《TAIPEI TIMES》 Wildlife take over roads amid reduced traffic, park says

By Liu Pin-chuan and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writer

The Yushan National Park Administration has advised motorists to drive slowly when visiting the park amid eased epidemic prevention measures, as wildlife have become used to empty mountain roads.

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National parks including Yushan （玉山） have been closed for nearly two months since a nationwide level 3 COVID-19 alert was implemented on May 19.

The closure has greatly reduced traffic in the park, allowing animals to use the roads at their leisure, park administrators said.

Macaques and pheasants especially enjoy lingering on roadways, and have grown accustomed to the relative absence of vehicles, they said.

There have already been instances of macaques, snakes, reptiles and even small birds being killed by vehicles, they said.

By the end of May, administrators said they had already received a report of an adolescent macaque being hit by a vehicle.

However, the easing of measures on Tuesday has left park administrators concerned about increased traffic.

The Central Epidemic Command Center on Thursday last week announced the conditional opening of certain quality-of-life activities and venues, including national parks, which can operate at 40 percent capacity.

Since even larger animals have been hit, administrators said they are concerned about tour buses returning, as drivers and animals would be unprepared.

The park administration urged motorists to drive carefully when in the park and stay alert for wildlife.

When encountering a wild animal, administrators advised visitors to keep their distance and refrain from offering food, as animals such as macaques might become aggressive.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES