Search begins for man selling bear paws

Director Chen of EAST criticized government agencies' malfeasance in enforcing the wildlife protection regulations.

The government has created loopholes in the rules, including allowing animal owners to make registration with governing agencies without any follow-up actions to make sure the owners have honestly reported the number, she said.

Officials in charge never verify if the animals are the same ones as in the registration.

Under the current rules, owners can keep the offspring of the animal simply after paying a fine.

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There is lax administration over the report of deceased animals, enabling perpetrators to sell the carcasses of the protected animals to restaurants at high prices, Chen said.

Chen said agencies at the central and local governments should immediately gather the latest data for the animals with accurate counts and implant them with electronic chips for close monitoring.

New measures should be drawn up concerning the criteria and facilities for the living places of the animals to provide a decent living environment.

Heavier penalties should be added to existing regulations to prohibit illegal breeding of protected animals and stamp out the practice of engaging animal trade disguised as gifts that can pass the animals from hands to hands, she said.

A COA official acknowledged that limited manpower has been a big problem. The number of wildlife conservation officials is limited and that they will have to ask local county and city governments to step up their fight against the outdated practice.

Lin Kuo-chang, chief of the Wildlife Conservation Section of COA's Forestry Bureau, noted that there are “only six members” in charge of wildlife conservation in the bureau and that the Chiayi County Government should be the local authority in charge of wildlife conservation.

As for the smuggling allegations, the Coast Guard Administration is responsible for cracking down on smuggled agricultural and fishery products, live animals, tobacco and alcohol, according to Lin.

He also noted that according to the Wildlife Conservation Law, the country's aboriginal people can apply to hunt animals, including protected ones, but are forbidden from selling or buying them.

Illegal hunters of protected animals, regardless of whether they are aboriginal or not, face prison terms of between six months and five years and fines of over NT$200,000.

People engaged in transactions of protected species can be sentenced to between six months and five years plus fines between NT$300,000 and NT$1.5 million.

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