Bat Ecology Museum Introduction
The Alishan Railway Tunnel No. 33 was abandoned years ago due to a landslide. Its secluded location has made it a habitat for bats. To avoid human interference, the entrance to the bat cave is surrounded by a fence, and the old Shuishalian train station has been converted into a Bat Ecology Education Center. Through a real-time imaging system, visitors can learn about the living conditions of bats and promote conservation awareness. The bat species found here include the Formosan flying fox, the Formosan pipistrelle, and the little brown bat, all of which are endemic to Taiwan. It is understood that, in addition to the abandoned Tunnel No. 33, the Forestry Bureau has also discovered traces of bats in other caves. To better understand the habits and population changes of Alishan bats, the Bureau has allocated funds and commissioned a professional private company to conduct ecological photography and activity monitoring of bats, recording their habits such as daily roosting, emergence from the cave, nighttime foraging, reproduction, and hibernation. During holidays, local residents volunteer as guides at the interpretation station to explain the natural environment and bat ecology of Shuishalian, providing visitors with a deeper understanding of the area.
