■ SOCIETY
Panda phone-link launched
Taipei Zoo launched a “Ring-a-Panda” service on Thursday, enabling subscribers to watch the zoo’s two pandas live via videophone. Panda-loving 3G phone users can dial a number and then view either two hours of live broadcasts from the Panda House, or hours of prerecorded footage of Tuan Tuan (團團) and Yuan Yuan (圓圓). An average of 12,500 people have visited the Panda House every day since the pair went on display, making them the zoo’s star attraction.
■ SOCIETY
Clown fish aquarium opens
The world’s first clown fish aquarium opened yesterday, featuring 18 species and nearly 1,500 clown fish. The Aquarium of Anemonefish is located in the Aquatic Ecosystem Exhibition Museum in Chengkung Township (成?Taitung County. The public can see many rare species of clown fish and learn more about the progress in local artificial fish-breeding techniques, aquarium planner Ho Yuan-hsing (何源興) said. The 18 species on exhibit consist of five native to Taiwan and 13 developed by scientists — five in Taiwan’s research center and eight from abroad, Ho said. One of the many special and rare types of clown fish on display is the skunk clown fish, which has a long, straight white line on its back and comes from East Africa, Ho said. Some other rare species are black in color, he said.
■ TOURISM
Hualien awaits lucky visitor
The tourist service center at Hualien train station is looking to welcome its 500,000th visitor sometime next week. Hualien County Tourism Bureau Chief Lin Pao-shu (林寶樹) said the county was planning an activity to award a prize to the lucky 500,000th visitor to the tourist service center since it was established in 2004. The center recorded its 300,000th visitor on Sept. 29, 2007, he said. Tourist arrivals in Hualien, one of the more popular tourist destinations in the country, have topped 500,000 since the beginning of this year, Lin said.
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