Animals

Teacher apologizes for using cat in physics experiment

physics teacher drops cat to demonstrate conservation of angular momentum
Animals 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment

A Taipei City cram school teacher has apologized after receiving widespread condemnation for using a real cat to demonstrate what physicists call “the falling cat problem.” Physics teacher Lee Feng took to social media late last night to make a public apology after a video of him conducting the experiment went viral yesterday. The video shows Lee holding a ginger cat upside down by its legs before releasing it and letting it fall to the ground in front of a

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Is that a turtle in your pocket? No Sir, It’s fourteen turtles!

bulging pockets of petty thief pocketing turtles
Animals Odd News 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

A shoplifter was caught red-handed after stuffing a total of 14 small turtles in his pockets at an aquarium store in Tainan City yesterday, Sunday, January 21. At around 4:00pm, a store clerk at an aquarium shop in Anping District noticed a small turtle fall out of a customer’s bulging trouser pocket, and suspecting the man was attempting to shoplift, immediately called the police. Police from the nearby Huaping Police Station rushed to the aquarium shop and confronted the 57-year-old

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Pet owner fined for stuffing large dog into small backpack

husky stuffed in transparent backpack pet carrier
Animals 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

Animal welfare authorities will fine the owner of a husky that was stuffed into a backpack after police tracked the man down based on pictures taken by witnesses. Pictures surfaced on Taiwan’s social media website Dcard yesterday, showing a young husky bent over uncomfortably in a small, transparent backpack carried by a motorcyclist in Xinxing District, Kaohsiung City. The pictures quickly went viral as outraged animal lovers shared the images, calling for the pet’s owner to be found and punished.

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Stray silver fox to be put up for adoption if owner doesn’t come forward

silver fox in cage
Animals 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

A Miaoli County animal shelter will put a silver fox up for adoption if the owner doesn’t claim it within seven days, after the rare exotic pet was found wandering in a suburb of Miaoli City in recent days. Members of the public reported an unusual-looking stray dog with a Buddhist lucky charm hanging from its neck in the Fuxing Mountain area on the outskirts of Miaoli City a few days ago. The “dog” was chased by other stray dogs

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Kaohsiung City police solve mystery gun woman case: just taking care of business

woman fires gun in Kaohsiung City
Animals Odd News 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment , , ,

Kaohsiung City police launched an investigation after pictures began circulating on social media this morning of a woman holding a gun and making shooting motions. The investigation found that the gun was a legal BB gun, and the woman was shooting at monkeys. The picture of a middle-aged woman wearing an apron while aiming a pistol appeared on the Facebook group “Road Observation Academy,” causing a discussion among readers. Some speculated that the woman may be a gangster, or perhaps

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Young Formosan black bear rescued from boar trap

veterinarians examine Formosan black bear rescued from snare
Animals 
Phillip Charlier 2 Comments , , , ,

Animal rescue workers took a juvenile Formosan black bear to a rehabilitation center for medical treatment after it was rescued from a boar trap in a mountain district of Miaoli County yesterday, October 16. A fruit farmer named Zhang was inspecting his orchard when he heard an animal growling in a nearby bamboo grove. On inspection, Zhang found a small black bear with one limb caught in a snare. Zhang contacted the Taichung branch of the Forestry and Nature Conservation

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Hornets nest removed after 4 hikers stung in New Taipei City mountain district

Asian giant hornets and nest
Animals Health and Safety 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , , ,

Specialist hornet catchers removed a nest of Asian Giant Hornets, after five hikers were stung in New Taipei City’s Ruifang District today. Keelung City Fire Department received a report at 10:46 am that three men and one woman were stung by hornets near the Tianwaitian Garden Cemetery. A 70-year-old man, a 64-year-old man, and a 60-year-old woman were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment. A 69-year-old man sought medical treatment on his own. The female hiker, named Liu was the

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Hornet attack on hiking group leaves 2 dead, 9 injured

line of ambulances waiting for sting victims
Animals Health and Safety 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

Eleven people in a group of 20 hikers were stung by hornets in New Taipei City’s Ruifang District today, and four people were seriously injured. Two men lost vital signs and were declared dead after arrival at the hospital. The New Taipei City Fire Department received reports of the hornet attack at 11:38 am. Twenty ambulances and 51 personnel were dispatched to the trailhead. A command post was set up at the trailhead, and a rescue team was sent to

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Leatherback sea turtle dies after ingesting fishing line

stranded leatherback sea turtle
Animals Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , , ,

Hengchun, Taiwan – A leatherback turtle found stranded on the coast of Pingtung County in southern Taiwan in July died of starvation due to fishing line stuck in its digestive tract, an autopsy revealed. Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council released autopsy results indicating that the cause of death was necrotizing enteritis, as the turtle’s stomach was empty, and its intestinal tract contained a total of 425 centimeters of fishing line. This obstruction led to folding and twisting in the lower digestive

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“When Worlds Collide: A Formosan Black Bear’s Deadly Dance with Civilization” wins Gold at Houston Film Fest

When Worlds Collide: A Formosan Black Bear's Deadly Dance with Civilization movie poster
Animals Environment 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

A documentary film about a Formosan black bear that was rescued from animal traps multiple times before finally being fatally shot by hunters won the Gold Award in the Documentary Feature Film category of the 56th Houston Film Festival, and is available to be watched for free on multiple platforms. The film documents the life of a bear dubbed 711/568 by wildlife researchers, beginning with the animal being rescued from a wire snare in the mountains of Taitung County, October

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African baboon caught after more than 17 days on the loose in northern Taiwan

composite image showing baboon crossing the road and tranquilized in a net after capture
Animals 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment

A baboon believed to have escaped from a zoo was finally caught today after leading search teams on a cat and mouse chase through rural districts of Taoyuan City over a period of around 9 days. The olive baboon was first sighted outside a factory in an industrial area in Pingzhen District March 10. After another sighting March 18, the head of Zhenxing village sought help from the nearby Leofoo Village Theme Park Zoo. While Leofoo Village has more than

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