The government is taking lessons from the recent mass die-off of endangered black-faced spoonbills in southern Taiwan and studying the feasibility of forming a permanent team of specialists to deal with similar wildlife conservation issues in the future, the Council of Agriculture said yesterday.
Council Vice Chairman Tai Cheng-yao (戴振耀) made the remarks during an international symposium on black-faced spoonbills held in Tainan County.
Tai noted that despite strenuous efforts to save them, 73 black-faced spoonbills have died from botulism poisoning since the first reported cases Dec. 9 in the Chiku Wetland.
He said that designating a black-faced spoonbill conservation area in Tainan County is not enough; the nation has to learn from the experiences of other countries to reduce the incidence of mishaps among endangered birds.
Tainan County Magistrate Su Huan-chi (蘇煥智) expressed his appreciation at the symposium to those who had helped rehabilitate the birds that were saved and said that the symposium will serve as a reference for future rescue operations.
Experts from Japan, the US and Taiwan participated in the two-day meeting to discuss black-faced spoonbill conservation, identification of illness in the birds and subsequent contingency measures, and management and analysis of their habitat.
Meanwhile, with the weather becoming warmer, bird watchers in Tainan have reported that the number of endangered birds is decreasing.
They said that from past experience, this is about the time that spoonbills start to migrate north and that the number would normally decrease dramatically by the end of the month.
By the end of May, all the birds will likely have left.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS