Orangutan caught bullying barking deer at Hsinchu Zoo

orangutan swinging muntjac around by hind legs

January 30, 2022January 30, 2022 Phillip Charlier 1 Comment Hsinchu City, 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

Animals Marine and Fisheries

January 27, 2022January 27, 2022 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment dolphin, endangered species, marine conservation, marine ecology, Taiwanese white dolphin

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

composite image of macaques raiding cars including police patrol car

Animals

December 25, 2021December 25, 2021 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment formosan macaque, monkeys, Yushan National Park

Yushan National Park Headquarters has issued a warning to visitors to keep their vehicles locked, and to not feed the monkeys, as a troop of Formosan macaques grows increasingly bolder, recently even raiding a police patrol car parked at a popular trailhead. National park administrators warned that a group of macaques called the “Tataka Troop” have been carrying out depredations on tourists visiting the park, and even police officers on patrol are not immune. The key to stopping these attacks

children's shoes floating in pond as tiger prowls by

Animals

December 12, 2021December 12, 2021 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Hsinchu City, Hsinchu Zoo

A Hsinchu Zoo spokesperson reassured the public that no children had been eaten this weekend, after someone uploaded a picture of a pair of children’s shoes floating in a pond inside the tiger enclosure, December 11. A man named Peng uploaded the picture to a Hsinchu news group on Facebook yesterday, posing the question “Where’s the kid? I only see shoes next to the tiger.” A laughing emoticon showed the question was asked in jest. Hsinchu Zoo staff responded to

composite image of pit bull on chain and petted by animal care volunteer

Animals

December 6, 2021December 6, 2021 Phillip Charlier 4 Comments Pingtung County, pit bull

Social media users have flooded a county magistrate’s Facebook page, in an attempt to save the life of a dog that mauled a three-year-old boy to death, after an animal protection worker uploaded a video of the pit bull appearing cute, puppy-like, and craving affection. At around 7:00 pm Thursday evening, in Chunri Village, Pingtung County, a three-year-old boy wandered out of his family’s home into a neighboring yard, where an American pit bull terrier was tied to a thick,

buffalo on train tracks in Hualien County, Taiwan

Animals

December 5, 2021December 5, 2021 Phillip Charlier 1 Comment Hualien County, Railway Police Bureau, Taiwan Railway Administration

Express trains were ordered to slow down, but no major delays were reported after a water buffalo wandered onto the tracks in Fuli Township, Hualien County this morning. According to Taiwan Railways Administration, the station master on duty at Dongzhu Station spotted the buffalo on the tracks as it trotted by the station platform at 6:25 am. The station master notified the local police station, and railway police stationed at Yuli. Police officers drove the buffalo off the tracks and

false killer whale and marine conservation volunteers at Badouzi rescue center

Animals Marine and Fisheries

November 24, 2021November 24, 2021 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment dolphin, false killer whale, Taiwan Cetacean Society

Marine conservation workers plan to release a false killer whale into the wild tomorrow, after a successful rescue and rehabilitation effort spanning 7 days. Coast guard personnel and the Taiwan Cetacean Society moved the false killer whale to a specialized marine wildlife rescue and rehabilitation facility in Keelung City after finding it beached in Yilan County, November 17. The false killer whale – actually a species of dolphin – was found to have a lung infection, and was in a

composite image showing snakebite victim in back of truck and government warning about cobras.

Animals Environment

November 21, 2021November 22, 2021 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment cobra, exotic species, invasive species, snake-bite, Taichung City

Doctors who have been treating a man bitten by a snake in a mountain district of Taichung City earlier this month have concluded that the man was bitten by a Thai cobra, raising concerns of a dangerous invasive species gaining a foothold in the country. The 64-year-old man, named Zhou was hiking on the Dakeng No.9 trail shortly before dawn on November 2 when he was bitten on the ankle by a cobra. Zhou turned back to seek medical attention,

composite image of beached whale rescue and rehabilitation facility

Animals Marine and Fisheries

November 18, 2021November 19, 2021 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment cetaceans, dolphin, marine conservation, Taiwan Cetacean Society

Marine conservationists are working in shifts in an attempt to keep a dolphin alive after it was found stranded on a beach at Su’ao in Yilan County, yesterday, November 17. The false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens), which is actually a species of oceanic dolphin, was reported stranded at around noon. Coast Guard officers and a veterinarian went to the scene to evaluate the dolphin’s condition and provide assistance. After examining the animal the coast guard and volunteers from the Taiwan

composite image of owl and students in classroom

Animals

November 17, 2021November 17, 2021 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Keelung City

Students and teachers at a high school in Keelung City were delighted when a collared scops owl (Otus lettia) perched in a classroom and stayed to observe lessons, yesterday, November 16. Nobody knows how the owl entered classroom 802 at Zhongzheng Junior High School, as all the windows and doors were closed reported United Daily News. But students discovered the visitor when they entered the classroom shortly after 7:00 am. The owl appeared to be unafraid of humans and sat

Animals

October 29, 2021October 29, 2021 Phillip Charlier 3 Comments dog attack, Hsinchu County, pit bull

A pit bull who bit a man in the thigh, piercing his femoral artery, and causing him to bleed to death, is being cared for in a Hsinchu County animal refuge until a suitable person can be found to adopt him. The Hsinchu County Fire Bureau responded to a report, Sunday, October 10, that a man had been seriously injured by a dog in Jianshi Township. Paramedics arrived to find that the man had already lost vital signs after bleeding

Animals

Orangutan caught bullying barking deer at Hsinchu Zoo

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

Monkeys with the munchies show no respect for the law: even police patrol car raided for snacks and drinks in Taiwan’s highest national park

Zoo reassures the public after child’s shoes spotted in Tiger pen

Dog lovers plea to save life of pit bull that mauled 3-year-old boy to death

Water buffalo wanders onto train tracks in Hualien County

Rescue of false killer whale successful: plans for release tomorrow

Man bitten by Thai cobra in central Taiwan: several times more venomous than native species

False killer whale rushed to rescue center after beaching on northeast coast

Owl visits classroom at Keelung City high school

Pitbull involved in fatal attack now up for adoption