On the night of the 27th during the typhoon Doksuri, two thieves entered the deer park and took away 2-month-old fawns and 1 adult deer. However, due to inconvenience in transporting the bound adult deer, they abandoned it on the ground. Two fawns were recovered by the police the day before yesterday, and yesterday, following the trail, they arrested the two suspects involved in deer theft. It was revealed that a buyer intended to buy the fawns as pets for 10,000 NTD each.
It was revealed that a buyer intended to buy the fawns as pets for 10,000 NTD each.
The police are charging the three individuals with theft, possession of stolen property, and violation of the Animal Protection Act. One of the recovered fawns died due to hypothermia, while the adult deer suffered severe fractures.
The population of free-ranging sika deer within Kenting National Park has grown to nearly 2,000, and at the current moment, discussions about overpopulation are heating up. Still, the Kenting Administration states that capturing these sika deer within the park is prohibited, and violators may face a fine of 3,000 NT dollars according to the National Park Act.
The Kenting Administration has also established a gifting policy, currently limited to applications from public agencies, and plans are in place to extend this policy to legally recognized leisure farms and private farms. However, applicants must provide proof of their ability to care for the deer and are not permitted to engage in resale.
According to the police investigation, a 30-year-old man surnamed Wang from Matsu Township, Pingtung County, mentioned to his friends surnamed Pan (39 years old) and Chen (29 years old) that he wanted to buy young sika deer to keep as pets at home.
After Pan and Chen agreed, on the night of the 27th during the typhoon, taking advantage of the stormy weather, they climbed over the fence and sneaked into the “Deer Territory” barn. They carried away two 2-month-old fawns and tied up one adult deer. However, finding it inconvenient to transport the adult deer, they directly abandoned it outside the wall, almost making it to lose its life.
Adult deer, that was left to die by Pan and Chen
The staff at “Deer Territory” discovered the adult deer tied up by its limbs and abandoned on the ground the day before yesterday. Upon inspection, they realized that two fawns had been stolen.
They immediately reported the incident to the police. After reviewing the surveillance footage, the police identified two suspects who had entered the barn around 3 AM and escaped with the two fawns. Shortly after, a woman posted on Facebook that her boyfriend had found two abandoned fawns by the roadside. The police then discovered that the man, surnamed Wang, had two fawns at his home.
Mr. Wang admitted that he had offered 10,000 NT dollars for each fawn to his two friends, intending to keep them as pets. On the night of the 27th, his friends brought him the two fawns, and he was supposed to pay them 20,000 NT dollars as agreed.
He was also curious about the source of the fawns but was told by his friends not to inquire further. Yesterday, the police arrested Mr. Pan and Mr. Chen, both of whom confessed that they planned the deer theft to earn extra money. They did not disclose the source of the fawns to the buyer.
The park authorities stated that they found one of the fawns and brought it back, but unfortunately, due to hypothermia, one of them did not survive despite rescue efforts.
The other fawn is gradually recovering its health. The abandoned adult deer had severe fractures in both legs due to the impact of the fall, rendering it unable to stand. It needs to be transferred to the Pingtung University of Science and Technology for treatment. The situation is still critical, and medical expenses amounted to about 200,000 NT dollars. The authorities will seek compensation from the suspects.