TAIPEI (TVBS News) — An adult masked palm civet tragically fell to its death after mistakenly entering a chimpanzee enclosure at the Taipei Zoo, as confirmed by Taipei Zoo spokesperson Eric Tsao in an interview with TVBS on Friday (Dec. 22).
The incident, reported by onlookers at the zoo on Dec. 15, revealed that the civet was attacked and killed by a chimpanzee, leaving visitors considerably shocked.
Responding to the situation, Tsao explained that while every precaution is taken to ensure the animals' safety at the zoo, it is impossible to completely close off each area due to considerations for animal welfare.
This unfortunate event serves as a stark reminder that local wildlife species can, at times, wander into the zoo, Tsao said. Although such encounters are rare, the civet sadly strayed into the outdoor chimpanzee exhibit.
Chimpanzees exhibit a group defense behavior pattern, Tsao explained, and they will attack intruders until they show no signs of life, at which point they feel safe again.
Upon being alerted about the incident, zoo staff promptly initiated the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), managing to lure the chimpanzees inside and lock them up before addressing the situation. Unfortunately, the civet was already dead when personnel arrived.
The deceased civet, considered a sensitive species in terms of communicable disease control, will be sent to a professional health institution for tests to determine whether it carried any infectious diseases, Tsao mentioned.