An import ban on over 8,000 species of live animals, including raccoons, will take effect beginning next month, the Forestry Bureau said Friday.
Starting on June 1, animals such as raccoons, the crested myna, and black-collared starlings will be banned from entering Taiwan without authorization from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the bureau said in a statement.
According to the bureau, the banned import list includes one kind of mammal, 250 species of birds, 1,060 types of reptiles, 250 species of amphibians, 6,800 kinds of invertebrates, and 122 types of land/aquatic animals, totaling 8,478 species.
These animals are being banned because they could pose a potential threat to Taiwan’s endemic species or to its agricultural produce, the bureau said.
The Bureau of Foreign Trade previewed the list of banned animals in a statement on April 18, in which it listed 53 general live animal categories containing the 8,478 species that are to be banned in a bid to eradicate invasive alien species.
Prior to this wide-scale ban, Taiwan had banned imports of 501 species of live animals since 2013.
Individuals caught bringing animals on the banned list into the country without authorization will be fined NT$200,000 to NT$1 million under the Wildlife Conservation Act, and could also face charges for smuggling and violations of the Foreign Trade Act, the bureau said.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel