Taichung improving park facilities after mysterious rhinoceros beetles deaths

Taichung improving park facilities after mysterious rhinoceros beetles deaths

2026-06-05

The Taichung City Government recently constructed an ecological park themed around rhinoceros beetles in Dongshi District. After its official opening in May, they held a ceremony to release beetles into the park. But now, visitors are discovering that the insects are dying off in unusual numbers. Some suspect the hot weather paired with insufficient shade is to blame, but the actual cause remains under investigation. In the meantime, the city said it would continue adding shade structures and misting machines to improve their habitat.

Visitors poke their heads around, searching high and low for rhinoceros beetles. Finally, someone spots one clinging to a tree trunk, but it appears listless.

- The environment here is too hot for them. They’re going to die from the heat.

- Rhinoceros beetles aren’t really suited to be out during the summer.

The Dongshi Rhinoceros Beetle Ecological Park is the first in Taiwan to be dedicated to the insect. It officially opened on May 11, and on May 30, a ceremony was held to introduce beetles to the park. But visitors have noticed they’re dying off for unknown reasons.

Member of public
Sad for beetles
It’s a shame the beetles are dying off. The park needs to have better facilities, or they’ll keep suffering for nothing.

Member of public
Cares for beetles
The trees haven’t grown dense enough yet. The environment over there isn’t great for them.

Member of public
Thinking about beetles
They haven’t necessarily died from heat. Their lifespan is short. It’s mating season now. After mating, the males typically die within a week.

To shed light on this mystery, experts have weighted in.

Voice of Lee Yu-hung
Beetle shop owner
Beetles have an internal circulatory system. When in direct sunlight, they can’t dissipate the heat. The thermal energy will keep building in their bodies until it kills them. The trees there are probably not big enough yet, meaning there isn’t enough shade for them to escape the sun.

Chen Chao-jen
Taichung Maintenance Office officer
The Maintenance Office promptly installed shade cover, mist machines, and other facilities to optimize the habitat.

The city said that rhinoceros beetles don’t live long and are vulnerable to injury or death due to high temperatures or after mating. Moving forward, it vowed to keep improving shade and misting facilities to keep improving their environment.

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

#rhinocerosbeetles #beetles #Taichung #ecologicalpark #animalwelfare #insects

太熱? 台中獨角仙公園剛放養就傳多隻莫名死亡

2026-06-05

台中市府在東勢區，成功打造一座以獨角仙為主題的生態公園，五月正式啟用，放養獨角仙，風光辦進駐儀式，沒想到，民眾陸續發現部分獨角仙莫名死亡，不少人質疑天氣太熱，加上遮陰不足，但死因究竟為何？還要了解，而市府表示會持續加強遮蔽與灑水等棲地優化措施。

民眾探頭找啊望啊，尋覓獨角仙身影，好不容易看到樹幹有隻獨角仙，慵懶攀附上頭，怎麼看來似乎不太有生氣。

“這裡生態對牠們來說，太熱了，就會被熱死”

“獨角仙牠們不太適合，在夏天的時候出沒”

東勢獨角仙生態公園，是全台首座以獨角仙為主題的公園，5月11日正式啟用，30日還幫獨角仙們，辦進駐儀式，沒想到卻有民眾發現，展示區內部分獨角仙不明原因死翹翹，成了標本。

[[民眾]]
“(獨角仙死亡)是蠻可憐的，(展示區)設施要把做完善一點，不然獨角仙很無辜”

[[民眾]]
“樹還沒有長的很茂密，那邊的環境，對他們來說，還沒有很友善”

[[民眾]]
“那個不是說熱死，因為牠們壽命很短，現在這段時間是交配期，交配後，公的一個星期就死了”

獨角仙暴斃，死因成謎，專家來解答。

[[聲音來源:甲蟲店業者李昱宏]]
“牠是屬於內循環系統，所以太陽照射，牠沒辦法散熱，在牠體內一直悶，就直接被悶死，可能那邊的樹不夠大，樹蔭不夠多，牠們無法遮陽”

[[台中市養護工程處山線工程隊長陳昭仁]]
“建設局養護工程處已立即完成遮陰，與灑水等棲地優化措施”

市府表示，獨角仙生命短暫，易受氣候高溫，交配等原因受傷或死亡，會持續加強遮陰與灑水，進行環境優化。

更多新聞內容，請鎖定：
民視台灣台（152頻道）週一至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00

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Taxis and small trucks drive straight through this intersection like usual. But just behind them, this flatbed truck plows directly over the bright yellow posts separating traffic in the middle of the road.

These poor posts are bent at an angle now, all at the same 30 degrees.

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Not long after we installed them, they got run over by a truck. We replaced them the next day, but after installing those, they were bent again by a crane truck.

Cheng said the posts were installed on May 9 and damaged on the very same day. They swapped them out for a new set and installed a surveillance camera to keep watch, capturing a cement truck speeding over them on May 20.

Then again, a truck ran over them on May 25, meaning the posts were destroyed three times in just half a month. What’s worse is that none of the drivers reported the incidents.

Cheng Ching-erh
Chenggong Borough chief
They’ve been replaced twice in 10 days. We’ve pulled the footage to review what happened and will get the police to investigate.

This is the intersection of Baosheng East and Chongde roads in Tainan’s Rende District. Since motorists often make illegal U-turns and cross the center lines here, the city put up these flexible posts to keep everyone in their lanes. While the accident rate has indeed dropped, it comes at the expense of these poor posts.

Member of public
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Most of them are large trucks. But you can’t put up rigid ones. If a vehicle hit one, it would be dangerous.

