Taiwan: Farmers Urge Government to Address Problems Caused by Monkeys

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FARMERS URGE GOVERNMENT TO ADDRESS PROBLEMS CAUSED BY MONKEYS

2004/10/06 15:36:00

 

Taipei, Oct. 6 (CNA) More than 200 farmers from central Taiwan appealed

Wednesday to the Legislative Yuan and the Council of Agriculture (COA) to

address the problem caused by the Formosan macaque. The farmers, accompanied

by Legislator Tseng Tsai Mei-tsou of the opposition Kuomintang, first

protested outside the legislature building in downtown Taipei, urging the

government to protect their rights. The farmers complained that the monkeys

take their fruit, ravage farmland, and even sometimes harass women and

children. They asked the government to consider taking the monkeys off the

conserved animal list and that the COA also compensate them for their crop

losses. They said that although the macaques repeatedly wreak havoc to

farmland, they cannot be rounded up or killed because they are conserved

animals, so that the only way of dealing with them is to chase them away.

They suggested that the COA conduct a comprehensive census of the animals to

investigate their numbers and seriously consider removing them from the

conserved animal list. The farmers later went to the COA with their

requests. In addition to compensation for crop losses and removal of the

monkeys from the conserved list, they also suggested that an exclusive

tourism zone be set up to shelter the macaque. They brought with them two

rock macaques in cages, along with pineapple plants that have been damaged

by the macaques and pointed out how the animals gnaw the roots of the

plants, seriously affecting the crop. COA Vice Chairman Tai Chen-yao said

the council will set up a task force soon to investigation the damage done

by the animals and study ways to subsidize the farmers. (By Lilian Wu)

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