Two yellow-throated martens loiter around Taitung hotels

Two yellow-throated martens loiter around Taitung hotels

2025-02-07

A pair of yellow-throated martens have become uninvited guests at hot-spring resorts in Taitung. Although they’ve been quite a nuisance peeping at bathing tourists and stealing food from pets and humans alike, visitors seem more than delighted to spot them. But make sure you don’t get too excited if you do see them in the wild: yellow-throated martens are a protected species that prefer the quiet.

A dark face, a golden body and a long black tail. These fox-like creatures that behave like cats are yellow-throated martens, which are a protected species in Taiwan.

Here they are, one running after the other on Tianlong Suspension Bridge in Taitung. They’re also frequently spotted in nearby hot-spring resorts, peeping at tourists and sneaking cat food and boxed meals. They’re a cute nuisance for hoteliers in the area.

Hotelier
The yellow-throated martens run around in the area, and they’ll jump around on the fences, and walk around on the suspension bridge here. Visitors will think they’re very cute and will want to take pictures up close. But we’re afraid they’ll get injured and it could be dangerous.

Chao Ren-fang
I-Shou University
Even though yellow-throated martens are carnivorous, they pose little risk of harm for humans. And generally speaking, they’ll avoid areas with human activity, because they need a quieter space free from disturbances by humans.

September to December is their mating season, so they can be seen in mid- to high-altitude regions over this period. But don’t get too excited if you do spot them. They’re carnivores and a protected species.

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南橫天龍吊橋附近"萌獸現蹤" 2隻黃喉貂入侵飯店

2025-02-07

最近在台東南橫天龍吊橋附近，時常會出沒一對可愛的黃喉貂。甚至還會跑到附近的飯店，偷看人泡湯，或是偷吃貓糧和其他食物，令業者十分苦惱。但生態專家提醒，黃喉貂儘管外表可愛，卻是肉食性動物，獵食起來十分兇狠，最好不要去打擾他們。

黑色的臉、橘色身體、拖著長長的黑尾巴，長得既像狐狸，又像大貓咪的超萌動物，是台灣的保育類動物黃喉貂。

接著又出現南橫天龍吊橋上，大玩追逐戰，還會跑到附近的飯店閒晃，一下偷看遊客泡湯、一下偷吃貓糧以及便當，業者也拿牠們沒辦法。

[[飯店業者]]
“黃喉貂都會在園區這邊跑來跑去的，然後像這個圍籬，它會在這裡跳來跳去，也會在吊橋這邊走來走去。遊客就會看得很可愛，想要去拍照，近距離的拍照，可是怕會傷害到，然後就怕危險啊”

[[義守大學生態學教授趙仁方]]
“黃喉貂來講，雖然牠是肉質性的動物，不過事實上牠對人的傷害並不大，而且以動物來講，牠比較會避開人活動的區域，因為牠也需要一個比較安靜的地方，不要有人的干擾”

每年的9月到年底，是黃喉貂的繁殖季節，時常會出沒在中高海拔的地區。提醒民眾，黃喉貂屬肉食性，也是珍貴的保育類動物，遇到的話，最好還是不要打擾牠們。

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A group of US lawmakers are calling for the US to restore formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Twenty-four House Republicans led by Representative Tom Tiffany say the US should abandon its outdated one-China policy. Tiffany, a long-time Taiwan supporter, says Taiwan has never been controlled by the PRC and is a free, democratic and independent country. The US, he says, should speak up for Taiwan and support it to have full membership in international organizations where statehood is a requirement. While the resolution reflects the stance of some US lawmakers, it does not have legal force.

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These directives do not help the United States and they do not help Taiwan. But they do help the Chinese Communist Party.

There’s another wave of support for Taiwan in the US. Led by long-time Taiwan supporter, Republican Representative Tom Tiffany, 24 lawmakers from his party have proposed a joint resolution calling on the US to abandon its one-China policy and restore formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

The resolution begins by stating that the US should not only restore formal diplomatic ties. That there should also be talks on a bilateral free trade pact and support for Taiwan’s participation in international organizations. It also states that Taiwan and its outlying islands have never been under the control of the Beijing authorities. It condemns China for unreasonably claiming sovereignty over Taiwan and uses the US “one China policy” as a weapon to block Taiwan’s full membership in the UN, the WHO and the Olympics. It also notes that the “one China policy” is outdated and is not applicable to the people of Taiwan and the US. It also fails to reflect the clear reality that Taiwan has been a sovereign and independent country for more than 70 years.

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Some people have established diplomatic relations with China, but they can also establish diplomatic relations with Taiwan. How should we communicate this with other countries and can we slowly move in this direction? Of course we hope that our allies can join in on this discussion.

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Our allies have extended an olive branch to us, so of course we must express our stance even more proactively and respond to the US so as not to miss out. During the process of Trump taking the lead to restructure the world order, Taiwan must make sure not to miss the first train.

Tiffany called on US President Donald Trump to recognize Taiwan’s democratically-elected government, restore diplomatic relations with Taiwan, appoint ambassadors from both sides and abandon internal guidelines restricting exchanges between US and Taiwanese officials.

