Right. So last night, I was walking along Lane XX Section 3 of Muzha Road near XX Elementary School and a strange creature was crossing the road. It looked like a civet but was too chonky. I had not had any Burge Meester 12s so it was clear to me I was looking at something that wasn’t an ordinary stray dog or cat.
An Uber Eats delivery guy saw it too as it emerged from between two parked cars, jumped up onto the sidewalk, and into a park. I asked him what it was and he told me it was a “huan” （獾）which I guess means a badger? (Not that I normally take zoology advice from my friendly Uber Eats guy…)
It was pretty crazy because I’ve never seen anything like that roaming the streets here in Muzha. Have any of you seen this creature? It was like a fat civet, grey, white and black, with a tuft of white at the end of its tail. (I hope he wasn’t sick or something as he was moving a little slowly.)
Thanks. Maaaaybe but I don’t think it was a civet! The coloring and chonkiness were different. I wish I could have got a pic of it but he disappeared into some bushes…
Your encounter has piqued my curiosity because formosan ferret badgers are usually smaller than masked palm civets, not more chonky. And they seem more lively and fast moving too. I guess it could have been a pregnant one, hence the slow walking? Apparently we are currently within their mating season. How sure are you that it was a he? Or is there a wildcard possibility that it was an escaped/released/abandoned imported pet?
Muzha has plenty of wildlife, especially if you go across the Jingmei river on the NCCU side. I’ve spotted snakes, pangolins and even a muntjac during my bike rides around Maokong. The natural environment has much improved over recent years.
Thanks for the reply. I’m not really sure if it was male or female. But yeah, it totally could have been someone’s pet that got loose (if people are allowed to keep wild animals). Back in '98 I lived on Muxin (Muhsin) Rd Sec 3 and there was civet that was caged on the sidewalk. Poor thing, its home was not much bigger than a crate. You don’t see that too much anymore, at least in Taipei.
I’ve seen a pangolin once here in Wenshan – was one of the cooler things I’ve ever spotted. This encounter with the badger/civet/whatever was reminiscent of that. It was just weird seeing it so close to a thickly settled area, unlike Maokong which is more mountainous and wild. Thanks for the reply.
Check this out. I didn’t see my badger but I noticed this sign for the first time this evening and there are a couple badger-like critters pictured on it… This was near my place (around Muzha Rd Sec 1) but if they are spotted near me (enough to post a sign) then they can also be hanging out over where I saw mine about a week ago… So, there we go.
could very well be our creature! Thanks.
