Animal groups renew push for referendum on full ban of wild boar snares

Taipei, Oct. 13 (CNA) Animal welfare groups on Tuesday submitted over 12,000 referendum proposal forms to the Central Election Commission (CEC), renewing their push for a referendum on a complete ban on wild boar snares after a similar proposal was rejected two years ago.

At a press conference outside the CEC in Taipei, groups including the Taiwan One Ecology Coalition and the Taiwan Animal Protection Monitor Network said they had collected the forms over 35 days. They urged the commission to accept their proposals and let the public vote on banning the traps.

Jerry Ko (柯元傑), a lead proponent of the referendum initiatives, told CNA that the groups had submitted approximately 6,000 proposal forms for each of two separate proposals, bringing the combined total to more than 12,000.

Form submission is only the first stage of the referendum process, which requires support from at least 0.01 percent of eligible voters in the most recent presidential election, or 1,955 people, for each proposal.

If the proposals clear the CEC's initial review and the required number of proposers is verified, the groups must collect at least 293,228 valid signatures for each proposal, equivalent to 1.5 percent of eligible voters, before the referendums can be formally established.

Proposed bans & animal welfare concerns

Wild boar snares, also known as spring-loaded snares, use metal cables and spring-loaded mechanisms to tighten around an animal's limb when triggered.

In a statement, the groups warned that the traps "cannot distinguish between animals," putting dogs, cats and wildlife, including protected species, at risk of severe injuries, loss of limbs or death. Those who set the traps are often difficult to trace, they said.

They called for an end to the "indiscriminate harm" caused by the traps, arguing that existing regulations, which prohibit using them to capture animals without government approval, are insufficient because authorities continue to "allow the manufacture, sale and distribution" of the traps.

The groups submitted two proposals. One seeks legislation prohibiting the use, manufacture, sale, display, possession, import and export of the traps.

The other calls for amending the Animal Protection Act to ban their manufacture, sale, display, import and export, targeting their availability rather than their use.

The groups stressed that neither proposal would infringe upon Indigenous peoples' traditional hunting rights, as traditional traps made from natural materials such as wood, bamboo and vines, which do not use the metal cables and spring-loaded mechanisms covered by the proposals, would not be covered.

They also urged the government to give farmers alternative ways to prevent crop damage, such as electric fences and protective netting, and to improve systems for reporting and compensating crop damage.

Previous rejection & renewed campaign

The CEC rejected a similar referendum initiative in 2024, and a subsequent administrative lawsuit challenging the decision was unsuccessful.

At the time, the CEC said existing laws already regulated wild boar snares and that the proposal was unclear about exemptions for Indigenous hunting rights.

On Tuesday, the groups argued that existing laws on the issue should not prevent citizens from exercising their right to initiate legislation through referendums.

They urged the CEC not to "once again block the public's right to a referendum through an overly restrictive interpretation" of the law.

Ko said the groups decided to revive their referendum campaign after earlier efforts to secure government action, including appeals to the Ministry of Agriculture and a petition to the president, received no response.

He said the groups hoped the proposals could be put to a nationwide vote alongside the next presidential election in 2028, rather than the Nov. 28 local elections and referendum.

The CEC has 60 days to complete its initial review after receiving the proposals.