Abstract

Over 70 black-faced spoonbills died at the Chiku preserve near Tainan. Investigation is under way to find the cause of the death of the rare migratory birds that winter in Taiwan.

The black-faced spoonbill is an endangered species. At the last count, there are no more than 960 birds in the wild. They migrate from Korea and north China to spend a few winter months in wetlands along Taiwan's western coast and in Southeast Asia.

Hu Hsi-tsung, a researcher at the National Policy Foundation, points out in a commentary that the Council of Agriculture and the Environment Protection Administration should have ordered an sampling analysis of the water at the mouth of the Tsengwen River and nearby fish farms as well as a similar inspection of the catch therefrom. They should have collected and preserved the remains of every dead creature therein. They should have compiled statistics about the age level of the dead birds. Had all this been done, the cause of the death of the spoonbills would have been made clearer.

The research, if done, would have prevented press speculation about the death cause. Its results would be urgently needed by concerned environmentalists around the world.

If the death was caused by botulism, Hu opines, the government should take immediate action to control the sale of the fish catch. If not, the government should announce so in order to help minimize the damage to the fishermen and fish farmers.

In 1989, there were just 288 black-faced spoonbills alive in the wild. Of them 190 came to the Chiku wetlands, Plans to develop their winter nesting grounds into an industrial zone were put on hold when the Council of Agriculture placed the bird on Taiwan's endangered species list.

Similar attempts to build an oil refinery and a steel mill also brought strong reactions from green organizations around the world.

There were some 772 black-faced spoonbills alive, with 488 of them choosing to winter at Chiku.

.....the full text in chinese