Leofoo Village Theme Park Admits Baboon Was Theirs 六福村承認狒狒從園內脫逃 擬徹查懲處

Leofoo Village Theme Park has admitted that the baboon that has been killed after being on the loose for over two weeks escaped from their park.

On March 29, Leofoo Village Theme Park finally came clean and admitted that a baboon which had been running loose in Taoyuan City for two weeks and that was ultimately killed with a gun had escaped from the park. It said it has closed its zoo and will inventory all its animals and examine its facilities, as well as thoroughly investigate related units and supervisors and administer punishment.

Yeh Chung-yueh, Senior Director, Leofoo Village Theme Park: “Our focus now is on the safety and protection of the zoo animals, so we will conduct a thorough investigation. We'll complete this part first.”

The baboon was shot and killed by a hunter. The park previously insisted it would file a lawsuit against the hunter, but refused to answer when asked about it by reporters. Meanwhile, a New Taipei City indigenous hunters association said hunters don't shoot when they feel like it. It also provided a statement saying there were fears that the baboon would attack someone at that moment and it consulted with and got the approval of Leofoo Village Theme Park's vets before shooting. Hsinchu County's Agriculture Department said it will rapidly clarify the circumstances of the case after it receives the park's report, and will investigate and handle the case based on the Wildlife Conservation Act and related laws. It will also invite experts to help examine the escape prevention facilities of outdoor animal enclosures to strengthen their security.

Fan Wan-chao, Director, Agriculture Department, Hsinchu County: “We will conduct a comprehensive investigation to determine if Leofoo Village Theme Park's environment and animal quantity violate any provisions of the Wildlife Conservation Act and Animal Protection Act.”

Liu Hsiu-ching, Senior Specialist, Dept. of Agriculture, Taoyuan City: “The case has entered the judicial process and prosecutors are investigating. There were indeed numerous uncertainties in the entire course of events. In the future, Taoyuan City's Department of Agriculture will provide relevant information to prosecutors for their reference and to help them clarify facts.”

Taoyuan City's Department of Agriculture said it will wait for facts to be clarified before determining what responsibility Leofoo Village Theme Park should bear for this incident.

狒狒之死引發爭論，六福村29日晚間坦承狒狒是從園內脫逃的，也表示立即關閉動物園區，徹查所有動物數量及防護設施，針對園區相關單位和主管進行徹查及懲處。

六福村資深總監葉忠岳表示：「第一時間我們還是希望以園區動物安全跟防護為主，所以我們在第一時間裡面會先做全面的盤查，把這些部分先做補齊。」

針對媒體詢問是否對獵人提告？六福村表示現在不方便說明。新北市原住民族狩獵協會強調獵人不會隨便開槍，也提出聲明說當下認為狒狒有攻擊可能，且徵詢六福村獸醫同意後才開槍，好心的結果卻是要成為替罪羔羊。而新竹縣政府農業處表示，收到六福村清查報告後，盡速釐清案情事證，將依《野生動物保育法》相關規定查處，並邀集專家協助檢討戶外放養場域的防逃設施，強化園區安全性。

新竹縣農業處長范萬釗說明：「針對六福村整個飼養動物的環境跟數量，跟是不是有違反《野保法》跟《動保法》的部分，我們會做一個全面總體檢。」

桃園市農業局專門委員劉秀卿指出：「目前全案已進入司法程序，由檢察官調查。這整個過程中確實有諸多的疑點，未來桃園市政府農業局都會提供相關的資訊給檢方參考，以助釐清事實。」

針對六福村動物園承認狒狒是他們的，桃園市農業局表示，等待司法釐清事實後，針對六福村該負起的責任，市府也會做出相應處置。