On the morning of November 22, 2020, when the staff of the Taipei City Zoo in Taiwan Province inspected the enclosure of the animals, they found that a Taiwan stone tiger was missing. Through surveillance, it was found that at 7 o'clock in the morning, the Taiwanese stone tiger made a gap in the fence and then escaped along the gap. Subsequently, the staff searched around the fence for a long time without finding the Taiwanese stone tiger; then searched the entire zoo, still fruitless. The staff believes it has escaped from the zoo.
Photo: The missing Taiwanese Shi Hu (Source: Taipei Zoo)
The missing Taiwanese stone tiger, named "FeiFei", is a 3-year-old female who was rescued and came to Taipei Zoo in June this year. Previously, due to serious injuries, the right hind leg of "Fei Fei" was amputated, so only 3 legs were left.
Photo: "Flying" has only 3 legs (Source: Taipei Zoo)
Taiwan's Shihu is the name people call the ocelot that lives in Taiwan. In terms of classification, the Taiwan stone tiger belongs to the East Asian species of ocelot. Since the Taiwanese clouded leopard was declared extinct, it has become the only wild cat on the island of Taiwan.
A century ago, there were tens of thousands of Taiwanese stone tigers on the island of Taiwan. However, due to factors such as over-hunting, habitat destruction, and pesticide abuse, they are becoming less and less numerous and have a narrower distribution range. In recent years, with the construction of roads and the increase of vehicles, Taiwan's Shihu has greatly increased the risk of "road killing", from 2011 to the present 10 years, only people have counted, nearly 100 Taiwan Shihu died in road killing.
Pictured: Taiwan's Shi Hu who died in road killings (Photo: Wang Xiaoming)
Now zoologists estimate that the total number of Taiwanese stone tigers, both wild and zoo-dwelling, is no more than 500, and the number is decreasing. If not properly protected, they may become the next Taiwan clouded leopard; if the Taiwan stone tiger is also extinct, there will be no wild cats in Taiwan, which will become the sadness of mankind. Therefore, every Taiwanese stone tiger in existence is a very precious little life.
Pictured: A wild Taiwanese stone tiger with tracking equipment installed (Photo by Chen Meiting)
Surprisingly, 17 days after the disappearance, on December 9, "Feifei" was found by the staff! It turned out that it was inside the zoo, and the staff found it near the otter pavilion. Ocelots are nocturnal animals that rest during the day and are active at night, and coupled with their penchant for hiding from people, it makes it more difficult for people to spot "flying".
Figure: Find "Flying"
According to veterinary examinations, the "flying" body did not suffer any obvious injuries, and the vital signs were stable. This is even more surprising: after losing one of its legs, it is very inconvenient to move, and during these long 17 days, what does it rely on to sustain its life?
Some people say that felines can minimize energy consumption by reducing their activities, thereby prolonging the time of starvation; others say that the ability of felines to hunt should never be underestimated, although "Feifei" only has 3 legs, it can still rely on tricks to catch some small animals to replenish energy... "Feifei" relies on what it relies on to maintain life has become a mystery, but there is no doubt that "Feifei" is an incomparably strong life.
Pictured: The veterinarian conducts a physical examination of Feifei
Taiwanese netizens were very happy after learning the news that "Feifei" had found it. At the same time, netizens also believe that the equipment and facilities of Taipei Zoo have major defects, which is an objective factor for "flying" to escape. Not long ago, a female anteater at Taipei Zoo climbed out of the fence and fled. The zoo is also aware of this problem and said that it will strengthen management in the future.