An exhibition aimed at raising public awareness of the conservation of the endangered leopard cats was launched yesterday at Taipei Zoo to coincide with the debut of Chi Pao (集寶), a female leopard cat cub that was sheltered by the Endemic Species Research Institute and later transferred to the zoo after being injured in a placement project.
The institute said Chi Pao was born in March last year, thanks to the institute’s former Situ Conservation Research Project, which breeds leopard cats at its facility before placing them in suitable environments in the wilderness, adding that there are no more than 500 leopard cats remaining.
Endemic Species Research Institute assistant researcher Lin Yu-hsiu (林育秀) said the institute tried to use food to entice her back to its facility after a camera caught the cub limping on the eighth day after she was placed in a mountainous area in Nantou County’s Jiji Township (集集). However, she moved toward Jhuoshuei River (濁水溪), where a gravel excavation project cut off the radio signal transmission.
Photo courtesy of the Endemic Species Research Institute
It was not until the 20th day that Chi Pao, covered with wounds, found her way back to the institute, where she was immediately medicated and sheltered, she said.
Despite making a successful recovery, an injury to Chi Pao’s left front paw would hinder her ability to survive in the wild. After consulting placement assessment standards and careful deliberation, the institute decided to transfer her to Taipei Zoo, where she is to serve as an ambassador for leopard cat conservation and help raise awareness about the endangered species.
To coincide with this special occasion, the Forestry Bureau has launched an exhibition at the zoo showcasing artworks featuring leopard cats.
The exhibition features paintings, sculptures and paper sculptures of the species and is to continue until Sept. 7.
Forestry Bureau Director-General Lee Tao-sheng (李桃生) said that the leopard cat bears a special meaning for conservation as it is an important indicator of the well-being of the nation’s lowland forest ecology.
Once a prolific species in low-altitude mountainous areas across the nation, leopard cats can now be seen only in mountains between Miaoli County and Greater Tainan as a result of loss of habitat caused by development, as well as poaching and road accidents.
Lee said the exhibition features 106 lepard cat-themed artworks, as well as large paintings by kindergarten students, adding that while education disseminates knowledge about ecological conservation, art provides visual enjoyment and spiritual fulfillment — the exhibition, conveying each artist’s concerns and hopes about the conservation of the leopard cat’s habitats, is a mixture of both.
The coast guard drove away 567 Chinese boats and seized seven illegally operating in Taiwanese waters in the first six months of this year, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. They mostly operated near Kinmen and Penghu counties, resulting in fines totaling NT$1.7 million (US$52,440), it said. Three ships — two near Kinmen County and one near Penghu County — were detained in January for illegally crossing the border, while one ship each was detained near Kinmen in February and Penghu in March respectively, it said. The ship seized near Penghu in January was the Yun Ao (雲澳), detained by the CGA’s
Military photovoltaic projects have been found to have used Chinese-made devices blacklisted by the government, including Huawei Technologies Co routers, the Ministry of National Defense’s Armaments Bureau said on Thursday. An ongoing investigation has identified the illegal use of 128 current transformers, two routers and a data reader at the Hungchailin Army Base, Pinghai Navy Base and Tri-Service General Hospital’s Songshan branch, it said. The devices were manufactured in the Chinese factories of German solar energy equipment supplier SMA Solar Technology, Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Delta Electronics Co, Chinese electronics manufacturer Huawei and Taiwanese industrial PC maker Advantech Co, the bureau said. The bureau’s
Hong Kong’s Andy Lau (劉德華) on Wednesday announced that he would perform in Taiwan for the first time since 2013, with four shows at the Taipei Arena from Oct. 31 to Nov. 3. The concerts are part of Lau’s upcoming “Today... is the Day” tour, which began in Shanghai yesterday. He is also to perform in Singapore and Malaysia as part of the tour. In a news release, Lau said it felt good to be able to rehearse his dancing and singing for the tour, even though he had to don a face mask. “Holding these concerts has been something I have
Beijing’s recent provocative actions against the Philippines in the South China Sea were partly meant as a “dress rehearsal” for the invasion of Taiwan, former US deputy national security advisor Matt Pottinger said at a Heritage Foundation forum in Washington on Tuesday. Beijing’s blocking of a Philippine resupply mission on June 17 with unprecedented violence had multiple implications. “What they’re doing is trying to demonstrate that they can blockade, create a sense of futility and discredit the idea that the United States is going to help not only the Philippines, but by extension Taiwan,” Pottinger said. Pottinger was referring to a clash