Taiwan cemetery ‘threatens leopard cats’

Taiwanese lawmakers and animal rights activists are urging a halt to the building of a cemetery to avoid destroying the habitat of rare leopard cats.

Construction for the 28-hectare funeral site in central Taiwan has begun but critics argue that environmental assessment of the project is flawed because it fails to mention the area is home to the cats.

‘The construction will cause pollution, damage the habitat of leopard cats to threaten their survival and hurt the ecological balance,’ said a spokeswoman for lawmaker Tien Chiu-chin on Wednesday.

Tien is urging authorities to immediately halt the construction and conduct a new environmental study.

Leopard cats, which are slightly larger than domestic cats, are seen in the forests in some parts of central Taiwan although there is no official data on the numbers of the rare animal.

http://www.skynews.com.au/eco/article.aspx?id=781244

 

Category: Society