National Day floats will be on exhibit for the last day at the vacant land next to the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center on the 15th, and the outcome of the hotly contested float online poll was also revealed on the same day. The most popular float was the leopard cat float, which received 46,000 likes, turning Life’s frown into a smile in appreciation of the fans’ enthusiastic support! In order to express their gratitude for the fans’ kind friendship and support, the leopard cat float will be exhibited in Taichung from the 18th to the 22nd, and the leopard cat family will make an appearance.

Over the several days, Taichung’s leopard cat float and Taipei’s Bravo float engaged in a seesaw battle in terms of the number of votes gained, with both parties working hard to solicit votes from fans. The result of the online poll was revealed at noon on the 15th, and the leopard cat float took top honors with 46,000 likes, while the runner-up, Bravo float, received 32,000 likes.

Mayor Lin Chia-lung expressed his excitement in his Facebook post that the flora expo mascot leopard cats are not just adorable, they also convey meaningful stories and values that evoke people’s recognition and pride towards the city. Thank you all for supporting the leopard cats, and many thanks also go to Bravo – who also put on a splendid performance – for presenting the beauty of Taiwan to the world. He also announced that the leopard cat float will return to Taichung to meet everybody during October 18-22.

According to Mayor Lin, leopard car is a class one endangered species in Taiwan. In order to preserve leopard cat habitat, the city hall decided to relocate the flora exhibition venue in early 2015, and leopard cat was selected as the flora expo mascot, infusing the philosophy of ecological friendliness. Currently, regulations on leopard cat conservation are being formulated to materialize the values of eco-friendliness.

During the competing process, at one stage leopard cat float’s votes were surpassed by that of the Bravo float, so Life posted an article on Facebook entitled “So sad”. Now that the float has won first place, Life regained his smile and danced all over the place with joy. Leopard cat family members also posted their thoughts on the flora expo fan page, thanking the fans for their passionate support. They also invited the fiercely competitive runner-up Bravo to visit Taichung next year and attend the flora expo.

In order to thank the fans, the leopard cat float will be exhibited at the front square of Taichung City Hall on Taiwan Boulevard daily from October 18 to 22 (10:00-18:00), so that the citizens can admire the spectacular float closely. During the exhibition period, the flora expo mascots will also make an appearance to thank the fans for their support. The scheduled hours during October 21-22 are: 10:00/11:00/13:00/14:00/15:00/16:00/17:00, people are welcome to take photos and play with them!

The city government indicated that the Taichung flora expo mascots consist of members of the leopard cat family (dad, mom, older sister Love and younger brother Life), as well as their neighbor Omi Horse. Sponsored exclusively by COTA Commercial Bank, the leopard cat float’s design draws inspiration from the Taichung World Flora Expo mascot. Measuring 19m long and 5m tall, the vehicle in front of the float is led by leopard cat mom, while the vehicle behind the float is commanded by Omi Horse. Leopard cat mom has long eyelashes, so she is constantly winking to mesmerize those around her. On the vehicle at the back, Omi Horse is always being teased by leopard cat siblings Love and Life, thus he is seen on the floor, fuming with anger through his nostrils.