A female orangutan was sent to Britain early yesterday morning as part of a joint Taiwan-UK great-ape breeding program.
The orangutan, aged 12 and weighing 30kg, was handed over at CKS International Airport to staff from the Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre, a British primate facility, by zoologists from the National Pingtung University of Science and Technology.
The rescue-center personnel had traveled to Taiwan to escort the orangutan back to her new home in Britain.
The university's shelter for abandoned wild animals began planning for orangutans to be sent to Britain for breeding and research in 1999. As of last year, five orangutans and 11 gibbons had been sent to Britain.
The orangutan sent yesterday was the sixth, according to Pei Chia-chi (
The shelter has also been cooperating with its counterparts in Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand by sending other great apes there under a similar breeding and research program.
More than a decade ago, a large number of orangutans were smuggled into the country to be sold as pets or for other purposes, but which ended up being abandoned, Pei said.
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
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The New Taipei City Government today warned about the often-overlooked dangers of playing in water, and recommended safe swimming destinations to cool off from the summer heat. The following locations in the city as safe and fun for those looking to enjoy the water: Chienshuiwan (淺水灣), Baishawan (白沙灣), Jhongjiao Bay (中角灣), Fulong Beach Resort (福隆海水浴場) and Sansia District’s (三峽) Dabao River (大豹溪), New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department Director-General Yang Tsung-min (楊宗珉) said. Outdoor bodies of water have variables outside of human control, such as changing currents, differing elevations and environmental hazards, all of which can lead to accidents, Yang said. Sudden
Tropical Storm Podul has formed over waters north-northeast of Guam and is expected to approach the seas southeast of Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. The 11th Pacific storm of the year developed at 2am over waters about 2,660km east of Oluanpi (歐鑾鼻), Pingtung County — Taiwan's southernmost tip. It is projected to move westward and could have its most significant impact on Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday next week, the CWA said. The agency did not rule out the possibility of issuing a sea warning at that time. According to the CWA's latest update, Podul is drifting west-northwest
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