After an eight-year application process, a male gorilla named Pao Pao (寶寶) at Taipei Zoo is to travel to Apenheul Primate Park in the Netherlands next month to breed.
Pao Pao was two years old when he was smuggled to Taiwan in 1987.
In the wild, young gorillas stay with their mothers until they are 11, when they form their own families, zoo spokesman Eric Tsao (曹先紹) said on Saturday.
Photo courtesy of Taipei Zoo
Because Pao Pao comes from the wild in Cameroon and gorillas are social animals, Pao Pao’s smuggling suggests that a large number of gorillas were hunted and killed, Tsao said.
As a result, there was no way that the zoo could purchase Pao Pao, he said, adding that Shin Kong Financial Holding Co chairman Eugene Wu (吳東進) donated him to the zoo.
Now approaching his 33rd birthday, Pao Pao has been approved by the European Endangered Species Program’s gorilla species committee to travel to the Netherlands to breed and increase the genetic diversity of the off-site population.
A fan of Pao Pao surnamed Yang (楊) said she lives near the zoo and for the past three years, has visited at least five times a week to speak to Pao Pao.
When she first met Pao Pao at the African animal area, he was sitting in front of the window looking sad, Yang said, adding that this inspired her to learn more about gorillas and the conditions they face.
When Pao Pao becomes a father, Yang said she will definitely visit him in the Netherlands.
Cheng Shan (鄭善), who has worked at the zoo for 27 years and is responsible for gardening, said that although she is not Pao Pao’s direct caregiver, she has developed a deep bond with him.
She always shouts his name while at work, and Pao Pao goes to her, Cheng said.
It has become a habit, Cheng said, adding that she hopes Pao Pao lives a better life in the Netherlands.
Pao Pao enjoys locally grown fruits such as guavas, papayas and oranges, Tsao said.
He especially enjoys guavas, so the zoo has designed guava-shaped farewell cards for the departing gorilla, Tsao added.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
The age requirement for commercial pilots and airline transport pilots is to be lowered by two years, to 18 and 21 years respectively, to expand the pool of pilots in accordance with international standards, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced today. The changes are part of amendments to articles 93, 119 and 121 of the Regulations Governing Licenses and Ratings for Airmen (航空人員檢定給證管理規則). The amendments take into account age requirements for aviation personnel certification in the Convention on International Civil Aviation and EU’s aviation safety regulations, as well as the practical needs of managing aviation personnel licensing, the ministry said. The ministry
RSS