By KHT Staff. Screenshot from TTV News report.
PINGTUNG — A 64-year-old man was fined NT$3,000 after being seen cutting up a sika deer (梅花鹿) in Kenting National Park (墾丁國家公園). He told police he had found the animal dead beside a road.
The incident occurred during daylight hours on Oct. 25 in Gangkou Village (港口村) of Manjhou Township (滿州鄉). Witnesses reported seeing the man cutting up the carcass on the roadside in front of a residence.
Officers from the Eighth Brigade of the Seventh Special Police Corps (保七總隊第八大隊) and the Kenting National Park Administration (墾管處) located the suspect, identified by the surname Song (宋), and recovered the deer remains at his residence. When questioned, Song denied hunting the protected animal, claiming he found the deer already dead beside Chashan Road (茶山路) and brought it back to cut it up, suspecting it was roadkill.
Park authorities issued an immediate NT$3,000 fine under the National Park Act (國家公園法). Police subsequently filed an investigation record and transferred the case to local prosecutors, who will determine the exact cause of the deer’s death and investigate whether any illegal poaching offenses were committed prior to the carcass being moved.
The Kenting National Park Administration urged the public to leave wildlife remains undisturbed in their natural environment and to immediately notify park authorities if they encounter a dead animal. Officials stated they will coordinate with the Manjhou Township Office (滿州鄉公所) to strengthen conservation education and prevent similar incidents.
