Hundreds of Birds Killed by Rat Poison in Chiayi County

May 2, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Chiayi, poison, wildlife conservation law

A farmer was arrested in Shuishang township, Chiayi County, yesterday, after more than 250 dead birds were found around a rice field. The man admitted that he had spread poison grain in order to kill rats and mice that were feeding on his crop. Police started an investigation after it was reported that hundreds of dead birds had been found April 30. A 40 year-old man named Huang was taken in for questioning last night. He admitted that he had

Environment

May 1, 2018May 1, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment fishkill, Pingzhen District, pollution, Taoyuan

More than 10 tons of dead fish were collected from streams in Taoyuan City, after chemical contamination from a factory destroyed by fire over the weekend caused waters to turn acidic. Dead fish floated on the surface of local streams and covered creek banks beginning Sunday, after a fire, which was still smoldering this morning, Tuesday, May 1, consumed much of the multi-story printed circuit board factory Saturday night. Five fire fighters, and two Thai nationals employed at the factory

sewage sludge at beach in Kenting National Park

Marine and Fisheries

May 1, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Kenting, Pingtung County, pollution, sewage treatment

The waters of Nanwan Beach in Pingtung County’s Hengchun Township turned black this morning after sewage sludge was accidentally released from a sewage treatment plant. Beach-goers said that the water suddenly turned black and smelly at around 11:00am today, May 1. Surfers reported suffering from itchiness all over their bodies after being caught in the stinky slick. Liberty Times reported that foreign tourists remained unaware of the problem and continued to swim in the surf zone. Personnel from Pingtung County

Animals Marine and Fisheries

March 21, 2018March 21, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment cetacean, dwarf sperm whale, whale rescue

Taipei City Ocean Education Resource Center and the Taiwan Cetacean Society set up an emergency rescue pool at Guandu Elementary School to accommodate a dwarf sperm whale found stranded on a beach near Jinshan yesterday. It is the first case of cetacean rescue and school cooperation. The dwarf sperm whale was found stranded on Jinqing Beach by the 21st Coastal Patrol Squadron at around 11:00am, March 20. The cetacean is a mature female about 280 centimeters long. A veterinary assessment

A rubber band, plastic straw, pieces of string or wire, and other objects shown in the belly of a fish gutted in Ilan County Taiwan November 2016

Environment

February 13, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment marine environment, ocean, plastic, pollution

[Picture from previous article Litter Found in the Bellies of Dolphinfish ] A range of disposable plastic products, including plastic bags, drinking straws, disposable tableware, eating utensils, and drinking cups, will be completely banned by 2030 under a plan rolled out by the Environmental Protection Administration today, February 13. EPA Director, Lee Ying-Yuan launched the Taiwan Marine Waste Management Action Plan this morning. Under the plan, next year, 2019, will see plastic drinking straws banned in major chain restaurants. By

garbage at illegal dump site in Hsinchu County

Environment

January 15, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment garbage waterfall, illegal dumping

An American resident who publishes a website focused on waterfalls in Taiwan recently uncovered a “garbage waterfall” on a hiking trail in Hsinchu County. His video and reports on social media have received wide coverage in Taiwan’s Chinese language media. Xiao Fei (小飛), as he is known on Facebook posted a video on his Facebook page yesterday, January 14, with the message “Please help me get this message to the people that need to hear it.” A large, organized illegal

Animals Environment

December 30, 2017December 30, 2017 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment eurasian otter, Kinmen, Taipei Zoo

[Picture: Baicun Elementary School] A wounded otter was flown to Taipei Zoo for emergency surgery after wandering into an elementary school in Kinmen County yesterday, Friday, December 29. Veterinarians suspect the Eurasian otter was attacked by stray dogs. According to the principal of Baicun Elementary School, at around 10:00 am, teacher Chen Qianhui went to the natural science classroom to fetch some teaching materials for a class, when suddenly she saw an 80 centimeter long, rat-like animal running around in

Marine and Fisheries

December 26, 2017 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Taitung, trigonognathus kabeyai, viper sharks

A marine survey by the Council of Agriculture Fisheries Research Institute off the coast of Taitung County turned up some rare specimens of viper shark (Trigonognathus kabeyai), first recorded off the coast of Japan in 1986. Five specimens were netted at a depth of 350 meters, and one of the fish survived. The marine biologists attempted to keep the shark alive using cold seawater at 10°C, but the animal only survived for one day. So far, the species has only

coast guard vessels rescue crew of yacht

Marine and Fisheries

November 23, 2017 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment coast guard, Keelung, rescue

Coast Guard vessels from Keelung rescued the crew of a British-registered yacht after it lost power when a fishing net fouled its propeller in heavy seas about 50 nautical miles north of Cape Fugui yesterday. The Coast Guard received reports that a vessel was sending distress signals at around 5:25am yesterday, November 22. A coast guard cutter and a helicopter were immediately dispatched to facilitate a rescue. However, heavy seas, and the tall mast of the yacht made an airlift

dead finless porpoise and oil on contaminated beach

Marine and Fisheries

November 4, 2017November 4, 2017 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Indo-Pacific finless porpoise, Kinmen, ship aground

A dead juvenile finless porpoise was found on an oil-contaminated beach in Kinmen County yesterday, November 3, after a Chinese-registered gravel ship that ran aground last month broke up and sank around 700 meters offshore. The vessel Quan Hai 88 ran aground on October 16, with 10 tons of diesel fuel and 60 tons of heavy oil on board, according to this Liberty Times Network Report made on October 17. The same report said that port authorities on the Taiwan

The vessel harvest sky aground on the coast of Taiwan

Marine and Fisheries

October 21, 2017 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment koyomaru, nippon salvage, ship aground

A bulk carrier that ran aground off the coast of Taoyuan City October 14 was finally towed free at 11:00pm last night, October 20. The owners of the 95,717 DWT (Gross Tonnage: 50,626) Harvest Sky carrying a load of coal bound for an unloading facility in Linkou District accumulated fines of NT$800,000, after being issued an NT$100,000 fine every day the vessel was stranded. The vessel owners contracted Nippon Salvage to rescue the vessel, but a tug sent to attempt

Environment

Hundreds of Birds Killed by Rat Poison in Chiayi County

Chemical Leak from Factory Blaze Causes Fish-kill in Local Streams

Kenting Beach Contaminated by Sewage Sludge

Rescue Pool Set up at Elementary School to Rehabilitate Stranded Whale

EPA Sets Timetable to Achieve Plastics-free Ocean Goal

American Resident Draws Attention to Garbage Waterfall

Wounded Otter Rescued After Wandering into Kinmen Elementary School

Rare Sharks found in Taitung

Crew Rescued from British Yacht Adrift in Heavy Seas

Baby Finless Porpoise Washed up on Oil-Stained Beach

Stranded Bulk-freighter Finally Towed Free