The Freeway Bureau yesterday temporarily closed the Formosa Freeway’s (Freeway No. 3) outer lane and shoulder in Yunlin County after detecting a massive migration of purple crow butterflies.
The number of purple crow butterflies flying across the freeway section in the county’s Linnei Township (林內) reached 250 per minute at about 9am, Taiwan Purple Crow Butterfly Ecological Preservation Association deputy chairman Chen Jui-hsiang (陳瑞祥) said, adding that the bureau closed the outer lane and shoulder in the section (251K to 253K milestone) at 9:20am.
The maximum number of purple crow butterflies recorded yesterday morning exceeded 687 per minute, the association said.
Photo: CNA
This year, swarms of purple crow butterflies did not begin migrating north from Kaohsiung’s Maolin District (茂林) until Feb. 28, but arrived at Linnei earlier than usual, Chen said.
“In the past, the northbound section in Linnei would not need to be closed until after March 20. This year, we first closed the outer lane on Monday, when the maximum number of purple crow butterflies reached 294 per minute. This morning was the second time this year that we had to close the freeway lane for migrating butterflies, with the number exceeding that recorded on Monday,” he said.
As the nation has entered the purple crow butterfly season, Chen said the Freeway Bureau would implement a series of measures to protect the migrating butterflies as it has in the past, including setting up a 1,100m-long, 4m-high net along the northbound lane between 251km and 253km on Freeway No. 3.
The outer lane would be closed when 250 butterflies fly across the section per minute, he said.
Motorists only need to observe the speed limit when driving through the section and need not slow down for the butterflies, he said.
People can watch the massive migration of purple crow butterflies before or after Tomb Sweeping Day on April 5, Chen said, adding that the best time to view the butterflies is from 9am to 11am.
In other news, the Taipei City Animal Protection Office warned that people would contravene the Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法) if they hurt or kill Formosa magpies or destroy their nests.
The breeding season of Formosan magpies, which is a protected species in Taiwan, lasts from this month to July, the office said.
People are advised to bypass young magpies fallen from nests and call the office first, as adult magpies could attack those holding young magpies, it said.
The office last year recorded 20 incidents in which humans were attacked by Formosan magpies, with most of the incidents occurring in Taipei’s Xinyi (信義) and Wenshan (文山) districts.
People removing nests of Formosa magpies or directly retaliating when attacked could face up to one year in prison or a fine of NT$60,000 to NT$300,000, the office said.
The penalties would rise to two years in prison or a fine of NT$100,000 to NT$500,000 if they kill the protected species, it said.
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