Prosecutors in Pingtung County yesterday indicted nine people over the death of four Formosan black bears, as investigators look into whether they engaged in the illegal trade of protected species.
During the four-month probe, prosecutors searched 25 locations to gather evidence and questioned 24 people. They examined data from mobile phones, uncovering other incidents in which protected animals were killed in recent years, Pingtung County head prosecutor Chang Chun-hsiang (張鈞翔) told a news conference.
The nine suspects were charged with killing four Formosan black bears and other protected species over three years, and with contravening the Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法).
Photo courtesy of the Pingtung District Prosecutors’ Office via CNA
Suspects include three family members surnamed Yen (顏), two relatives surnamed Pao (包), a man surnamed Mai (麥) and a man surnamed Ko (柯), who are residents of Dawu Village (大武村) in Pingtung County’s Wutai Township (霧台).
The judicial investigation began in December last year, when the carcass of a bear, a Formosan sambar deer, a Taiwanese serow and several wild goats were found at the Yen family home, leading to other people in the village being questioned as suspected accomplices in the illegal poaching.
The animals were native Taiwanese species and are protected with endangered status.
Prosecutors determined that six people were involved in the shooting of the black bear outside the village on Dec. 8 last year, as they had circulated photographs and a video showing them carrying the carcass back to the village.
“We later found the suspects had deleted files and other material from their mobile phones,” Chang said, adding that with the help of the Pingtung Police Bureau’s Digital Forensics Lab, they managed to recover photos and other records that showed the suspects had engaged in illegal poaching with hunting rifles, killing three other Formosan black bears within three years.
Based on evidence from photos, phone records and location searches, the first bear was killed in January 2020 and the second in May 2021 in a different location, but within Wutai Township, Chang said.
The third bear was shot and killed in October last year at a river valley about 4km from the village, Chang said.
“Deliberate killing of Taiwan’s protected species, which are already endangered, cannot be accepted by the public. It is highly regrettable to learn of these incidents, and we condemn the suspects for their actions,” the Forestry Bureau said in a statement.
Bureau officials also requested prosecutors to investigate whether the suspects were involved in the illegal trade of black bear carcasses and other protected animals, as there have been reports of restaurants offering “wild meat” dishes at high prices.
“It is up to everyone to protect Taiwan’s unique native species, to safeguard and conserve the forests and wildlife, which belong to society,” it said.
If people find an injured or entrapped bear, they should call the 24-hour hotline 0800-000-930 for rescue units to be dispatched, it added.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and