An 18-year-old Southeast Asian clouded leopard living at Taipei Zoo has died of multiple organ failure, the zoo said yesterday.
The female clouded leopard, named Yunhsin (雲新), was brought to Taiwan by wildlife smugglers and seized by customs officials in 2001 before the zoo took it into its care, the zoo said yesterday.
It initially kept its distance from humans, but gradually developed a rapport with zookeepers and started responding to visitors’ calls by moving toward them, the zoo said, adding that its gentle look impressed many visitors.
Photo courtesy of Taipei Zoo
Over the past few years, the animal grew senile, its mobility declined and its eyesight deteriorated to the point that it could barely respond to people calling to it, the zoo said.
To alleviate its discomfort, the zookeepers had adjusted the height of its food tray and closely monitored the animal on cold days, but it eventually succumbed to organ failure, it said.
The zoo urged people not to purchase animal or plant products with unidentified origins, as this would stop smugglers from making a profit and prevent the spread of animal diseases.
In related news, the Council of Agriculture’s Forestry Bureau yesterday unveiled an animal-themed calendar for next year to raise awareness about animal conservation.
The calendar is to be available at the bureau’s store in Taipei’s Huashan 1914 Creative Park from Saturday, it said.
The store, which opened this month, promotes Aboriginal cultural and agricultural products, as well as the bureau’s publications.
Last year’s forest-themed digital calendar, featuring botanical images and poetic descriptions, went viral online, but some people were disappointed that it was not physically available and could only be downloaded for a limited time.
The new calendar features images of animals that live in low-altitudes and near humans, the bureau said.
The calendar costs NT$250, but it would be on sale at 21 percent off on the first day, it said.
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
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
COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai
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