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Taiwan is a normal country and we need to restore normal diplomacy. Our rotten neighbor China is too awful. I hope we really go full steam ahead.

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This is an issue between two great powers. I think Taiwan may have to take its own path.

US lawmakers have once again proposed a resolution to express a pro-Taiwan stance. The Taiwanese people welcome this and look forward to a continued warming of Taiwan-US relations.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

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US tariffs on Mexico, Canada pause for a month

US President Donald Trump’s announcement of tariffs on Canada, China and Mexico sent global markets in a downward spiral Monday. They recovered some lost ground when Trump announced he would postpone a 25% tariff on Mexican goods for a month in exchange for concessions. He later announced a similar pause with Canada. VOA’s Anita Powell reports from the White House.

President Donald Trump’s weekend tariff announcement is being felt in Ottawa, in Mexico City, in Beijing — and here, in New York, Hong Kong, Seoul, and Taipei. Around the world, markets fell Monday after Trump dropped 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada, and 10% on China.

In Washington, Trump spoke of his agreement Monday with Mexico to pause the tariffs for a month in exchange for concessions from Mexico City meant to stop migration flows and the movement of illegal drugs across the southern border. Markets quickly made up some losses after his announcement. He also announced a similar pause with Canada later on Monday.

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Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum sounded a hopeful note on Monday.

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China’s ambassador to the United Nations, Fu Cong, on Monday said Beijing would turn to the World Trade Organization for recourse.

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Trump acknowledged that the move could raise prices but said the higher tariffs would be “worth the price” to bolster US interests.

Anita Powell, VOA News, the White House.

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National Museum of History holds currency exhibition

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The earliest currencies in Ancient China were shells because they were durable, portable, and easy to preserve. By the Zhou dynasty, which began in the 11th century BCE, coins were introduced; and by the Qing dynasty some 400 years later, shells were replaced with money. The exhibition showcases currencies throughout history, ranging from pre-Qing dynasty artifacts to modern coins, silver ingots, and banknotes collected by the Central Bank and the National Museum of History.

Kuo Pei-i
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This is one of the important antiquities in our museum. It is a standardized ingot from the Yuan dynasty. On the back is written Yuanbao, which means treasure of the Yuan dynasty. This is a standard type, 50 tael. It weighs 50 tael. The sides will be molded in, and the middle will be indented, which allows them to be stackable, which was convenient for tax collection. This was mainly used in the Yuan the Ming dynasties, and was used all the way until the Qing Dynasty. At that time, paper money was issued for a while. But people were accustomed to using ingots and copper coins. Copper coins were used for small transactions, while ingots were used for large transactions.

The Central Bank’s collection of animal-themed banknotes from Taiwan and other countries are also on display.

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The Central Bank collects lots of banknotes and coins from all over the world to study their design. This time they have collected all 12 zodiac animal. Abroad, the rabbit is especially popular. Several countries use the rabbit for their banknotes. In addition, the horse is also popular. The most popular zodiac animal coin sets are usually dragon, tiger and horse. These three are especially popular. The bestsellers are usually dragons, tigers and horses.

The National Museum of History is holding a currency exhibition showcasing collections from the National Museum of History and the Central Bank. The exhibition also unveils the minting production processes.

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We hope to take this opportunity to educate the public about the identification, use and production process of currencies. The main exhibition area has three sections. The first one introduces the coins throughout history, all the way to modern times. The second exhibition area is centered on the zodiac animals. The third area is the interactive area, where banknote stickers are placed, and everyone can use stamps to emboss money cards.

Money makes the world go round. To find out more, head to the National Museum of History by April 6.

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Researcher leaves Academia Sinica job to produce eco-friendly reed straws

A research assistant at Academia Sinica gave up his job to move to Hualien and start a drinking straw business. But he doesn’t sell your regular straws. They are made out of reeds, an environmentally friendly alternative to plastic. The entrepreneur hopes to expand his reed business in the future to branch into traditional Chinese medicine. Reed roots are an ingredient used in some preparations, and due to a lack of local industry, Taiwan currently has to import all its reed roots from China.

Reeds can be tied up to make an adorable art installation. Or you can arrange them to make a lantern with fairy lights. These reed works are all the ideation of Chang Chen-yu who’s made the move from Taipei to Hualien.

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Originally I just wanted to reduce plastic use. But then I moved to Hualien and I really got into planting reeds, which strengthened my bond with the land.

Chang used to be a research assistant at Academia Sinica, specializing in carbon emissions. His work took him to Hualien, where he started a company that makes drinking straws out of reeds. He decided to stop doing research and immerse himself fully in environmental protection. By chance he discovered the ecological and environmental uses of reed overseas, and seeing a company making straws out of bamboo, he decided to do the same but with reeds. Cultivating reeds and creating products is now his mission.

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It’s expected that from the 7th to early morning on the 8th, there may be a chance of snow in tall mountains more than 3,000m above sea level in Central Taiwan. As for the evening of the 7th to early morning on the 9th, in the northern and northeastern regions, there may be a chance of snow in tall mountains more than 1,000m above sea level.

The number of cold days in which temperatures dipped below 14°C in Taipei this winter season broke a 10-year record, making it the coldest winter of the decade. So be sure to bundle up and stay warm.

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Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

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