A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林).
This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong.
Photo courtesy of a fisher
The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at the time, although he took images and videos of the animal.
The photos have made waves within the public as well as the marine biology community, both in Taiwan and Japan.
“Not just a legend! The beautiful myth reappears in Taiwan,” said Jeng Ming-hsiou (鄭明修), head of Academia Sinica’s biodiversity research center, referencing how dugongs are sometimes considered the origin of mermaid myths.
The most recent record of a dugong in Taiwan were remains found in 1986, later sent to a museum for preservation, Jeng said.
He said he had personally traveled to Japan to study the animals, but only briefly caught a glimpse of them, adding that Japanese researchers tracking dugongs would be very interested in this finding.
In modern Taiwanese history, there has been no record of live dugongs caught in the wild, Taiwan Cetacean Society secretary-general Tseng Cheng-tsung (曾鉦琮) said.
Finding one in Yilan is unexpected, Tseng said, adding that it may have originated in Okinawa and followed ocean currents and food to Taiwan.
Dugongs are related to manatees, although they differ in their tail structure, Tseng added.
They feed on seagrass and so mainly inhabit shallow waters in Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia and Okinawa, meaning there is limited information on them in Taiwan, he added.
In the past, dugongs were hunted in large numbers for their skin, meat and bones, leading to a sharp decline in their population.
They now face severe issues around marine habitat loss.
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
The Taipei Summer Festival is to begin tomorrow at Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕), featuring four themed firework shows and five live music performances throughout the month, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said today. The festival in the city’s Datong District (大同) is to run until Aug. 30, holding firework displays on Wednesdays and the final Saturday of the event. The first show is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Aug. 13, 20 and 30. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney Pixar's movie Toy Story, the festival has partnered with Walt Disney Co (Taiwan) to host a special themed area on
BE CAREFUL: The virus rarely causes severe illness or death, but newborns, older people and those with medical conditions are at risk of more severe illness As more than 7,000 cases of chikungunya fever have been reported in China’s Guangdong Province this year, including 2,892 new cases last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it is monitoring the situation and considering raising the travel notice level, which might be announced today. The CDC issued a level 1 travel notice, or “watch,” for Guangdong Province on July 22, citing an outbreak in Foshan, a manufacturing hub in the south of the province, that was reported early last month. Between July 27 and Saturday, the province reported 2,892 new cases of chikungunya, reaching a total of 7,716
The New Taipei City Government today warned about the often-overlooked dangers of playing in water, and recommended safe swimming destinations to cool off from the summer heat. The following locations in the city as safe and fun for those looking to enjoy the water: Chienshuiwan (淺水灣), Baishawan (白沙灣), Jhongjiao Bay (中角灣), Fulong Beach Resort (福隆海水浴場) and Sansia District’s (三峽) Dabao River (大豹溪), New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department Director-General Yang Tsung-min (楊宗珉) said. Outdoor bodies of water have variables outside of human control, such as changing currents, differing elevations and environmental hazards, all of which can lead to accidents, Yang said. Sudden
RSS