Taitung County

Taiwan Bear rescued from trap released after 8 month rehabilitation

Formosan black bear released into the wild
Animals 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

A Formosan black bear rescued from an animal trap in Taitung County in December regained his freedom today after eight months recovering from wounds and surgery. Umas, as the bear was named, was found caught in a boar trap in the mountain district of Haiduan Township in December 2020. Estimated to be between one and two years old, Umas was found to have old and new injuries, including fractures, necrosis of his right forelimb, and gunshot wounds. After recovering from

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Taitung County councillor goes naked in support of vaccines for medics

Taitung County Councillor Gu Zhicheng, naked
Politics 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment , ,

A Taitung County Councillor has come under criticism after uploading pictures of himself naked but for a surgical mask and a piece of A4 paper covering his private parts with a message “support doctors and nurses, want vaccines, come on!” According to reports, Gu Zhicheng (古志成), of the Koumintang Party(KMT/Chinese Nationalist Party), uploaded the picture to a private Line group. However, a member of the group leaked the picture to Facebook, where it has been subject to wide condemnation. Gu

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Man seriously injured after paraglider accident

injured paraglider being put into ambulance
Aviation 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

A paragliding instructor was rushed to hospital with serious injuries after crash landing on a beach in Dulan Township, Taitung County today, April 23. According to China Times, the 70-year-old senior instructor, named Deng, was flying a powered paraglider at around noon, when it suddenly lost power and fell from a height of around three stories. Witnesses at a nearby camping area immediately called emergency services and rushed to the man’s assistance. Deng suffered a serious head injury and was

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Two rail workers killed, one injured after being hit by locomotive

site of fatal accident at Haiduan Railway Station
Health and Safety 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

Two railway maintenance workers died, and another was seriously injured, after they were hit by a maintenance vehicle in Taitung County this morning, February 23. The three men were replacing a switch on tracks around one kilometer from Haiduan Train Station in Guanshan Township when they were hit by an electric maintenance vehicle being driven by a trainee driver at 8:35 am, according to reports. The three injured workers were rushed to Guanshan Tzu Chi Hospital, but two were pronounced

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New lake formed by landslide in Taitung County, but Safety concerns about possible dam burst

barrier lake formed by landslide dam in Taitung County, Taiwan
Environment 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

The Taitung Forest District Management Office is monitoring a barrier lake formed after a landslide blocked a section of the upper reaches of the Danan River in Taitung county, and is warning residents and visitors to stay out of the riverbed below the newly-formed natural dam. Residents of Dongxing Village, Beinan Township, Taitung County, alerted authorities after water in the Danan Stream had a sudden significant decrease in water flow on February 5. A subsequent investigation revealed that a landslide

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Pilot dies after fighter jet crashes off east coast

F-5E fighter, ROC Air Force, Taiwan
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment , ,

The pilot of an F-5E fighter jet died after ejecting from the plane off the coast of Taitung County this morning, October 29. The F-5E single-seat fighter of the Air Force Seventh Wing crashed into the sea shortly after taking off from the Taitung Chihhang Air Force Base at 7:30 am on a regular training mission. The pilot, Captain Chu Kuan-meng (朱冠甍) reported engine failure two minutes after take off, and ejected from the aircraft over the ocean. An Air

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Pilot whale delights tourists on Taiwan’s east coast

pilot whale close to tourists on shore at Sanxiantai, Taitung County, Taiwan
Animals 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

Tourists were both delighted, but also nervous when a pilot whale approached the shore at Sanxiantai in Taitung County recently. Hundreds of tourists were on the shore, some wading ankle deep, when the whale swam within a few meters of the beach on Monday, July 29. The whale circled around and came back to shore, leading one woman, fearful that the whale intended to beach itself, shouting, “don’t come back, don’t come back!” After completing a circle, the whale swam

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Bear cub rescued after wandering into village, chased by dogs

Formosan black bear rescued in Taitung County
Animals 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

A Formosan black bear cub was rescued and handed over to wildlife protection workers after it wandered into a village in Taitung County and was chased by dogs. Wildlife protection officials said that the bear cub was less than a year old, and appears to have become separated from its mother. The cub was sent for a check-up, and to receive care in preparation for release back into the wild. Mr Wang, the owner of a fishing pond in Haiduan

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Playboy arrested after pretending to sodomize police officer on video

Lee,
Society 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment ,

The son of a wealthy businessman was arrested in the early hours of the morning today, after an investigation into a video showing him pretending to perform a sex act on a police officer when the officer bent over to write a speeding ticket. February 24 this year, Lee Weide (李威德), 25, was traveling with friends in Cheng-gong Township, Taitung County, when he was pulled over by a police officer for speeding. A video of the incident uploaded to social

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Plastic garbage found in stomach of dead, pregnant whale

garbage found in belly of whale
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , , ,

A dead whale that washed up on a beach in Cheng-gong Township, Taitung County, March 15, was found to have a significant amount of plastic and other man-made materials in its stomach, after being dissected, yesterday, March 19. Researchers from the Ocean Conservation Administration, and the Taiwan Cetacean Society, said the 565-centimeter-long Cuvier’s beaked whale was pregnant, and contained a 165-centimeter-long fetus. Inside the stomach of the whale, the researchers found 6 plastic bags, 4 burlap bags, a piece of

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