Taiwan’s agriculture ministry has decided to allow farmers to hunt a species of protected indigenous monkeys. That’s in order to prevent further damage to farmers’ crops.
The monkey is the Formosan Rock Macaque, which is the only native species of primate living in Taiwan, other than humans.
Agriculture Minister Chen Bao-ji spoke about the controversial decision at the legislature on Monday. He said that farmers have long had problems with the monkeys. Chen said the new provisions are in line with Taiwan’s Animal Protection Law, which allows for emergency measures in the event that animals cause irreversible crop damage.
Those emergency measures, Chen said, allow farmers to catch the monkeys and “deal with them”. But he said that farmers must use humane methods to put down the monkeys. The minister said that the process should involve “the smallest number (of monkeys)”, “the shortest amount of time”, and the “minimum amount of pain.”
Chen said that the new provisions do not allow for recreational hunting, but he would not elaborate on what was meant by “humane methods.” He said he trusted the farmers and their capacity for an empathy.