving such a large area for 40 days without explanation is an “unusual step,” as military exercises normally only last a few days, the paper said. The alerts, known as notice to air missions (NOTAMs), “are intended to inform pilots and aviation authorities of temporary airspace hazards or restrictions,” the article said. The airspace reserved in the alert
RSS