Want China Times, CNA 2014-12-27
The Taiwanese owner of a hippo injured after jumping from a truck that was carrying it has been turned over to prosecutors by police for further investigation on whether he had broken the Wildlife Conservation Act.
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| Veterinarians inject anesthetics to the hippo A He in Miaoli county, Dec. 26. (Photo/Chiang Shih-chu) |
The Taiwanese owner of a hippo injured after jumping from a truck that was carrying it has been turned over to prosecutors by police for further investigation on whether he had broken the Wildlife Conservation Act.
The hippo
jumped from the truck and broke its teeth and one leg when the vehicle was
taking the animal from a shelter in Miaoli to Skyzoo recreational farm in
Taichung, where it has been raised for eight years, an initial investigation by
Miaoli police found.
According
to the owner of "A He," the animal was originally a gift from the
Kaohsiung city government to the Taichung county government (now part of the
Taichung city). But Taichung county later gave the hippo to the Taichung farm
after finding it was not capable of taking good care of it.
Staff at
the farm said it was one of two hippos that was being transported from a temporary
shelter to their renovated home at the farm. Staff members suggested that the
hippo must have been startled at some point in the trip, leading it to jump
through a ventilation window in their container and collide with a parked car.
As the
owner could not provide legal import documents for the hippo, an
internationally protected wild animal, Miaoli police decided to turn him in to
prosecutors for breaching the Wildlife Conservation Act.
The Miaoli
County government will also slap a fine of NT$15,000 (US$472.45) -NT$75,000
(U$2,365) on the owner for his failure to protect the animal.
The hippo
startled several Miaoli county residents on Friday as it rammed itself against
a parked car after escaping from its enclosure aboard the truck.
It was eventually
overcome with exhaustion and laid down on the ground, appearing to be suffering
from injuries, including broken teeth and a broken leg.
New
transportation arrangements have been made to return the two hippos back to
their habitat in Taichung, this time under sedation by veterinarians, according
to a farm official.
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The injured
hippo enters the pond in Taichung's Dajia district,
Dec. 27. (Photo/CNA)
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