The wild sambar population in Nantou County’s Jiufenershan (九份二山) has been restored to 4,000, after nearly two decades of intensive conservation following the 921 Earthquake, the Council of Agriculture’s Soil and Water Conservation Bureau said yesterday.
The bureau had been tight-lipped about the conservation program to avoid attracting visitors who might have disrupted the efforts, bureau Nantou Branch Director Chen Jung-chun (陳榮俊) said.
As the deer population has largely recovered, the bureau now deems it safe to reveal the program to the public for the first time as the 20th anniversary of the earthquake approaches, Chen said.
Photo provided by the Nantou branch of the Soil and Water Conservation Bureau
Tourists visiting would have disrupted reproduction during a critical time, he said, adding that the Endemic Species Research Institute and local residents estimate the deer population at about 4,000.
The 921 Earthquake, also known as the 1999 Jiji Earthquake, was a tremor of 7.3 on the Richter scale that wreaked havoc across Taiwan, resulting in 2,456 deaths and estimated property damage of NT$300 billion (US$9.71 million at the current exchange rate). The quake’s epicenter was in the county’s Jiji Township (集集).
The bureau was given the responsibility to restore 256 hectares in Nantou’s Guosing Township (國姓), later named the 921 Earthquake National Memorial Site in Jiufenershan, which was heavily damaged, he said.
The quake led to the collapse of Jiufenershan’s dip slope, triggering a 36 million cubic meter landslide that killed 41 people and 300 deer in a 180 hectare area, and forming two barrier lakes, he said.
Since then, the bureau has kept a constant watch on the condition of the slope and run a program to repopulate the area with wild deer by restoring the natural environment and releasing deer bred in captivity, he said.
Visitors are invited to observe the deer, provided that they do not harm or otherwise disturb the animals, he said, adding that herds often gather near the Slanted House (傾斜屋) on Longnan Road, the Ground Zero (震爆點) area and the barrier lake on Sezihkeng Creek (澀仔坑溪).
Two photography competitions are open for submissions until the end of July, with one focusing on the deer, and the other on natural scenery and the local community, he said.
A total of NT$180,000 in prize money is to be divided among the winning contestants, he said.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese