Leofoo Village Theme Park must address several key problems with its animal enclosures and treatment of animals in its care, rights advocates said yesterday.
Animal rights groups Taiwan Animal Equity Association (TAEA) and Animal Skies made the remarks at a joint press conference following an investigation by Control Yuan members Jao Yung-ching (趙永清) and Chi Hui-jung (紀惠容) into the park’s facilities.
Investigations have been ongoing since the death of a baboon that escaped from the park in March. The park has come under close scrutiny after the baboon that escaped from its facility was shot and killed by a hunter in an attempted capture.
Photo: Liao Hsueh-ju, Taipei Times
The park first denied that the baboon was one of its animals, but later reversed its statement, saying it made a mistake counting its baboons. The park’s failure to promptly identify and contain the baboon has raised questions over its management.
“There are more than 1,000 animals spanning 70 species at the park. We hope authorities will not only focus on the baboon’s death, but look into the conditions of all of those animals,” TAEA researcher Sera Lim (林婷憶) said yesterday.
Citing an issue the park should address, the groups said its white rhinoceros enclosure is too small.
“The white rhinos, which Leofoo is so proud of, have been reduced to living in an exhibit area less than 360m2 in size,” they said.
“The space is too small for the rhinos’ daily activities, and doesn’t let them explore as they are inclined to do,” they said.
The groups cited the breeding guidelines of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, saying that the outdoor display area of rhinos should be at least 10,000m2.
The park’s safari area is also too small, and could lead to tigers and other animals killing each other, they said, adding that it also meant that only seven of the park’s 19 African lions and 24 Bengal tigers could use the space at a time.
The rest are kept in a separate enclosure, which is insufficient for their needs for physical activity, they said.
Citing the deaths of eight giraffes at the park over the past 10 years, the groups said the park has not improved living conditions for giraffes, which have been vulnerable to parasites and an unsuitable climate in Taiwan.
“The white rhinos and American bison are kept in open spaces, which have only simple canopies that cannot properly shelter them from the elements in inclement weather, resulting in the death of weaker animals,” the groups said.
Additional reporting by CNA
TRAFFIC SAFETY RULES: A positive result in a drug test would result in a two-year license suspension for the driver and vehicle, and a fine of up to NT$180,000 The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to authorize police to conduct roadside saliva tests by the end of the year to deter people from driving while under the influence of narcotics, it said yesterday. The ministry last month unveiled a draft of amended regulations governing traffic safety rules and penalties, which included provisions empowering police to conduct mandatory saliva tests on drivers. While currently rules authorize police to use oral fluid testing kits for signs of drug use, they do not establish penalties for noncompliance or operating procedures for officers to follow, the ministry said. The proposed changes to the regulations require
The Executive Yuan yesterday announced that registration for a one-time universal NT$10,000 cash handout to help people in Taiwan survive US tariffs and inflation would start on Nov. 5, with payouts available as early as Nov. 12. Who is eligible for the handout? Registered Taiwanese nationals are eligible, including those born in Taiwan before April 30 next year with a birth certificate. Non-registered nationals with residence permits, foreign permanent residents and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens with residence permits also qualify for the handouts. For people who meet the eligibility requirements, but passed away between yesterday and April 30 next year, surviving family members
China Airlines Ltd (CAL) yesterday morning joined SkyTeam’s Aviation Challenge for the fourth time, operating a demonstration flight for “net zero carbon emissions” from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Bangkok. The flight used sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at a ratio of up to 40 percent, the highest proportion CAL has achieved to date, the nation’s largest carrier said. Since April, SAF has become available to Taiwanese international carriers at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), Kaohsiung International Airport and Taoyuan airport. In previous challenges, CAL operated “net zero carbon emission flights” to Singapore and Japan. At a ceremony at Taoyuan airport, China Airlines chief sustainability
‘ONE CHINA’: A statement that Berlin decides its own China policy did not seem to sit well with Beijing, which offered only one meeting with the German official German Minister for Foreign Affairs Johann Wadephul’s trip to China has been canceled, a spokesperson for his ministry said yesterday, amid rising tensions between the two nations, including over Taiwan. Wadephul had planned to address Chinese curbs on rare earths during his visit, but his comments about Berlin deciding on the “design” of its “one China” policy ahead of the trip appear to have rankled China. Asked about Wadephul’s comments, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Guo Jiakun (郭嘉昆) said the “one China principle” has “no room for any self-definition.” In the interview published on Thursday, Wadephul said he would urge China to
RSS