The Yilan County Government has urged residents to report sightings of spot-legged tree frogs to its Agriculture Department as part of efforts to protect native tree frog species from the invasive species.
The spot-legged tree frog is native to India and Indochina. During the breeding season, the frog’s eggs attach to aquatic plants and can enter Taiwan via imported plants.
The invasive species was spotted last year in Yilan in a pond and an orchard in Dongshan Township’s (冬山) Linlikeng (淋漓坑) area.
Photo courtesy of Yilan County Government
The species has a strong reproductive ability, eats smaller frogs and competes with other tree frogs that are native to Taiwan for food, water and space.
As a result, the Forestry Bureau has identified the spot-legged tree frog as an invasive species that poses a threat.
Volunteers from Taiwan Amphibian Conservation last year removed the invasive species after it was discovered in the Linlikeng area, but after the breeding season, local groups estimated that more than 100 spot-legged tree frogs had appeared in the area this spring.
The volunteers and the county government this year ramped up their efforts to remove the species.
They captured 26 male and three female spot-legged tree frogs on March 15; 43 male and one female on March 28; and 37 male and three female and two egg masses on April 12.
Although the volunteer group removes spot-legged tree frogs every week, due to a lack of personnel, it is unable to pay attention to every detail, volunteer Lai Yung-hsien (賴擁憲) said.
The invasive species has no natural enemies, he added.
After adapting to Taiwan, it might affect the survival of native species, he said, adding that the group needs more volunteers.
Some of the frogs that were removed have been placed in the “Chaotic World — Invasive Species” exhibition at the Yilan Green Expo, which runs until May 13.
Yang Yi-ju (楊懿如), an associate professor at National Dong Hwa University Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies is scheduled to speak about the threat of alien tree frog species at the expo on May 12.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
RSS