Rare creature — as adorable as it is dangerous — spotted on farm in Taiwan, photos show
Creeping through the grass, a small golden-colored creature wandered along at a farm in Taiwan. Photos captured the rare sighting of the cute and dangerous animal.
The small, weasel-like creature — identified as a Formosan yellow-throated marten — was seen on Wuling Farm, according to a report from Central News Agency translated by Taiwan News.
Wuling Farm shared photos of the encounter on Instagram on May 2. Photos show the animal’s black-brown head and distinct golden-colored neck, which fades into brown towards the end of its body.
Deputy director of Wuling Farm, Hu Fa-tao, described the Formosan yellow-throated marten as a rare and precious animal, according to Central News Agency.
Although these creatures look adorable, martens are actually formidable carnivores known to hunt in packs and take down prey several times their size, Hu said, according to Liberty Times, a Taiwanese news outlet.
Formosan yellow-throated martens are an endangered species found only in the mountains of Taiwan, Hu told Liberty Times. The sighting of the animal at Wuling Farm was considered a success for conservation efforts, he said.
Photos shared by Wuling Farm show what appears to be a pair of martens peeking through the green grass.
Hu warned the public not to approach or try to interact with the yellow-throated marten despite how cute and pet-able it looks, Central News Agency reported.
Wuling Farm is about 90 miles southwest of Taipei.
Google Translate and Baidu Translate were used to translate the Instagram post from Wuling Farm. Google Translate was used to translate the articles from Central News Agency and Liberty Times.
This story was originally published May 17, 2023 at 10:52 AM with the headline "Rare creature — as adorable as it is dangerous — spotted on farm in Taiwan, photos show."
