A species of giant bat of which only a few isolated members had been seen in Taiwan in the past 30 years is not as close to disappearing in Taiwan as conservationists had feared, the Council of Agriculture (COA) said yesterday.
A group of the creatures, which have a wing span of up to 1m, has been found on remote Turtle Mountain Island (龜山島) in Yilan County.
The bats, with the scientific name Pteropus dasymallus formosus, are some of the largest in the world and are commonly referred to as Formosan flying foxes.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE FORESTRY BUREAU
Until recently, some conservation experts had believed that the flying foxes had died out in Taiwan, as no specimens had been seen in the wild for a period of almost 30 years stretching from 1976.
A breakthrough came in 2005, when a team led by the council’s Forestry Bureau in conjunction with researchers from Taipei Zoo found three isolated specimens on Green Island (綠島).
The discovery prompted a renewed search for the giant flying mammals.
COA Conservation Division director Kuan Li-hao (管立豪) said a research team found a small group of flying foxes on Turtle Mountain Island in 2006.
Last year, after repeated surveillance and monitoring efforts, the group was revealed to be more than 20 strong.
The group has been placed under monitoring and plans to create a full-time monitoring station on the island are being discussed, he said.
Kuan said the council was also looking at working with Northeast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area authorities to establish a conservation zone for the bats.
Unlike other bat species, Formosan flying foxes do not possess echolocation abilities.
Instead, their sense of smell and eyesight are more fully developed, said Lin Liang-kong (林良恭), a professor at Tunghai University’s Department of Life Science.
They feed on nectar, blossoms, pollen and fruit, Lin said.
While the species is not recognized as endangered worldwide, they are under threat in some places because of human encroachment on their natural habitat and excessive culling.
The same factors are behind the disappearance of Formosan flying foxes in Taiwan over the last 30 years, COA officials said.
Large numbers of the mammals were caught to be eaten as a delicacy and many were raised as pets during the 1970s, causing the number of Formosan flying foxes to drop sharply, a Forestry Bureau specialist said.
The word “bat” in Chinese has a character that rhymes with the Chinese word for happiness, and bats are considered lucky charms in traditional culture.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS