Taipei Fine Arts Museum

2009 is the Year of the Ox according to the Chinese lunar calendar. And in just two short months, Taiwan’s one and only Serow belonging to the cattle family, the Formosan Serow, has added five new family members to it’s family at the Taipei Zoo.

The Formosan Serow is the only bovine species endemic to Taiwan, and both sexes bear horns. They are extremely territorial, and would chose to rub certain tree trunks with their horns. This behavior may also be seen as scent marking too.

To provide the Formosan Serow with better and more complete management and care, the Taipei Zoo has listed the species as one of the key animals on its breeding programs. The good news is that since 2003 five youngsters are bred each year. At present 38 of them are kept at the Taipei zoo (18 males and 20 females), a fabulous result for creating a steady propagation colony needed for the future remediation of this species.