The Wildlife Rescue and Research Center has treated more than 14,000 wild animals in the three decades since it was established, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Taiwan Biodiversity Research Institute said on Tuesday.
The Nantou County-based center has also been involved in breeding and reintroducing endangered species, such as leopard cats and Formosan black bears, into their natural habitats, institute director Yang Jia-dong (楊嘉棟) told a news conference in Taipei.
The center’s “expansion from [providing] basic first aid to a multifunctional, highly comprehensive and educational-grade animal hospital is the aspect that we, along with our colleagues at the rescue center, are most proud of over the years,” Yang said.
Photo: CNA
Since its establishment in December 1993, the center has treated more than 14,000 wild animals, including 138 leopard cats and more than 500 pangolins, the institute said.
The center has also collaborated with the Taichung branch of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency over the past three years to rescue four Formosan black bears that had been trapped or injured in the wild, it said.
Institute associate researcher Lin Kuei-shien (林桂賢) said that the center treats protected and non-protected species, although most cases involve common species such as sparrows, swallows and turtle doves.
The center typically receives injured wild animals from other units unable to provide treatment, Lin said, adding that it follows a comprehensive process for treating and releasing injured wildlife.
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