3 Vietnamese arrested for poaching and selling protected leopard cat

三名越南人因偷獵和販賣受保護的石虎而被逮捕

Hunter and his accomplices nabbed for selling wild game for human consumption


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taichung District Prosecutors Office has uncovered a case involving three undocumented Vietnamese workers accused of illegally hunting and selling protected leopard cats.

Police previously apprehended two suspects, surnamed Nguyễn and Phạm, at the end of May, and conducted raids at three locations in search of a third man, surnamed Phan. Upon locating him, Phan allegedly pointed a gun at officers and fled the scene, per UDN.

He was eventually captured on Thursday, and authorities seized four homemade firearms, nail gun cartridges, tools and parts used to manufacture guns, and the remains of a leopard cat.

Phan is accused of hunting protected wildlife in Taichung’s low-mountain areas and selling the animals as "wild game." Investigators believe the group may have targeted the leopard cat primarily for food, citing traditional consumption habits among some Vietnamese communities.

Although Vietnam has banned the consumption of cat meat, the practice persists in some areas due to cultural traditions. Phan, a migrant worker who left his legal employer and lost contact with authorities, had reportedly been living without a fixed residence since going missing in October 2020.

Authorities said Phan was likely unfamiliar with Taiwan’s Wildlife Conservation Act, which designates leopard cats as protected species. Investigators have not ruled out the possibility that he mistook the animal for a household cat or another species.

In April, officials received a tip about the sale of a dead leopard cat in Taichung’s Houli District. That investigation led to the arrests of Nguyễn and Phạm, who were later released with electronic monitoring. Due to the seriousness of Phan’s actions, prosecutors ordered his detention under the Wildlife Conservation Act.

Prosecutors believe Phan had been supporting himself by poaching small and medium-sized animals such as flying squirrels, muntjacs, civets, and pangolins. Pangolin scales and suspected goat meat were among the items seized during the operation.

Phan faces multiple charges, including violations of the Firearms, Ammunition, and Knives Control Act and the Wildlife Conservation Act. He could face a prison sentence of more than five years.