Hunting has a long history inTaiwan but is now generally restricted toindigenous communities and the control of invasive agricultural pests.
Hunting is an essential component ofTaiwanese indigenous cultures and is at the center of many indigenous traditions and practices.[1] Many traditional food practices are based around game.[2] Traditionally the women of most tribal groups did not hunt.[3]
Deerskins were one of the primary trade goods that sparkedDutch interest in Taiwan. The commercialization of deer hunting led to unsustainable hunting pressure and the collapse of deer herds in most areas, especially in the lowlands where they had once been extremely common. TheFormosan sika deer was extirpated from much of Taiwan by intensive commercial hunting. Most of the deerskins purchased by Dutch traders were exported toJapan.[4]
The last wild Formosan sika deer was killed in 1979 rendering it technically extinct however the species was later reintroduced into the wild from captive populations.[4]
Hunting and firearms was heavily restricted in the early 1980s.[5] Commercial hunting was banned in 1989.[6] In the 21st century there was an increase in interest from young indigenous Taiwanese in hunting, primarily to maintain cultural traditions and ties to ancestral lands.[3] Given its strong place in indigenous culture and the history of its regulation as part of colonial policies to detach indigenous people from their land and erase their cultures hunting emerged as a significant political issue in Taiwan.[7]
In 2021Taiwan's Constitutional Court struck down some restrictions on indigenous hunting as unconstitutional but upheld some of the most significant, including prohibitions against hunting protected species and firearms restrictions.[8]
In 2023 a co-managementpilot program in which the government would work with the local indigenous huntering community on cultural, land, and wildlife management issues was set up.[9]
In 2025 new legislation added claw traps to the list of banned hunting equipment.[10]
In 2025 an indigenous member of theNew Taipei City Council brought his traditional hunting rifle to a council session as a formal protest against what he considered to be the central government's overly restrictive gun storage laws.[11]
Commercialwhaling was introduced by Japanese colonialists in 1913 and continued under Japanese control in World War Two. The practice was restarted byKuomintang (KMT) authorities in 1955. It was eventually outlawed in 1981 under significant international pressure.[12]
Many indigenous hunters see hunting restrictions as restrictions on theirfundamental human rights and ancestral traditions. Some engage inpoaching (illegal hunting).[13] 329 indigenous hunters were prosecuted for illegal hunting from 2003 to 2017.[14]
In 2025 three Vietnamese nationals were arrested for illegally huntingleopard cats.[15]
In the 21st century thegreen iguana has become a harmfulinvasive species in Taiwan which does significant damage to farms. In order to reduce their population the government has issues annual bounties on them. They are often hunted withslingshots.[16] In 2025 theMinistry of Agriculture (Taiwan) set a quota of 120,000 for the green iguana control program.[17][18]
