Study: Formosan Masked Civets Become Taipei's 'New Urban Residents'; First Communal Rearing Observed

(Central News Agency, Zhao Min-ya, Taipei, 22nd) A Taiwanese research team has discovered that the Formosan masked civet has become a stable 'new urban resident.' From 2022 to the end of 2024, the team collected 426 records through a reporting network, with more than half coming from Taipei City, concentrated in Da'an, Wenshan, Shilin, and Beitou districts. The team also recorded for the first time the behavior of two adult female civets co-rearing offspring, providing new evidence for the social behavior of the Viverridae family. The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) held a press conference on the research results today. Supported by the NSTC and the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (FNCA) of the Ministry of Agriculture, a research team led by Associate Professor Tseng Hui-yun of the Department of Entomology at National Taiwan University, in collaboration with the Taichung Wildlife Conservation Society, NTU Department of Veterinary Medicine, the Biodiversity Research Center, and Observer Ecological Consultants, integrated radio tracking, citizen science reports, rescue records, and image data to uncover the behavioral patterns and survival challenges of civets in urban areas. Tseng explained that the masked civet, commonly known as the 'fruit civet,' is a nocturnal, omnivorous, and arboreal carnivore of the Viverridae family. The rise in reports in urban areas in recent years shows that they have adapted to the urban environment. She pointed out that through the 'Urban Civet Reporting Network,' the team collected 426 pieces of data from May 6, 2022, to December 31, 2024, with more than half appearing in Taipei City, and higher report volumes in areas adjacent to mountains, concentrated in Da'an, Wenshan, Shilin, and Beitou districts. Tseng stated that in addition to using tree canopies, green spaces, and school campuses, masked civets can also make good use of rooftops, drainage pipes, and other artificial structures as habitats and breeding spaces. As for food sources, according to reports, they eat natural food resources such as plant flowers, fruits, and wild animals, as well as human-provided food such as feed for stray dogs and cats, and kitchen waste. Tseng pointed out that masked civets usually raise their young alone after mating, but the team recorded two adult female civets co-rearing, which is the first time such social behavior has been discovered in the Viverridae family globally. She speculated that the urban environment may have prompted this change, perhaps due to road fragmentation or more abundant food resources in the city, so they do not need to live separately, but more evidence is needed to understand the exact reason. The study was published this year in the journal Mammal Research. Regarding the survival challenges faced by masked civets in the city, Tseng pointed out that according to rescue records, roadkill and dog attacks are the biggest threats. In addition, there have been cases where civets ran into electrical boxes and were electrocuted to death, causing regional power outages. Tseng said that if the public finds a masked civet at home, they can call the animal protection or wildlife hotline (1959, 1999) of their county or city to ask for professional assistance. If the public happens to encounter a masked civet on the street corner, they can also report it through the 'Urban Civet Reporting Network' (https://reurl.cc/OrqVKD) to help accumulate data on the distribution and activities of urban wildlife, allowing wildlife and humans to coexist in the same city. Wang Yi-jing, head of the Conservation and Management Division of the FNCA, said that in recent years, wild animals such as masked civets and black bears have gradually moved to low and medium altitudes, and the FNCA will take relevant measures to allow wild animals to maintain an appropriate boundary with humans.