Taipei Zoo’s escape artists recovering well

Two escape artists from Taipei Zoo made headlines last year. They were Little Red the anteater and an endangered leopard cat named Fei Fei, both of whom sent zookeepers on an extensive search before they were finally recovered. Formosa News reporter Stephany Yang finds out how they have been since their adventures.

Last September, Little Red the anteater went missing with her daughter. Zookeepers found her daughter later in the day, but Little Red continued her journey. She vanished into the mountains of New Taipei until Dec. 6, when she was discovered by hikers. After three months on the run, she was about a kilogram lighter, and she had scratches on her body. She was placed under special care and is now firmly on the mend.

Liu Tsung-i
Zookeeper
Her weight recovery is about the same as what we envisioned. She''s only about 500 grams away from our goal. Our goal is 6.5 kilogram, and she''s a little over 6 kilograms now. We''ve added some honeybee pupae and honeycomb honey to her diet. We''re giving her treats so that she won''t want to leave. Her interactions with people are actually much better than they were before. Maybe because she''s been wandering on her own for a while, and she''s enjoying being back.

Fei Fei the leopard cat is also recovering well. Fei Fei, a rescued animal who was brought to the zoo with one leg missing, escaped from her enclosure in November. She was found 17 days later with a slight infection and elevated liver function values. Those values have since returned to normal, and she weighs more now than she did before leaving the zoo.

Chen Hsin
Zookeeper
As for her diet, she eats all the food we give her. Whatever amount is stipulated in the recipe, that''s what she eats up. Fei Fei is adapting very well. She can climb up and down. Although she''s missing a leg, she can still move up and down.

As an endangered animal, Fei Fei will be joining the zoo''s breeding and conservation program. She''s living in an area with other protected cats, and will not be going up for public display. As for Little Red, she''s back in the rainforest zone, in a private area where she can recuperate in peace. Zookeepers say they''ll assess at a later date whether she''s ready for the public limelight.