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🇹🇼 Taiwan /Environment & Climate

Taiwanese Indigenous Community Clears Illegal Hunting Traps to Protect Black Bear Habitat

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement Context piece
  • Taiwanese Indigenous villagers and forestry officials removed illegal hunting traps in Nantou County to protect wildlife habitats.
  • The operation focused on areas around Dongpu village, a crucial habitat for protected species like the Formosan black bear.
  • The initiative aims to balance traditional hunting culture with conservation efforts and prevent harm to wildlife.

In Taiwan's Nantou County, the Dongpu Bunun community has taken a proactive stance in safeguarding its natural heritage. Villagers, alongside the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency's Nantou branch, organized an initiative to clear illegal hunting devices from their ancestral lands. This effort is crucial for protecting the diverse wildlife, including the Formosan black bear, leopard cat, and pangolin, that inhabit the region.

Traditional indigenous culture emphasizes living in harmony with nature and taking only what is needed. Therefore, everyone is willing to step forward and protect this land left by our ancestors.

— Dongpu village residentExplaining the motivation behind the community's participation in clearing hunting traps.

The operation specifically targeted old and illegal traps, often left behind from past practices or set by poachers. These devices pose a indiscriminate threat to animals. Local villagers, guided by their intimate knowledge of the terrain, led the agency's personnel through the border areas of indigenous reserves and forest districts to locate and remove these dangerous remnants.

Community members emphasized a deep-rooted cultural value of living in harmony with nature and utilizing its resources sustainably. This principle motivates their active participation in conservation. The Forestry Agency also used the opportunity to educate residents on the proper use of improved hunting tools and the reporting mechanism for accidental captures. They reiterated that the Wildlife Conservation Act strictly prohibits the use of animal traps for any purpose, with violators facing penalties.

The Wildlife Conservation Act has completely banned the use of animal traps. Regardless of the purpose, they cannot be sold or set. Violators will face penalties.

— Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency Nantou branchInforming the public about legal restrictions on hunting devices.

To address the needs of farmers and villagers who require traps for pest control, such as preventing wild boars from damaging crops, the agency is promoting the adoption and exchange of improved trap designs. The goal is to foster a coexistence between ecological preservation, cultural traditions, and agricultural needs, creating a more harmonious mountain environment.

To balance farmers' rights and animal welfare, if farmers or villagers need to set traps for pest control, such as preventing wild boars from damaging crops, they must not use traditional illegal traps or animal traps. We will continue to promote the education and exchange of improved traps.

— Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency Nantou branchAddressing the need for pest control while promoting legal and ethical methods.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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