TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A recently rolled-out jigsaw puzzle featuring illuminated leopard cats celebrates Taiwan’s rich fauna and flora and promotes the importance of biodiversity.

Taiwan's Forestry Bureau and local puzzle company Renoir Puzzle collaborated to create “Leopard Cats Roaming in the Woods,” a 1,008-piece puzzle that sheds light on the precarious state of the animal. The cat has been listed as endangered in Taiwan due to a loss of habitat and frequent roadkill incidents.

The product, part of the glow-in-the-dark edition, depicts a leopard cat mother and her two cubs wandering in the forest. It exudes a sense of tranquility－a scene many hope to revive, according to the website of Renoir Puzzle.

The painting was featured on the cover of a 2021 desk calendar by the Forestry Bureau. The calendars, billed as informative and aesthetically pleasing, have become a hit since the first edition in 2018.

The government and conservationists have made efforts to conserve leopard cats. For example, Miaoli County is encouraging increased monitoring and reporting of the animal, as well as subsidies for poultry farmers suffering losses from the cat’s intrusion.

Last week, Taipei Zoo sent two newborn leopard cats to the Endemic Species Research Institute for training before their release into the wild in the coming months. This is part of a campaign to protect Taiwan's endemic species by pooling resources from both the public and private sectors, in this case seeking to expand the number of the dwindling leopard cat population, which stands at less than 500, according to the zoo.

Jigsaw puzzle featuring leopard cats in Taiwan. (Renoir Puzzle image)

A leopard cat at Taipei Zoo. (Taipei Zoo photo)

A leopard cat at Taipei Zoo was sent to train before its release into the wild. (Taipei Zoo photo)