exotic species

If you can’t beat ’em, eat ’em: alien invaders incorporated into local cuisine

cooked snakehead
Environment 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , , , ,

A restaurant in Nantou County is serving up a dish featuring giant snakehead fish caught in Sun Moon Lake, in the hope that creating a market will help reduce numbers of the ecologically destructive invasive species. Local angler Huang Hsiaosi made news headlines earlier this week when he caught 14 of the voracious predator fish in a 9-hour overnight fishing session on Sun Moon Lake using live carp as bait. Huang said that a total of 29 fish took the

Read more

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

spectacled caiman in zizania pond
Animals 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

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.

Read more

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

composite image showing snakebite victim in back of truck and government warning about cobras.
Animals Environment 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , , ,

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 more

Fishing Contest to Target Exotic Species

Anglers using lures on Lotus Pond in Kaohsiung City
Environment Sport 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

A group of 40 expert anglers will gather at Lotus Pond (蓮池潭) in Kaohsiung City this Sunday, March 19, to compete in a lure fishing contest targeting invasive predatory species including the giant snakehead. Kaohsiung City Council members Chen Mei-juan (陳玫娟) and Qiu Jun-xian (邱俊憲) told reporters that exotic species had become a serious problem in the lake, requiring a considerable expenditure of manpower and resources. Invasive species include jaguar fish (Cichlasoma managuense), Amazon Peacock Bass (Cichla ocellaris), red devil

Read more