Animals

Besides people, there are a number of creatures on the island. Most notably, the villagers have herds of goat, and they often let them roam about, especially in the mornings. As a result, I see them almost every time I go running, as well as their omnipresent droppings and the flies that come with them.






This was the reason why this basketball court was rather gross to play on:




Other than goats, some families raise pigs, which do their part by making leftovers and perishable garbage disappear more quickly. Pigs are more like wild hogs, and they are actually quite furry, though sometimes a bit tempermental.




There are also roosters in villages, and they tend to crow not just in the morning, but also during inappropriate times such as in the afternoon, especially when one is trying to nap. However, they tend to walk around as if they were ignorant and blameless of such irresponsible behavior:



There are also lizards, which of course can be found outdoors, but also sometimes on the walls inside houses (houses in Lanyu tend to be very open - lots of open windows, decks, etc, and generally are very easy for random creatures to come in). Apparently they're good for catching insects so they're always welcome indoors.


We've also seen miniature owls at night (though no pictures are available) and went on an excursion to catch salamanders, crabs, snails, etc. In fact, there is a dish made from cooked snails where you're supposed to break the tail of the shell off before you can suck the tasty snail body out (no suction force can be created inside a rigid shell given only one opening). For whatever reason, in the book "Song of Orchid Island", which is about an American visiting Lanyu in the 1970s, the American had extreme difficulty with this (it took him like a month or something before he could apply enough suction force to successfully suck his meal). Certainly it took a little bit of practice, but it wasn't that hard.