Taichung: The Taichung District Court has sentenced an undocumented Vietnamese migrant worker, Ban Khac Hiep, to eight years and two months in prison for the illegal hunting and selling of a stray cat and an endangered leopard cat. This ruling was made in violation of Taiwan's firearms and wildlife conservation laws, with additional fines amounting to NT$240,000 (US$7,600).
According to Focus Taiwan, Ban was convicted under the Firearms, Ammunition and Knives Control Act and the Wildlife Conservation Act. The court's decision is open to appeal. Prosecutors revealed that Ban left his legal place of employment in October 2020 and subsequently crafted a homemade hunting gun. He used this weapon to hunt wildlife illegally for profit in March and April of the following year.
Ban collaborated with an accomplice, Pham Van Cuong, to facilitate the sale of the hunted animals. On March 13, 2025, Ban killed a stray cat and sold it through Pham, earning NT$1,500 from the transaction.
The illegal activities escalated when Ban shot and killed a leopard cat, a species protected in Taiwan, on April 19 of that year. He once again enlisted Pham's assistance to find a buyer. Following the killing, Pham's Vietnamese girlfriend, surnamed Nguyen, delivered the leopard cat carcass to a buyer on the next day, collecting NT$3,000 for the sale.
Nguyen received deferred prosecution, while Pham was sentenced to one year in prison in November last year for violating the Wildlife Conservation Act. During the investigation, police attempted to arrest Ban on June 4 last year at a makeshift structure in Taichung's Xinshe District. Officers reported that Ban aimed his modified firearm at them, causing them to withdraw and seek backup. Ban was eventually apprehended and indicted.
The court, in its ruling on January 28, emphasized that leopard cats are a rare and protected species in Taiwan. It highlighted Ban's disregard for animal life as evidenced by his illegal activities, which warranted a substantial sentence.