A pygmy hippopotamus named Thabo, originally from Singapore, has been confirmed dead by the Taipei Zoo due to what the zoo said was malnutrition and infection.
In a statement yesterday, the Taipei Zoo, which was home to Thabo, confirmed that the 2-year-old hippo from Singapore’s Mandai Wildlife Group passed away sometime after 4 am, despite efforts to treat it over the past month.
Taipei Zoo spokesperson Tsao Hsien-shao (曹先紹) said caring for large animals is difficult, as they cannot be easily given injections or IV drops or be tube-fed.
Photo courtesy of Taipei Zoo via CNA
Tsao also mentioned Thabo’s shyness as a factor in its care. The zoo’s team tried hiding medication in its feed, but the hippo refused to take it, Tsao said.
Pygmy hippos, which live in forests, savannas, and wetlands, are listed as “endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This status indicates that the number of mature individuals has decreased to between 2,000 and 2,499 worldwide.
According to the zoo’s statement, Thabo arrived at the Taipei Zoo in mid-November 2024 and was first seen by the public in January 2025.
On Feb. 11, a zookeeper noticed a wound on Thabo’s right foot and began treating it with oral medication and daily cleaning. The hippo refused the medication, however, and kept avoiding the zookeepers, making treatment difficult.
As Thabo developed more lumps on its body, the condition worsened due to the cold air mass and drastic temperature fluctuations between day and night, as Thabo was accustomed to the stable, warm weather of Singapore.
On Sunday, the care team set up an emergency unit to provide round-the-clock care, but Thabo’s white blood cell count, muscle index, and other indicators related to liver and kidney function continued to rise before the animal’s death.
An autopsy performed by a veterinary team from National Taiwan University later confirmed that Thabo suffered from malnutrition and infection, the zoo said.
Tsao said the zoo will continue to investigate the causes of Thabo’s death to determine whether the zoo’s environment posed any risk to other animals, while also reflecting on how care procedures might be improved.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his