About 20 animals that the Taipei City Zoo has given to the Chishang Ranch in Taitung County over the past five years have died because of illness or poor adaptation to their new environment.
With the zoo overcrowded, 48 animals, including bongo, a species of forest antelope, and Mongolian wild horses, have been sent to the ranch since 2003.
Taipei Zoo Animal Division director Chao Ming-chieh (趙明杰) said the zoo was also concerned about having too many of any one type of animal, and therefore donated to the ranch in an attempt to balance its number of animals.
The zoo signed a contract with the ranch and established a park there with wild animals that it had sent.
The zoo transported large herbivorous animals to the open ranch, but they adapted poorly to their new environment.
The zoo sent seven common elands, five bongos, eight addaxes, seven Mongolian wild horses, two llamas, ten Dromaius novaehollandiae, five zebras and two hippos to the ranch.
While some of the animals bred after moving to their new home, about 20 animals, including the wild horses and bongo, died of enteritis, flu or other diseases or accidents.
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