Taipei City Government

Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je and Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the cooperation between Taipei Zoo and Shoushan Zoo in a press conference on February 17.
It was the second MOU signed between the two cities. Both Taipei and Kaohsiung seek to strengthen bilateral ties in animal conservation after Taipei gave a chimpanzee to Kaohsiung in 2004. This time, Taipei Zoo will present Shoushan Zoo with a pair of pygmy hippopotamus, a pair of common elands, a male white rhinoceros, and three Barbary sheep --all of them endangered species.
Ko remarked that he hopes the exchange of animals will lead to more collaborative opportunities in other fields between the two metropolises. Kaohsiung’s experience in hosting the World Games 2009, for example, can serve as a source of reference for Taipei when it gears up to host the 2017 Summer Universiade.
On the part of Mayor Chen, she expressed her gratitude to the capital of Taiwan for sharing its insight into biodiversity and animal conservation. She believes Shoushan Zoo will improve in many ways with the assistance from Taipei Zoo.

Questioned by the media on the death of a Formosan black bear Taipei delivered to Kaohsiung in 2014, Chen noted that she had offered her apologies to Taipei City Government immediately following the incident. She admitted that the southern city has much to reflect upon with regard to zoo management.
Taipei Zoo Director Chin Shih-chien added that the two sides will bolster cooperation in the fields of zoological medicine and veterinary care – especially expertise in emergency animal rescue – to prevent similar incidents from happening again.