The unluckiest traffic posts in the city have already been replaced twice. The borough chief has decided to involve the police to go after the drivers for compensation. He also called on motorists to pay attention while going through this intersection so these hard-working posts can catch a break.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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Farmers breed new floral-scented "Yulan Magnolia" pineapple

Taiwan is now well into its pineapple season and farmers are showing off new exclusive varieties with unique and delicious flavors. A family of pineapple farmers in Chiayi’s Minxiong has actually created a pineapple with a faint floral perfume called the Yulan Magnolia Pineapple. In addition, another pineapple farming family has created the Honey Peach Pineapple. It’s so popular, and the crop is so small, it’s often sold out. Let’s find out more.

The staff cut the pineapple into small chunks so that people can take big satisfying bites. With just one bite, the flesh is tender and there’s a delightful fragrance of flowers. This is no ordinary pineapple, but the grower’s exclusive variety: the Yulan Magnolia Pineapple.

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- The fibers are very fine, it’s very moist and it’s quite sweet.

The fruit has a green and yellow color scheme, is narrow at the top and wide at the bottom in a teardrop shape. It has a faint floral fragrance. When cut open, it’s even more impressive, revealing small flower-shaped patterns on the flesh. This family in Minxiong, Chiayi, has been pineapple farmers for three generations. Many years ago, they spent over ten years developing this exclusive Yulan Magnolia Pineapple variety. Although the annual yield is only about 10,000 fruits and the farm-gate price reaches over NT$100 each, it remains a massive hit.

Wang Pei-ju
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Actually, it takes a very long time to develop such a delicious variety. It’s our exclusive variety.

Besides the Yulan Magnolia Pineapple, there is also a Honey Peach Pineapple, which is quite unique. If you compare their flesh, the Yulan Magnolia Pineapple is whiter, while the Honey Peach Pineapple flesh is yellowish. Some people wanted to buy it but were left empty-handed.

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The sweet and sour ratio is just right, so I recommend it, but it’s a rare treat. The owner said it’s only available once every three days.

Ms. Tsai
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Because the yield is very low, we harvest them every three days so they’re just ripe. If you pick them too early, they won’t taste good.

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The nationwide supply is very limited, so mass production has not yet commenced.

May and June are Taiwan’s pineapple season. In addition to the popular Golden Diamond Pineapple and Milk Pineapple, businesses are also launching their exclusive varieties so that people can try new flavors and experience different pineapple tastes.

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Shanghai’s gift of red pandas to the Taipei Zoo kicks off political storm

The Twin-City Forum held by Shanghai and Taipei last September involved the two cities signing an MOU for animal exchanges and cooperation. In practice, this meant the two cities agreed to exchange rare animals that are listed as “endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Taiwanese politicians are enraged – but not about whether these animals are better off in the wild or whether Taiwanese and Chinese zoos will ensure these species’ longevity. Instead, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an is pointing to China’s gift of red pandas to claim the cross-strait forum was a success, while DPP politicians are saying the beasts are Chinese tools that will encourage unification. Let’s find out more.

These two adorable little red pandas strolling leisurely around on the grass are gifts from Shanghai that will arrive in Taiwan on Saturday. The Taipei City Government is promoting them extensively, calling them an outcome of Twin-City Forum exchanges.

Puma Shen
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Chiang Wan-an
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Providing more genetic diversity and life education is very meaningful for our children.

The two red pandas arriving at the Taipei Zoo are from the Shanghai Zoo. This "animal exchange" at the Twin-City Forum involves Taipei sending rare white-handed gibbons to China. The Chiang administration is proud of this, but the pro-independence camp is lambasting the animal exchanges as a tool for unification. They argue that as early as March this year, Taiwan imported a female red panda called “Sensen” from Asahiyama Zoo in Japan, but the Taipei City Government did not greet this with high profile celebrations.

Lin Yen-feng
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The red pandas from China are considered treasures, while the red pandas from Japan are just weeds. And the key point is that Mayor Chiang Wan-an himself had to come out and say personally: this is the result of Twin-City Forum exchanges. Didn’t China also send giant pandas to Japan in the past, only to turn sour on a dime, with China then demanding: “Return them to me, I’m not letting you keep them anymore?”

The red pandas from China will undergo a month-long quarantine once they arrive in Taiwan and are expected to meet the public in early July. For the moment, the creatures are a point of contention between the KMT and DPP.

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The Formosa Railroad Bento Festival is back for its 11th edition, its biggest one yet. As in previous years, rail fans were up bright and early to save a spot in line.

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This railway enthusiast nabbed a special edition Japanese golden train bento, which is not for sale in Japan, as it is reserved for gifts only. The limited-edition souvenir marks the 10th anniversary of a partnership between Taiwan Railway and Tobu Railway.

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When the firefighters arrived, they immediately used fire extinguishers to put out the fire, but after the entire canister was used up, the fire was still just as big. They then had to change their approach and spray water to extinguish it.

With a powerful jet of water, the fire was finally extinguished, leaving only the frame of the stand.

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The deep fryer for selling scallion pancakes caught fire, and we quickly set up water lines to put it out.

On Fuxing Road in Keelung City, the scallion pancake hawker’s truck caught fire when the owner suddenly needed to use the restroom and forgot to turn off the burner, causing hot oil to splatter and start a fire. The owner immediately grabbed a fire extinguisher to put out the fire, but the fire only intensified, and he also burned his hands. Firefighters remind the public that if a cooking oil fire occurs, do not pour water on it, and don’t rush for the fire extinguisher.

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