Hundreds of hermit crabs have been found trapped in pits baited with toasted rice bran throughout the coastal forests of Pingtung County’s Houwan (後灣), local conservationists said today.
Up to 30 traps were found, each containing dozens to hundreds of hermit crabs that were ensnared when gathering to feed, they said, calling it a shocking concentration of trapped animals that endangers the local ecosystem.
By the time the traps were discovered during a routine patrol, the poachers had already fled, said the volunteers, who destroyed the traps and reported the incident.
Photo courtesy of volunteers
Houwan, located near ecologically healthy coastal waters, is an important habitat for land and hermit crabs.
The area’s hermit crab population once faced a severe “housing crisis,” with only about 1 percent of the crabs previously able to inhabit suitable shells, conservationists said.
Many were forced to use bottle caps, plastic containers or giant African snail shells as substitutes, they said.
In recent years, local residents and conservation groups launched shell donation campaigns encouraging people to provide empty turban snail and conch shells, helping to stabilize the hermit crab population and restore the ecosystem, they said.
The volunteers called it disheartening that the area’s ecological recovery had now become a target for illegal poachers.
Many poached hermit crabs quickly die after being sold in cities, as they lack suitable living conditions and access to replacement shells, they said.
The conservationists called on the public to refrain from buying hermit crabs and to report vendors selling them, as consumer refusal is key to curbing illegal poaching.
The Kenting National Park Headquarters also condemned the discovery and urged the public not to purchase hermit crabs, warning that the animals rarely survive long in captivity.
The Seventh Special Police Corps 8th Brigade has been asked to strengthen patrols in the area, it added.
Although hermit crabs are not listed as a protected species under the Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法), Houwan falls within national park boundaries, the agency said, warning that capturing wildlife without authorization could result in fines under the National Park Act (國家公園法).
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