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In today's busy modern life, there is a growing concern for biodiversity and sustainable environmental conservation. The Grass Mountain Raptor Center was established in March 2022 as Taiwan's first privately operated raptor education and exhibition center. Through the captivating and free-spirited imagery of wildlife, the center offers a wide range of diverse and heartwarming educational outreach activities. The center's goal is to encourage the public to ruminate the importance of biodiversity and sustainable environmental conservation.
In addition to supporting the establishment of the center and the development of its facilities and environment, the Wistron Foundation has extended its sponsorship to raptor rescue and toxicology testing this year. Through this collaboration, more people can gain insight into raptors and contribute to their better future through education, research, and conservation efforts for threatened raptor species.
The Grass Mountain Raptor Center recently launched a special exhibition entitled Love Never Dies Owl: Embrace Nature, with a focus on Taiwan's owls to raise awareness and conservation concerns in society for these precious creatures.
Despite being small in size, Taiwan is home to as many as 12 owl species, all of which are classified as second-level protected species or higher. They inhabit various environments, from lowland estuaries to low mountain secondary forests, from high mountain primary forests to remote areas rarely visited by humans. However, many aspects of their behavior and requirements remain unknown and require further research and studying.
The Love Never Dies Owl: Embrace Nature exhibition delves into crises faced by owls in Taiwan. For example, as a first-level protected species, barn owls are threatened by rodenticides, which not only affect owls, but also have far-reaching implications for the entire ecosystem. On the other hand, species like the tawny fish owl, which depends on stream environments, face difficulties in breeding due to challenges posed by stream restoration efforts. This exhibition not only presents these issues, but also showcases the exceptional biological features of owls, such as their excellent vision, keen hearing, and silent flight, allowing people to gain a deeper understanding of these unique creatures.
The exhibition showcases the diverse commitments of the Wistron Foundation towards raptors, including support for the Raptor Research Society, the WildOne Wildlife Conservation Association in Taitung, and a collaborative effort with the National Geographic Channel to produce a documentary entitled Night Hunters: Taiwan Barn Owls. Farglory Life Insurance also collaborated with the Bird Ecology Lab at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology to safeguard the ecological rehabilitation of millions of owls. These examples highlight how corporations translate their commitment to ecological conservation into actions that fulfill social responsibility, positively impacting raptor rescue and educational outreach.
The Grass Mountain Raptor Center hopes that through the Love Never Dies Owl: Embrace Nature exhibition, more people will gain in-depth insights into the conservation status of Taiwan's owls. Additionally, it encourages businesses to incorporate biodiversity conservation into their core social responsibility efforts. Together, they can work towards achieving the goals established by the United Nations' 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biodiversity (COP15) and collaborate to protect Taiwan's precious ecological environment.