By Sam Garcia / Staff writer, with CNA
Raccoons, saltwater crocodiles and two types of venomous snakes — vipers and elapids — would be banned from being kept as household pets, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday.
The species are to be added through an amendment to the list of animals prohibited from being raised, imported or exported.
Vipers and elapids are highly venomous, and their bites risk causing systematic toxicity and loss of limbs, the ministry said.
Photo: Yang Yuan-ting, Taipei Times
There have been cases in which people raised raccoons, but later abandoned them after they became aggressive and hard to control, it said.
Such abandonment results in significant administrative and management costs, it added.
Saltwater crocodiles can grow up to 5m long, weigh up to 200kg and are highly aggressive, the ministry said, adding that households cannot provide them with everything they require.
The four species would be added to the list to strengthen their management and prevent public safety risks arising from private ownership, the ministry said.
However, exceptions can be made for specific cases, such as exhibitions and experiments, it said.
The ministry said it referred to laws in Japan, Singapore and the EU to inform the proposed amendment.
Japan prohibits household ownership of venomous and highly aggressive animals including vipers, elapids and saltwater crocodiles, while Belgium and France ban raising raccoons, it said.
The new measures must be implemented as soon as possible to prevent public safety risks, so the public notice period has been shortened to 30 days, it said.
With the addition of these species, a total of 647 kinds of animals would be prohibited from being raised as pets.
For people already raising the newly added species, the ministry would require owners to register their pets and prohibit their breeding.