A liger that was adopted by an animal rescue center in Pingtung County shortly after it was born is now nine years old, which is rare for the mixed species, the National Pingtung University of Science and Technology’s Rescue Center for Animals said.
A liger refers to the offspring of a male lion and a female tiger.
A-biao (阿彪) came to the center in 2010 after the Council of Agriculture seized it from a local farmer.
Photo courtesy of the Pingtung Rescue Center
The farmer had put a male African lion and a female Bengal tiger into a pen together and bred them “for amusement” in contravention of the Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法), the council said.
Three cubs were produced from the litter, one of which died immediately after birth and another which died a week later, but A-biao survived, despite having a deformed spine due to missing DNA, the center said.
Under the care of center staff, A-biao has survived to the age of nine, but he has had a difficult life, the center said, adding that it hopes A-biao serves as a reminder about the need to respect wildlife.
“The long-term expenses for raising [A-biao], including the cost of medical care and other resources, has been no small sum. Conservation is also getting costlier. Now more than ever we need the public’s help,” the center said.
Any donations would be put toward improving facilities for the animals, it added.
A-biao, like most ligers, is larger than either of his parents. He was born with a spine shaped like an “s,” a tail that was missing bones and an inoperative left hind leg, the center said.
University professor Pei Jai-chyi (裴家騏) said that many of the animals at the center are exotic animals that were smuggled into the country and later abandoned, such as orangutans, sun bears and African spurred tortoises.
Taiwan was once notorious for animal smuggling, but has since become known for its conservation work, he said.
However, funding for conservation has been shrinking over the past decade, he added.
The center receives 95 percent of its funding from the Forestry Bureau, which has slashed its conservation budget more than 30 percent over the past 10 years, he said, adding that the center relies on two vets, two assistant vets and 17 caretakers to look after 1,500 animals.
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS