TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — After a wildfire struck Taichung City on Sunday, local residents on Monday (Nov. 11) discovered the carcass of a deer, suspecting it had fallen victim to the blaze.
At 2:20 p.m. on Sunday, the Taichung City Fire Bureau received a report about a brush fire near an electric tower in the city's Longjing District. The fire was visible to motorists driving past the 185-kilometer mark on National Freeway No. 3.
The fire department dispatched over 100 firefighters to the scene. Due to strong winds, the blaze continued to spread and burn throughout the day, and it was not until 2:51 a.m. on Monday morning that firefighters were able to fully extinguish the fire, reported UDN.
Ditch where deer was found. (Facebook photo)
Later that day, a netizen posted photos of a deer carcass they had discovered at the scene of the fire in a ditch on Nanliao Footpath. In the photos, the deer's legs are bloody, and the report said this was possibly caused by severe burns or taking a precipitous fall.
Parts of the deer's torso are also badly singed, with either flames or smoke inhalation the likely causes of the deer's death, according to the report. Many netizens were saddened by the deer's death:
"The deer warning sign at Nangang Road is real ... Heartache!"
"There are a lot of wild animals in this mountain area, including pangolin, wild rabbits, and leopard cats."
"Three were spotted early this year, including one male and two females."
"I feel so sad that there was no one who could save it from burning to death."
"I'm afraid there were many unseen wild animals that were the victims [of the fire]."
Netizens were also upset the fire had destroyed the local ecosystem. If the fire was started by an arsonist, they said they hoped the authorities can track down the culprit and better protect Taiwan's wildlife.
Deer carcass found at scene of fire. (Facebook photo)
Deer carcass found at scene of fire. (Facebook photo)
