Madou Crocodiles King (麻豆鱷魚王) is looking to China as a potential buyer for its main attraction — a giant crocodile — as the Tainan zoo’s closing date approaches.
The zoo’s eponymous king croc is a saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) that is 5.8m long and weighs 1,250kg.
It devours 20kg to 30kg of fish daily, and will continue to grow to between 7m and 8m, said Chiu Hsi-ho (邱錫河), owner of the zoo in Madou District (麻豆).
Chu, who has cared for the massive reptile for 30 years, said it is the biggest living crocodile in the nation and a pampered pet that he has come to regard as an “old friend.”
However, the 37-year-old zoo can no longer keep its business license due to recent changes to the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法), and is due to close on Feb. 4, Chu said.
Chu is looking for buyers for the 166 types of animals in his zoo, some of which are rare specimens, including his “old friend.”
The most likely buyer for the croc is a zoo in the Chinese city of Xiamen, he said.
“They gave us pandas, so maybe I can send them this crocodile in return,” he said.
“It will be the biggest crocodile in China, too,” he said.
“Letting people know where it came from can be a good way of promoting Taiwan,” he added.
Prior to the zoo’s closing, this might be the last chance for people to see his giant croc, Chu said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
When Paraguayan opposition lawmaker Leidy Galeano returned from an all-expenses-paid tour of six Chinese cities late last year, she was convinced Paraguay risked missing out on major economic gains by sticking with longtime ally Taipei over Beijing — a message that participants on the trip heard repeatedly from Chinese officials. “Everything I saw there, I wanted for my country,” said Galeano, a member of the newly-formed Yo Creo party whose senior figures have spoken favorably about China. This trip and others like it — which people familiar with the visits said were at the invitation of the Chinese consulate in Sao Paulo
RSS