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.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
President William Lai (賴清德) should protect Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), and stop supporting domestic strife and discord, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrote on Facebook yesterday. US President Donald Trump and TSMC on Monday jointly announced that the company would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next few years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US. The TSMC plans have promoted concern in Taiwan that it would effectively lead to the chipmaking giant becoming Americanized. The Lai administration lacks tangible policies to address concerns that Taiwan might follow in Ukraine’s footsteps, Ma wrote. Instead, it seems to think it could