A passenger's pet squirrel escaped from its carrier in a crowded Taipei MRT station earlier this month and bit a woman on the leg before being reunited with its owner, according to police, who described the incident as the first of its kind in the transit system's history.
In a press release Monday, the Taipei City Police Department's Rapid Transit Division said two of its officers received a report on Aug. 16 about a passenger in need of assistance at MRT Zhongxiao Xinsheng Station.
After arriving at the station, they were led to a woman who had been standing on the platform waiting for her train, when a squirrel climbed up her right leg and bit her on the back of the knee.
Upon investigating it was discovered that the squirrel was a pet, and had been traveling with its owner, when, in a crowd to board a train, other passengers pressed up against its carrier case, bending it and creating a gap in the door through which the squirrel was able to escape.
According to the police, the owner only noticed that the carrier was empty after the train had departed, and thus had to take the next train back to the station, where they located the squirrel and learned of the "commotion" it had caused.
The squirrel's owner apologized profusely to the woman who had been bitten and offered to pay her medical expenses, the police said, adding that the bite wound she had suffered was "not serious."
Meanwhile, the police statement reminded people to ensure that their pets are properly stowed when traveling on the MRT, and warned that pet owners whose animals escape and injure others can face a maximum fine of NT$12,000 (US$395), as well as up to three days' detention, under Article 70 of the Social Order Maintenance Act.
The police added that this was the first known instance of a squirrel biting a person on the Taipei Metro system.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel