We read with interest October's cover article on the invasion of zebra mussels into North America (John M. Drake and Jonathan M. Bossenbroek, “The Potential Distribution of Zebra Mussels in the United States,” BioScience 54: 931–941). Alien species invasion is a serious concern around the world, and we would like to highlight how religious practice contributes to this problem in Taiwan.
A century ago, naturalists Robert Swinhoe and Alfred Russel Wallace were impressed by the diversity of wildlife in Taiwan, a small island 36,000 square kilometers in areas, with a population of 23 million. Taiwan has grown from agricultural backwater status to global technological giant within a few decades, with environmental disasters a frequent by-product. Sika deer, which were once common, became extinct in the 1960s as a result of intensive hunting. The Formosan flying fox and clouded leopard were added to the extinction list in recent decades because of hunting and habitat destruction. Despite the existence of several protected areas, human pressure and development intensify the strain on natural habitats. To make things worse, large numbers of nonindigenous wildlife are released into nature through certain religious practices.
In a press release issued 18 September 2004, Taiwanese animal welfare groups condemned the religious practice of releasing wildlife, pointing out that people in Taiwan spent nearly $6 million annually to set free 200 million wild animals, ranging from insects to monkeys. Taiwan's two major religions, Taoism and Buddhism, stress the importance of doing good deeds during one's life, and they dictate the return of wildlife to nature as one way to ensure good karma and eternal life. Thus temples sponsor religious services that feature the release of wildlife. The market for this trade is huge, and all kinds of animals—birds, fishes, snakes, frogs, turtles, insects, monkeys—are being captured in the wild or smuggled onto the island through seaports, to be purchased and eventually released in rivers, mountains, forests, lakes, and reservoirs.
As biologists, we are concerned about the effects of this religious practice. Religious freeing of animals has already led to invasions of nonnative species—for example, we have recorded 75 species of exotic birds in the wild in Taiwan—which is potentially disastrous to the delicate island ecosystem. The government of Taiwan must act quickly to educate the public about the lethal consequences of wildlife release and come up with a policy to counter the unregulated release of wildlife.
