The Taipei Zoo is hosting its annual Ghost Month event on Friday to commemorate the animals that have passed away and celebrate the living. They are inviting Christian groups to lead prayers and are broadcasting the event online this year due to pandemic restrictions.
Ghost Month is an important period on the traditional calendar in Taiwan. It takes place during the seventh month of the lunar year. Taipei Zoo first held a commemorative service for its animals in 1924, with its first "Animal Care Day". The zoo director Liu Shih-fen led an initial prayer reading on Monday, with around 70 colleagues. Christian ministers are leading the additional event on Friday to include those with different religious faiths.
The zoo is paying a special tribute to the beloved grandma chimpanzee "A-mei" and Formosan rock macaque "Jung-ko", who both died during the past year. The absence of these two animals has been especially hard for zoo staff and frequent visitors. Taipei Zoo says it aims to thank these animals for their lives and service to the zoo while bringing people together to celebrate the importance of all animals.