Nine civilian patrols have been established in Nantou County to protect Taiwan’s endangered leopard cat population, the Council of Agriculture (COA) said in a statement yesterday.
The patrols are part of a pilot program launched by the Endemic Species Research Institute in 2019, which offers government grants to residents in Nantou and Miaoli counties to engage in the protection of the local populations of the small wild cat, it said.
Nationwide, there are about 300 to 500 leopard cats, the council said.
Photo provided by the Endemic Species Research Institute via CNA
The patrols work with local authorities on a range of conservation measures, such as reporting illegal traps, installing automatic cameras, cat-proofing poultry enclosures, and helping to catch and release leopard cats found on local farms, it said.
Annual grants for civilian protection efforts range from NT$60,000 to NT$100,000, the council said.
Nine patrols have been established in Nantou’s Jhongliao Township (中寮), and one of them, conducted by members of Yongsheng Temple (永盛宮) in Yongping Village (永平), in January helped relocate two leopard cats, the council said.
Experts at the institute trapped the two cats near chicken coops in the area, and they were found to be in good health, the council said.
The two — named Yong-ge (永哥) and Sheng-ge (盛哥) by patrol members — weighed 4.9kg and 4.6kg respectively, and were fitted with tracking collars as part of protection efforts, it said.
Yong-ge was on Feb. 3 released back into the wild by the institute, and Sheng-ge was released by Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) on Feb. 24, while he was visiting the area to collect feedback on the program, the council said.
Members of the patrol have helped the owners of the chicken coops set up protective fencing, and reinforce fencing at the coop where Sheng-ge was detected again on Sunday last week, it said.
The program has helped raise awareness about leopard cat conservation and can serve as a model for government cooperation with local communities, the council said.
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