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
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Zoo reassures the public after child’s shoes spotted in Tiger pen
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
Read moreDog lovers plea to save life of pit bull that mauled 3-year-old boy to death
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,
Read moreWater buffalo wanders onto train tracks in Hualien County
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
Read moreRescue of false killer whale successful: plans for release tomorrow
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
Read moreMan bitten by Thai cobra in central Taiwan: several times more venomous than native species
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,
Read moreFalse killer whale rushed to rescue center after beaching on northeast coast
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
Read moreOwl visits classroom at Keelung City high school
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
Read morePitbull involved in fatal attack now up for adoption
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
Read moreRare visitor: Seal appears at fishing port in northern Taiwan
In what may be a historical first, a juvenile seal was spotted at a fishing port in New Taipei City yesterday, but swam away this morning, October 25, after divers dispatched by the animal protection department attempted to catch the animal. Tourists visiting the Bitou Fishing Port in Ruifang District yesterday, Sunday, first spotted the seal swimming playfully in the harbor. At first it was speculated that the animal must be a Eurasian Otter, as seals have never been known
Read moreProsecutors request heavy sentences in smuggling case that led to death of 154 cats
Prosecutors in Kaohsiung City indicted nine men involved in an attempt to smuggle purebred cats into Taiwan, and recommended that four receive heavy sentences for masterminding the operation that led to the euthanizing of 154 felines. The four main suspects include a fishing company owner, Mr Cheng, 56, the owner of a pet breeding farm, named Lin, 42, a retired Coast Guard officer, named Chang, 50, and a friend of Chang’s, named Kuo, 49. The five other indictees consisted of
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