People who sell protected wild birds such as peregrine falcons would be fined up to NT$1.5 million (US$51,396), Tainan Agriculture Bureau official Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) said, amid reports of people selling peregrine chicks online.
Under the Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法), people trading, displaying or exhibiting with the intent to sell protected wildlife and its products without government approval could be sentenced from six months to five years in prison, and fined NT$300,000 to NT$1.5 million, he said.
Bird Photography Club president Huang Shu-ting (黃蜀婷) said she has also received reports of people setting up private groups on social media to sell wild birds, including peregrine falcons, a raptor listed as a protected species by the government.
Photo courtesy of Wang Kuo-yan
Although artificially rearing or breeding peregrine falcons is not prohibited, it requires a permit, she said.
Sales of wild birds on the Internet has become rampant, Huang said, adding that other animals such as snakes have also been sold online.
The illegal wildlife trade harms birds, she said.
Peregrine falcons are widely distributed around the world and categorized as an uncommon winter migrant in Taiwan, with documented reproduction activities around the northern coast, she said.
Peregrine falcons can dive at high speeds and have become popular among bird watchers, as the birds’ flying posture and streamlined body shape is reminiscent of the US-made B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, she said.
The bird species is known for its high speeds, which is believed to exceed 320kph when it dives, making it possibly one of the fastest animals on Earth, Huang said.
A National Geographic program suggested that peregrine falcons can dive as fast as 389kph, faster than trains running on the high-speed rail, she added.
A first shipment of five tons of Taiwan tilapia was sent from Tainan to Singapore on Wednesday, following an order valued at NT$600,000 (US$20,500) placed with a company in the city. The products, including frozen whole fish and pre- cooked fish belly, were dispatched from Jiangjun Fishing Harbor, where a new aquatic processing and logistics center is under construction. At the launch, Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) called the move a “breakthrough,” marking Taiwan’s expansion into the Singaporean tilapia market. Taiwan’s tilapia exports have traditionally focused on the United States, Canada, and the Middle East, Huang said, adding that the new foothold in
An electric bus charging facility at Taipei Metro’s Beitou Depot officially opened yesterday with 22 charging bays to serve the city’s 886 electric buses. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) told a ceremony to mark the opening of the facility that the city aims to fully electrify its bus fleet by 2030. The number of electric buses has grown from about 650 last year to 886 this year and is expected to surpass 1,000 by the end of the year, Chiang said. Setting up the charging station in a metro depot optimizes land and energy use, as the metro uses power mainly during the
An exhibition demonstrating the rejuvenation of the indigenous Kuskus Village in Pingtung County’s Mudan Township (牡丹) opened at the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency’s conservation station in Taipei on Thursday. Agency Director-General Lin Hwa-ching (林華慶) said they have been promoting the use and development of forestry resources to local indigenous residents for eight years to drive regional revitalization. While modern conservation approaches mostly stem from western scientific research, eco-friendly knowledge and skills passed down through generations of indigenous people, who have lived in Taiwan for centuries, could be more suitable for the environment, he said. The agency’s Pingtung branch Director-General Yang Jui-fen (楊瑞芬)
Traffic controls are to be in place in Taipei starting tonight, police said, as rallies supporting recall efforts targeting the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers as well as a rally organized by the KMT opposing the recall campaigns are to take place tomorrow. Traffic controls are to be in place on City Hall Road starting from 10pm tonight and on Jinan Road Section 1 starting from 8am tomorrow, police said. Recall campaign groups in Taipei and New Taipei advocating for the recall of KMT legislators, along with the Safeguard Taiwan, Anti-Communist Alliance (反共護台聯盟), have previously announced plans for motorcycle parades and public
RSS