00:00Nine indigenous people have been acquitted of charges of hunting-protected wildlife,
00:04the first ruling since indigenous hunting was decriminalized in February.
00:08The group was arrested in southern Taiwan in 2022 and charged under the Wildlife Conservation Act.
00:14Investigators said they had killed four Formosan black bears and three wild goats over a three-year period.
00:20The judge dismissed the case, saying the animals were not hunted for profit
00:24and that one of the bears was shot because it posed a threat to human life.
00:27Balancing indigenous hunting traditions with national law has long been a challenge in Taiwan.
00:32Despite the acquittals, the county government still has the option to issue fines.
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