The Formosan clouded leopard, a subspecies endemic to Taiwan, has become extinct, according to a team of local and US zoologists that had been trying for 13 years to find the animal.
“There is little chance that the clouded leopard still exists in Taiwan. There may be a few of them, but we do not think they exist in any significant numbers,” zoologist Chiang Po-jen (姜博仁) said.
Chiang and Pei Jai-chyi (裴家騏), a professor at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology and a leading figure in the nation’s wildlife conservation movement, invited the team of zoologists in 2001 to search for the tree-dwelling cat in primary forests in Dawushan (大武山), Yushan (玉山) and Taroko National Park.
While searching for the leopard, which typically weighs between 10kg and 20kg, the researchers set up about 1,500 infrared cameras and scent traps in the mountains.
However, no evidence was found to suggest that the leopard still exists, Chiang said.
Pei said the team concluded that the leopard became extinct as a result of poaching and the destruction of its habitat due to development projects.
The results were “disappointing,” said zoologist Liu Jian-nan (劉建男), who is a post-doctoral fellow at the Biodiversity Research Center of Academia Sinica.
He said the search was driven by a belief that the leopard still existed and that the team would discover one in the wild.
Now the only Formosan clouded leopard left in Taiwan is the stuffed specimen at the National Taiwan Museum, Liu said.
The two clouded leopards at Taipei Zoo are imported species from Southeast Asia, he added. The research findings have been submitted to Oryx, an international conservation journal, and are expected to be published in the next six months, Liu said.
Kuan Li-hao (管立豪), a division chief at the Forestry Bureau, said that after the report is published, the Council of Agriculture’s Wildlife Conservation Advisory Committee would seek to verify the information and would decide whether the Formosan clouded leopard should be taken off the government’s list of protected animals.
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 today amid outcry over his decision to wear a Nazi armband to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case last night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and covering the book with his coat. Lee said today that this is a serious
RSS