The "Papaya Creek Ecological Corridor Project" of the Ninth River Bureau of the Water Resources Department of the Ministry of Economic Affairs monitored and photographed exotic raccoons appearing near the Ji'an high beach in Papaya Creek.

(Retrieved from the Facebook page of the Hualien Forest District Management Office of the Forestry Bureau)

[Reporter Wang Jinyi/Hualien Report] The Ninth River Bureau of the Water Conservancy Administration of the Ministry of Economic Affairs handles the Papaya Creek Ecological Corridor Project. Surveillance and photography have seen exotic species of "raccoons" appearing and appearing near the Ji'an high beach in Papaya Creek. If the relevant raccoons are notified, professionals will be entrusted to trap them and transfer them to relevant units for custody or breeding.

Raccoons are native to North America and were introduced as pets because of their cute appearance. However, it is difficult to raise raccoons, and they are often abandoned or escaped. Raccoons are highly adaptable to the environment and have a wide range of food habits. Invertebrates, frogs, bird eggs, small birds, and small mammals are all within its feeding range. Currently, both the European Union and the Japanese government have designated raccoons as Invasive Alien Species (IAS).

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The Hualien Forest Management Office of the Forestry Bureau solicited information on raccoon sightings in the wild on Facebook today. The Hualien Forest Management Office pointed out that North American raccoons caused more than 320 million yen in Japanese agricultural losses in 2017. The Japanese government has carried out planned removal and Management plan; Taiwan also included raccoons on the import control list on June 1, 2022, and managed them from the source.

The Hualien Forest Management Office said that the Nine Rivers Bureau conducted a survey on the ecological corridor plan of the Papaya Creek River, and detected raccoons appearing in the downstream of the Shinkansen Drainage Line, near the confluence with the Papaya Creek. Most of the surrounding areas are agricultural and pastoral land and Leucaena forests. Considering the raccoons The potential impact on the environment and agricultural economy requires close attention, public and private cooperation to deal with it, and cut off the risk of alien species invasion.

Zhang Renzhi, deputy director of the Agriculture Department of Hualien County, said that the raccoons found in the wild may have been raised and escaped by someone. There is currently no count of the population. If raccoons are found, professionals will be entrusted to trap them; raccoons are not protected animals. , will be handed over to Ping University of Science and Technology for custody and breeding to cut off the risk of alien species invasion.

The Department of Agriculture of Hualien County appeals to the public, if you find raccoons in the wild, please do not catch them by yourself, to avoid being bitten, or being disturbed and causing escape and hiding, which will make removal more difficult; you can call the Wildlife Conservation Hotline of Hualien County Government at 03-8226050, or It is the county service hotline 1999, and the competent authority will be notified, and a special person will remove it.

Raccoons were photographed near Papaya Creek Ji'an High Beach.

(Facebook of the Hualien Forest District Management Office of the Forestry Bureau)

The exotic species of "raccoon" was photographed appearing and appearing near the Papaya River Ji'an high beach.

(Retrieved from the Facebook page of the Hualien Forest District Management Office of the Forestry Bureau)