The Directorate-General of Highways is installing an average speed control system along a section of Highway No. 13 in Miaoli County to prevent leopard cats being killed by traffic.
The system would be ready for use by the end of June, the agency said.
Following a grace period, police would start cracking down on drivers speeding along the section, which passes through Zaociao Township (造橋), it said.
Photo courtesy of Chiu Chih-chang
From March 15, the speed limit on the section was reduced to 50kph at night, from 60kph, the agency said, adding that the average speed control system should further reduce the number of animals killed by vehicles.
The agency said that it has also worked with experts at the Council of Agriculture’s Endemic Species Research Institute and National Chung Hsing University to develop the nation’s first roadkill alert system, which uses artificial intelligence technology, and light and sound sensors.
Since May last year, it has used the alert system to monitor a section of Highway No. 3 in Miaoli’s Jhuolan Township (卓蘭), where leopard cats appear frequently.
Leopard cats are classified as a level 1 endangered species in Taiwan and are active in the hilly areas in Taichung and Nantou and Miaoli counties, the agency said.
Because the natural habitats of leopard cats are sundered by highways, they are often killed by traffic, it added.
The agency said that it has adopted several measures to ensure the safety of the endangered species along highways, including building animal passages and erecting protective netting.
Experts from the institute have also assisted the agency in identifying the best locations to place bulletin boards to remind drivers to slow down, it said.
In other developments, an adult male leopard cat that was severely injured on Highway No. 6 on Jan. 25 was returned to the wild on Wednesday last week after being treated at the institute, the agency said.
The injured leopard cat was found on a cold and rainy night by a driver on a section of the highway near Miaoli City, the agency said, adding that other drivers also stopped their vehicles to help, covering the leopard cat with a towel, holding an umbrella over it and directing the traffic.
The leopard cat was grazed and bruised and had cuts on its mouth and tongue, Miaoli County’s Agriculture Department said, adding that it also had a concussion.
Veterinarians operated and used hyperbaric oxygen therapy to stabilize it, the department said, adding that it was later sent to the institute.
The agency said that it produced a film documenting the leopard cat’s recovery and its return to its natural habitat, which can be viewed at http://a1.pise.pw/QTKKA.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
American climber Alex Honnold is to attempt a free climb of Taipei 101 today at 9am, with traffic closures around the skyscraper. To accommodate the climb attempt and filming, the Taipei Department of Transportation said traffic controls would be enforced around the Taipei 101 area. If weather conditions delay the climb, the restrictions would be pushed back to tomorrow. Traffic controls would be in place today from 7am to 11am around the Taipei 101 area, the department said. Songzhi Road would be fully closed in both directions between Songlian Road and Xinyi Road Sec 5, it said, adding that bidirectional traffic controls would
RSS