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Simple Summary: Tree climbing is an extremely rare behavior among ungulates and has rarely been reported in forest-dwelling ungulates. We collected 15 tree-climbing records of Formosan serows, mainly from social media platforms. They climbed trees to forage throughout the year in many locations in Taiwan. This is the first report of tree-climbing behavior in the Formosan serow, which is typically a forest dweller. Ungulates are terrestrial herbivores, basically adapted to running fast on the ground; tree-climbing behavior has been reported only in seven species, and five of them live in open habitats (Capra hircus, C. aegagrus, C. falconeri, C. cylindricornis, Oreotragus oreotragus). Tree-climbing behavior may also be evolved in ungulates inhabiting dense forests with abundant trees; however, this has rarely been reported in such species (Moschus leucogaster, M. moschiferus), probably due to the difficulty of observing in the wild. The numerous publicly available records in social networks hold potentially valuable information on the atypical behaviors of wild ungulates. Here, we explored the tree-climbing behavior of a forest-dwelling ungulate, the Formosan serow in Taiwan, a subtropical island, by extracting information from online social media platforms. We researched images and videos of Formosan serows through Facebook and YouTube and collected a total of 15 tree-climbing events. In these materials, Formosan serows climbed 10 tree species, including evergreen coniferous and broad-leaved trees, and a variety of parts, ranging in height from 0.6 to 4 m, and from branches of shrubs to trunks of tall trees. Tree-climbing behavior was recorded throughout Taiwan and from lowlands to subalpine zones, suggesting that tree climbing may be a common behavior in this species. Foraging while climbing trees was frequently observed (53.3%), suggesting that the purpose or benefit for climbing is to obtain additional food other than plants growing near the ground surface. In contrast to other tree-climbing ungulates, Formosan serows climbed trees not only in winter, but also in other seasons, when food is relatively abundant. This is the first scientific report of tree-climbing behavior in the Formosan serow that is typically a forest dweller. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Conservation performance payment (CPP) is increasingly used to promote human–carnivore co-existence. The leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) is a small felid, which suffers from high levels of anthropogenic mortality. In Taiwan, CPP has recently been introduced to stimulate leopard cat conservation in rural townships. A CPP scheme for leopard cats was pilot-tested in 2019, with the aim to enroll it to other rural townships in future. Aims: We determined whether CPP has a positive impact on attitudes towards leopard cat. To assess whether attitudes are species-specific, we compare attitudes towards leopard cat to attitudes towards other small carnivores, namely gem-faced civet (Paguma larvata) and ferret badger (Melogale moschata), and to pangolin (Manis pentadactyla), a species with a similar conservation status. On the basis of our results, we discuss whether leopard cat CPP is likely to benefit biodiversity preservation as a whole. Methods: We used a structured (pilot-tested) questionnaire to interview 164 respondents in three rural townships in which leopard cats occur in relatively high numbers compared to other townships. Key results: People felt more positive about leopard cat and pangolin, species that were seen as appealing and rare, than about gem-faced civet and ferret badger. Whether species were perceived as causing poultry depredation or agricultural losses was a main reason behind attitudes. Attitudes varied among townships. With CPP, attitudes towards all species became more positive. However, more than a quarter of the respondents were skeptical about the effectiveness of CPP. Conclusions and implications: On the basis of the species popularity and area requirements, leopard cats are a suitable flagship umbrella species. As such, leopard cat CPP is likely to promote biodiversity conservation in Taiwan, especially if other (unpopular) species are taken into account in the objectives of such a scheme. For CPP to be effective, it is important that such a program is participatory, has clear objectives, accurate systems to monitor program outcomes and provides sufficient long-term local benefits. With attitudes towards wildlife varying at a small geographical scale, there is a need for research prior to implementation of CPP, so it can be adapted to local requirements. Conservation performance payment (CPP) has recently been introduced for Taiwan's leopard cat, a small felid that suffers from anthropogenic mortality. We assessed whether CPP is likely to change attitudes towards this species and found that CPP can promote leopard cat conservation. On the basis of our findings, we provide suggestions on how to design effective CPP schemes that benefit biodiversity conservation. Photograph by Institute of Wildlife Conservation, Pingtung University. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diet of myrmecophagous mammals is usually studied by investigating the chitinous remains of termites and ants obtained from stomachs, guts, and faeces; however, this process is time and labour intensive. Moreover, faeces of obligate myrmecophagous mammals contain other materials such as soil, sand, rocks, and plant matter, which hinder the accurate and efficient identification of faeces' contents; this makes estimating the biomass of each prey species difficult. This study tested non-filtering and filtering faecal analysis procedures and compared their identification accuracy and efficiency in the analysis of Formosan pangolin Manis pentadactyla pentadactyla faeces. In the non-filtering procedure, 1 g of dried faeces was distributed over an area greater than 360 cm2 to be able to see most ant capsules and termite mandibles. In the filtering procedure, 0.5 cm3 of filtered chitinous remains of termites and ants was spread over a 45 cm2 area to obtain a high resolution of the diet composition. The filtering procedure can sieve out insect remains from the debris, which facilitates further identification of the insect chitin. Using the two proposed faecal analysis procedures, the prey species composition and the number of prey remains could be obtained. Our results provide a quantitative method to evaluate the diversity of wild pangolin's diets for determining their ecological requirements and developing in-situ and ex-situ conservation plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]