Taoyuan City Wild Animal Rescue and Shelter Center opens, hoping to increase rescue success rate

The Taoyuan City Wild Animal Rescue and Shelter Center was officially unveiled and opened today. Entrusted to the Taoyuan Wild Bird Society, the center features specialized medical and rehabilitation spaces, resident veterinarians, and a flight training room for birds before release, aiming to improve the success rates of rescue and release. The Taoyuan Wild Bird Society uses citizen power to protect local biodiversity, having established a non-profit wildlife clinic in 2019 that handles over 2,000 wildlife rescue cases annually with a release success rate of about 30%. Due to insufficient funding and clinic space, the Taoyuan City Agriculture Bureau evaluated and established the new center at Danan Forest Park in Bade District. Taoyuan Mayor Chang San-cheng stated at the opening ceremony that the city sheltered and released 2,328 wild animals last year, including protected species like pangolins and masked palm civets. The center will provide a professional medical rehab site and plan an environmental education base to promote conservation concepts. The center employs two veterinarians and three caretakers, accepting rescue cases 24 hours a day free of charge. Animals are evaluated for release once treated and recovered. Currently, about 30 wild animals are undergoing rehab. The society urges the public not to keep sick or injured wildlife at home but to bring them to the center for better care. The Agriculture Bureau added that the center will provide first aid, surgery, recovery care, and release assessments, establishing a classified management mechanism to improve recovery quality and public education.