Man, dog win hearts of Kaohsiung

A man in his 70s and his dog were named "Heroes of the City" (城市英雄) yesterday by the Kaohsiung City Government for their persistent efforts to clean up Takao Hill (柴山), a 330m hill that has long been home to rare species of plants.

For decades the hill has drawn the attention of hikers due to its accessibility and the antics of a large population of Formosan rock macaque monkeys (台灣彌猴) that live on the hill.

Wu Cheng-lu (吳振祿), a Kaohsiung resident and avid hiker, has devoted himself to cleaning up the mountain since 1984, the year he retired.

On every one of his trips to the hill, he carries plastic bags to collect trash left by other hikers.

Six years ago, Wu's black dog, Kuro -- which means black in Japanese -- joined him in carrying out routine clean-up tasks.

Wu and Kuro then became known as the "green team." Kuro is able -- without any supervision -- to carry two bags of trash downhill with another bag in his mouth.

And what's more, Kuro almost never gets lost, Wu said with pride.

Yesterday, Kaohsiung City Mayor Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) went to the hill to give the award to Wu and Kuro, saying that their tale was far more touching than any saucy paparazzi story.

In addition to presenting the award, Hsieh yesterday had a veterinarian give Kuro a check-up and help treat a mold infection on the dog's tail.

Hsieh said that he hoped all hikers would take Wu as a model and help make Takao Hill cleaner and more beautiful.

Yang Ping-yu (楊娉育), the executive general of the Takao Hill Park Association (柴山自然公園促進會), said yesterday that there were many hikers who help clean the hill.

"Up until now, the environment on the hill has been maintained by volunteers rather than the city government, but this is not enough," Yang said.

Local residents frequently dump broken couches, tables and chairs on the hill.