TOURGUIDE SUSPECTED TO ROAST PROTECTED SNAKE IN FRONT OF TOURISTS|屏東生態旅遊 導覽解說員傳烤食保育蛇

A tour guide is suspected of playing with the Taiwan Striped-Tailed Rat Snake, a protected species in Taiwan, and eventually skinned and roasted the snake in front of the tourists. In response, Pingtung County's Department of Agriculture have launched an investigation, if the snake is proven to be an endangered species, the tour guide can face up to 5 years in jail. A group of tourists visited Paldain Tribe, a place where Paiwan Distribution originated. Tourists' video recorded and uploaded their tour to the web, but some viewers found, the tour guide was holding a third-class protected snake species. The snake was later skinned and roasted. ==TOURIST== Snake is a revered animal to Paiwan indigenous people. The incident not only damages ecology, the snake is a protected species. By reason or by law, the incident cannot stand. The Paldain Tribe has beautiful scenery, it was seriously damaged by Typhoon Morakot in 2009. Since then, its ecology was preserved. This year Majia Township Office trained 20 tour guides and they are about to receive their certification this weekend. Township office stepped forward and explained. ==TJIVULUAN LAMATALA, Majia Township Leader== The tour guide was not trained by our township. That may be individual behavior from a private tour. ==CHENG YUNG-YU Deputy Director-general, Pingtung County Dept. of Agriculture== The punitive action is a criminal charge of six months to five years imprisonment; the fine is between NT$ 200,000 to NT$1 million. The Department of Agriculture confirmed the suspect was not one of the tour guides trained by Majia Township Office. If the suspect was indeed killed a protected animal, a punitive action will be enforced. The township leader urges to limit and register visitors, and enforce conservation education. TRANSLATED BY：ANTHONY LIN 屏東瑪家巴達茵部落，是排灣族發源地，有著上千年歷史，近來鄉公所推動生態旅遊，讓民眾深入體驗原始生態與美景，不過，卻有疑似導覽解說員，帶頭把玩保育類動物"黑眉錦蛇"，甚至剝皮烤來吃，鄉長澄清，並非培訓中的解說員，農業處也前往調查，若確認是保育類動物，最重可處6個月以上、5年以下有期徒刑，並併科罰金。 一群人前往巴達茵部落，探索排灣族發源地，遊客開心的把過程，拍成影片放上網路共享，只是，被民眾發現，三級保育類動物"黑眉錦蛇"，遭到疑似導覽解說員的男子拿在手上，和遊客一起把玩，最後，甚至剝皮烤火食用，讓人難以接受。 ==遊客== 蛇又是我們屬於排灣族 又是我們排灣族山地原住民 很敬仰的動物 這個對生態來講也是破壞 又是保育類 於情於理於法都不合 天然美景絕佳的巴達茵部落，八八風災時毀損嚴重，也因此保留更原始的景緻，今年瑪家鄉公所培育導覽解說員20人，即將在週末頒發合格證書，鄉公所出面澄清。 ==瑪家鄉長 梁明輝== 我們鄉裡面培育出的導覽解說員 但是都不是 這可能就是屬於個人帶團的行為 == 屏東縣農業處副處長 鄭永裕== 他的罰則部分是在 有期徒刑6個月到5年以下刑責 併科罰金部分是在 20萬到100萬罰金 農業處接獲消息後，立即派人了解，證實並非培訓的解說員，但若確認宰殺保育類動物，將依法開罰，而鄉長也說，避免事件再發生，未來入山要管制，必須提出申請，同時加強族人的保育觀念。 記者 李淑蘭 許政俊 屏東報導