Central News Agency, Taiwan News 2 Oct 09;
Taipei, Oct. 2 (CNA) In Taiwan, religious groups spend more than NT$200 million (US$6.19 million) annually to engage in "release of life" rituals, which they practice 750 times on average each year, according to the Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan (EAST) Friday.
People usually practice "fangsheng, " or "release of life, " when they fall ill, have a miserable marriage or want to pray for wealth in their next life, the EAST said in a statement on a recent survey on the practice in Taiwan.
Some Buddhism followers believe that setting animals free increases their own merit, which translates into a better rebirth.
This has sparked a new profit-making business in the religious market in Taiwan, the EAST said.
The business is supported by a complete demand and supply system that operates on the "symbiosis" between religious believers and hunters, breeders and vendors, it added. However, this business not only hurts the animals that are hunted or bred for sale to fangsheng adherents, but also causes damage to the ecological system, it added.
In the 2009 survey, EAST interviewed operators and staff of 484 local Buddhist and Taoist temples and other groups that follow the teachings of esoteric Buddhism.
It found that 256 of the 388 respondent groups maintain the fangsheng practice, while 98 have given it up, and 34 have not practiced it in a long time and are not sure whether they will do so again.
Seven of the groups that still practice fangsheng said they do so in foreign countries, including China, Hong Kong, the United States, Canada, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Nepal and India.
Notably, an organization run by a Buddhist monk named Hai Tao was found to have engaged in a total of 89 instances of fangsheng in Taiwan and 35 abroad in 2008, according to the survey. This year, it has so far engaged in ritual freeing of animals 75 times in Taiwan and 22 times overseas, the survey found.
On average, it organized 10 rounds of activities a month for its members to free animals, the EAST said, describing the Hai Tao group as a"super fangsheng organization." Based on the survey, the EAST estimated that more than 200 million creatures are used in Taiwan each year in the religious ritual and at least NT$200 million is spent annually on such activities.
Birds, fish, frogs, turtles and snakes are the most commonly used animals, according to the survey.
Turtledoves, sparrows, scaly-breasted munia, and Japanese white-eye are the most popular birds in the "release of life" activities because they are cheap and can be easily caught in large numbers in the wild in Taiwan, the EAST said.
It noted that the birds are often kept in tiny wooden cages before being transferred to bird shops and that some of them usually die from shock in captivity.
(By Elizabeth Hsu)
Groups release 200 mil. animals annually: study
China Post 3 Oct 09;
TAIPEI, Taiwan -- According to a recent study conducted by the Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan, Taiwan's religious groups performed practices to release animals up to 750 times annually, or 2.1 times daily.
The statistics show a significant amount of the animals are being released into an ecological environment different from their origins.
In a press release, the animal society released the findings of their 2009 study on Taiwan's free-the-animal practices. Spots for freeing fishes include several popular tourist sites such as Tamshi Fisher's Wharf or Sun Moon Lake. For freeing birds, common sites were Yangmingshan National Park or Yushan National Park.
The director of the society, Chen Yu-min stated that Taiwanese conduct these practices in rivers, reservoirs, and mountains. Furthermore some have taken the ritual internationally such as China, Hong Kong, United States, Canada, Indonesia, or Malaysia.
The top animal choices for freeing include the sparrow and Lonchura Punctulata (black-colored bead), due to their cheaper price. Although the White-Rumped Shama is also among the top picks, it creates a danger to Taiwan ecological environment since it originates outside of the country.
The study found there were a total or 256 groups conducting free-the-animal ceremonies, one third less than 2004. Regardless, 32 of the groups practice it monthly. The study estimated the cost of the rituals to be at least NT$200 million a year with over 200 million animals being freed annually.
