The Formosan clouded leopard, a subspecies endemic to Taiwan, has become extinct, according to a team of local and US zoologists that had been trying for 13 years to find the animal.
“There is little chance that the clouded leopard still exists in Taiwan. There may be a few of them, but we do not think they exist in any significant numbers,” zoologist Chiang Po-jen (姜博仁) said.
Chiang and Pei Jai-chyi (裴家騏), a professor at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology and a leading figure in the nation’s wildlife conservation movement, invited the team of zoologists in 2001 to search for the tree-dwelling cat in primary forests in Dawushan (大武山), Yushan (玉山) and Taroko National Park.
While searching for the leopard, which typically weighs between 10kg and 20kg, the researchers set up about 1,500 infrared cameras and scent traps in the mountains.
However, no evidence was found to suggest that the leopard still exists, Chiang said.
Pei said the team concluded that the leopard became extinct as a result of poaching and the destruction of its habitat due to development projects.
The results were “disappointing,” said zoologist Liu Jian-nan (劉建男), who is a post-doctoral fellow at the Biodiversity Research Center of Academia Sinica.
He said the search was driven by a belief that the leopard still existed and that the team would discover one in the wild.
Now the only Formosan clouded leopard left in Taiwan is the stuffed specimen at the National Taiwan Museum, Liu said.
The two clouded leopards at Taipei Zoo are imported species from Southeast Asia, he added. The research findings have been submitted to Oryx, an international conservation journal, and are expected to be published in the next six months, Liu said.
Kuan Li-hao (管立豪), a division chief at the Forestry Bureau, said that after the report is published, the Council of Agriculture’s Wildlife Conservation Advisory Committee would seek to verify the information and would decide whether the Formosan clouded leopard should be taken off the government’s list of protected animals.
The first of 10 new high-capacity trains purchased from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem arrived at the Port of Taipei yesterday to meet the demands of an expanding metro network, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. The train completed a three-day, 1,200km voyage from the Port of Masan in South Korea, the company said. Costing NT$590 million (US$18.79 million) each, the new six-carriage trains feature a redesigned interior based on "human-centric" transportation concepts, TRTC said. The design utilizes continuous longitudinal seating to widen the aisles and optimize passenger flow, while also upgrading passenger information displays and driving control systems for a more comfortable
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
Quarantine awareness posters at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport have gone viral for their use of wordplay. Issued by the airport branch of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency, the posters feature sniffer dogs making a range of facial expressions, paired with advisory messages built around homophones. “We update the messages for holidays and campaign needs, periodically refreshing materials to attract people’s attention,” quarantine officials said. “The aim is to use the dogs’ appeal to draw focus to quarantine regulations.” A Japanese traveler visiting Taiwan has posted a photo on X of a poster showing a quarantine dog with a
Taiwan’s coffee community has launched a “one-person-one-e-mail” campaign, calling for people to send a protest-e-mail to the World Coffee Championships (WCC) urging it to redesignate Taiwanese competitors as from “Taiwan,” rather than “Chinese Taipei.” The call followed sudden action last week after the WCC changed all references to Taiwanese competitors from “Taiwan” to “Chinese Taipei,” including recent World Latte Art champion Bala (林紹興), who won the World Latte Art Championship in San Diego earlier this month. When Bala received the trophy, he was referred to as representing Taiwan, as well as in the announcement on the WCC’s Web site, until it
RSS