A leopard cat was found dead on a road in Changhua County’s Fenyuan Township (芬園) on Friday, which researchers said was the first sighting of the species in the county.
The leopard cat is on the verge of extinction, and it is regrettable that the first one to be seen in Changhua was found dead, Endemic Species Research Institute assistant researcher Lin Yu-hsiu (林育秀) said.
Lin said her office was initially skeptical when a report of the animal’s discovery on the roadside came in, saying the county’s surveillance cameras had never recorded one of the cats anywhere in the county.
Photo: Yang Yu-ru, Taipei Times
The office also has no record of previous discoveries of injured or dead leopard cats in Changhua, she said.
One possibility is that the animal crossed into Changhua from Taichung’s Wufong District (霧峰), Lin said, adding that the young cat might have left its mother and set off to expand its territory.
Another possibility is that the cats are also living in Changhua County’s Baguashan (八卦山), but were unknown due to smaller numbers there, she said.
“This first sighting of a leopard cat in Changhua means we know too little about the animal and must invest more in research,” Lin said.
Friday’s discovery marks the seventh death from vehicle collision this year of a leopard cat, she said, adding that drivers must be made aware of the dangers of speeding to the animal.
The 3kg male cat, discovered by local resident Yang Shun-yu (楊順宇), who was driving through the area at about 10am on Friday, had already swollen from heat when discovered.
Yang said he drove by the area again at about 12pm on the way back home and saw that the dead animal was still there, at which time he moved the body to the center median, took pictures of it and sent them to a friend who is a professor.
Environmental studies professor Yang Yu-ju (楊玉如) looked at the photographs and confirmed the animal to be a leopard cat, and called the institute to report the finding.
Yang Shun-yu said he always buries cats and dogs he finds dead on the road out of respect for life, adding that he has buried 10 animals to date.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Many Japanese couples are coming to Taiwan to obtain donated sperm or eggs for fertility treatment due to conservatism in their home country, Taiwan’s high standards and low costs, doctors said. One in every six couples in Japan is receiving infertility treatment, Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare data show. About 70,000 children are born in Japan every year through in vitro fertilization (IVF), or about one in every 11 children born. Few people accept donated reproductive cells in Japan due to a lack of clear regulations, leaving treatment in a “gray zone,” Taichung Nuwa Fertility Center medical director Wang Huai-ling (王懷麟)
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
RSS