Paws Up!
To the Legislative Yuan and its president Wang Jin-Pyng for ratifying new rules to prohibit the import, export, and sale of marine mammals and their products without special permits from the governing agency.
According to a news story, “the Legislative Yuan completed ratification of new rules to the Wildlife Conservation Act yesterday to prohibit the import, export and sale of marine mammals and their products without special permits from the governing agency. In the latest amendment to the Wildlife Conservation Act, first promulgated in Taiwan in June 1989, violators will be subject to fines and the outlawed products will be confiscated, Lawmakers said the ban covers marine mammals like seals, sea lions, sea otters, manatees, and sea elephants (also known as elephant seals).”
The article states, “They said that Taiwan has now become the third largest Asian consumer and the fourth in the world in terms of the consumption volume of marine mammals and their products as people believe in the special medical or health effects of the products.”
Animal rights groups in Taiwan are putting in a great effort to revise the wildlife protection rules. Hopefully these new rules will prohibit the trade in marine mammals.
The effect of these rules should diminish the number of marine mammals being killed. As a result, Taiwan has conserved these species for present and future generations.
Take Action: Contact the president of the Legislative Yuan and thank him for these new limitations.
President Wang Jin-Pyng
President of the Legislative Yuan
No. 1 Chungshan S. Road
Taipei, 10051
Taiwan, R.O.C.