Baboon on the loose in Taoyuan City

A baboon first spotted in a southern district of Taoyuan City March 10 is still on the loose 13 days later, despite the efforts of local residents, and employees from a nearby zoo. Initial reports assumed that the olive baboon had escaped from the nearby Leofoo Village Theme Park Zoo. However, zoo staff conducted a careful headcount of their animals and concluded that none are missing. Hsinchu Zoo also denied the animal was theirs, stating that they had no baboons

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Puppy “adopted” by monkey so cute: but this story does not have a happy ending

An abandoned pup which appeared to have been adopted by a Formosan macaque in Chiayi County was found dead several days after local residents attempted to stop animal rescue workers from separating the unlikely pair. The male Formosan macaque had been resident in the vicinity of Dongshi Bridge in Dongshi Township for more than a year. As the coastal township is outside the natural range of macaques, and the normally social animal lived alone, animal welfare workers suspect that the

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Environmental group draws attention to fishing gear threat with video of turtle injured by fish lure

Press Release: Environment & Animal Society of Taiwan (EAST) The Environment & Animal Society of Taiwan (EAST) recently received reports of a green loggerhead impaled by a barbed fishing lure in the waters off Hengchun Peninsula in Pingtung County. The lure pierced the turtle’s chin, neck and left fin, visibly tugging at the animal’s skin with every fin stroke. The injured turtle was spotted by divers who captured video footage of the scene. According to Taiwan’s Wildlife Conservation Act, members

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Two suspects charged for killing, burying Formosan black bear

Two men have been charged on suspicion of shooting dead a bear, removing the satellite tracking collar, and burying the animal in an attempt to hide the evidence in a remote mountain district in Nantou County earlier this month. Forestry Bureau staff monitoring the bear’s movements via a satellite tracking device went searching for the animal after the signal disappeared on May 6 in the vicinity of the Wujie communitiy in Renai Township. After searching the area where the signal

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Monkey hit and killed by motorcycle, rider injured

A motorcyclist was sent to hospital with minor injuries, and a Formosan macaque died after it ran across the road and was hit by a motorcycle in Taitung County yesterday, May 7 Police from the Dawu police station received a report of an accident involving a heavy motorcycle at the 395.7 kilometer mark on Provincial Highway 9 in Taimali Township at around 1:00 pm. According to witnesses, the macaque suddenly dashed out onto the road and the rider, named Lin,

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Pit bull almost sentenced to death after killing child now a pampered pooch

An American pit bull terrier that mauled a 3-year-old boy to death in rural Pingtung County in December is now living the life of a pampered pooch in Taipei City after being adopted by a couple last month. Animal lovers flooded Pingtung County Magistrate Pan Men-an’s (潘孟安) Facebook page pleading to save the life of the dog after it was handed over to the Pingtung County Agriculture Department following the fatal mauling on December 2, 2021. Agriculture department personnel placed

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Snake on a train: passengers evacuated after boa constrictor appears on luggage rack

Passengers were evacuated from a train car after a boa constrictor was spotted slithering along the luggage rack on a Taiwan Railways limited express train this morning, April 18. The conductor on the Ziqiang Class limited express No. 272 from Miaoli to Hualien received a report of a snake on the luggage racks of car No. 12 as the train arrived at Ruifang Station, New Taipei City at 8:19 am. The conductor ordered passengers out of the car and notified

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Crocodile hunt launched in Nantou County after caiman spotted in farm pond

Reptile experts have been hired to catch a caiman, after reports emerged yesterday that a crocodile had been spotted in a field of water bamboo in Puli Township, Nantou County. When a post appeared on social media saying that a crocodile was seen in a zizania pond readers were incredulous. “My mother said that there are crocodiles in the bamboo shoots field,” someone posted on the Facebook group “Puli People,” with an accompanying photograph. “It’s probably fake,” one reader responded.

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Live leatherback turtle found stranded on beach entangled in fishing nets

A live leatherback turtle was sent to National Taiwan Ocean University for medical treatment after being found stranded on New Taipei City beach yesterday, February 1. Coast Guard personnel were dispatched to Fulong Beach in Gongliao District after National Coast Guard Administration received reports of a large sea turtle seen entangled in discarded fishing nets and stranded on the beach at around 10:00 am. Coast Guard officers found the animal to be a leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), a species

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Orangutan caught bullying barking deer at Hsinchu Zoo

Visitors to Hsinchu Zoo were shocked to see an orangutan swing a small deer around by the hind leg, and throw another deer from a height, yesterday, January 29. Video and photographs of the incident show the orangutan swinging the Reeve’s muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi) in a wide arc, sometimes dragging it on the ground and hitting it against a tree trunk. Zoo administrators said that the two species had been living together for around one year without problems, and the

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Taiwanese white dolphin in critical danger of extinction: threats to habitat increasing

Marine conservationists sounded a warning that the Taiwanese white dolphin is seriously threatened with extinction during a press conference held by environmental protection groups at the Legislative Yuan following the discovery of a dead dolphin on Taiwan’s west coast last week. Experts in the field of marine biology pointed out that there were only about 60 individuals left of the only subspecies of dolphin endemic to Taiwan (Sousa chinensis taiwanensis). After being first described in 2002, the Taiwanese white dolphin was

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