The Taipei Zoo has been a hot spot for tourism over the Lunar New Year holiday, with its penguin exhibit becoming one of the most visited pavilions as tourists flocked to it to see the zoo’s resident African penguins.
The African penguin is the only species of penguin that lives in Africa. Since 2013, it has been considered an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, as its population in the wild has been rapidly decreasing as a result of destruction of its habitats, marine pollution and overfishing.
The penguins can attain an average swimming speed of 7kph, reach top speeds of 20kph, and can remain under water for up to two minutes, the zoo said.
Photo courtesy of Taipei Zoo
Swimming is essential for penguins, and prolonged periods of staying on shore could cause the animals to suffer from bumble foot or similar diseases, the zoo said.
Zoo officials said they arrange for all of its resident penguin populations to take a “morning swim,” adding that the sight of many penguins gathered in the pool is not dissimilar to people lounging in hot springs.
The zoo also said it had installed new nano-bubble machines in the penguins’ pool to increase oxygen and purify the water.
Some of the penguins enjoy the novelty of the new machines and constantly swim through the bubbles, it said.
Visitors can visit the penguins and see them swim every day from 9:30am to 10:30am.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
Carrefour Taiwan is to begin using a new name from the start of July, but it cannot divulge the name until then, the chairman of the supermarket chain's parent company said today. President Chain Store Co chairman Lo Chih-hsien (羅智先) was asked by reporters after a shareholders' meeting to confirm whether the company has settled on a new name for the supermarket brand. In March, the government-registered name of two Carrefour Taiwan branches was quietly changed to "Le Chia Kang" (樂家康) in Chinese, raising speculation that has been selected as the name. Lo said that because of local regulations and contractual obligations, the
The Philippines would likely be involved in any conflict over Taiwan due to its proximity to the democracy claimed by China, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said, reiterating a stance that risks angering Beijing. “In the Philippines, we do not have a choice because Taiwan is so close to the Philippines and we have almost 200,000 Filipino nationals living and working in Taiwan,” Marcos said in an interview with Japanese media in Manila on Monday. The Philippine leader’s comments come ahead of a state visit to Japan next week, where he is to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to discuss security
RSS