Ruptly
"A former stray tabby has become the beloved ‘stationmaster’ of Taiwan's Kaohsiung Metro, charming commuters at Ciaotou Sugar Refinery station and gaining an impressive international fanbase. Footage shows crowds of visitors swarming the station's service booth to catch a glimpse of Mikan diligently patrolling the desk as she carries out her duties as 'stationmaster'. "Mikan only comes on duty one day a month, and on that day, everyone wants to come and see just how adorable he looks on the job. So you'll see huge crowds of people who come out specifically just for him," Kaohsiung MRT public relations personnel, Jill Huang, commented. "I've run into visitors from Hong Kong and overseas who came here specifically for Mikan. Once, when I took the MRT here, I saw a friend from Taipei who had brought Korean colleagues - they were working in Taiwan - all the way down from Taipei just to see her," one of the locals, Mitchell Yang, noted. The feline was adopted by station staff after being found as a stray kitten in 2020. She was later given the name ‘Mikan’ - a Japanese word for tangerine – due to her bright ginger fur. "We took her in and started caring for her, and then we told her - we're going to train you to be a station master. So he went through a whole series of training and became the station master," Huang stated. This year, Mikan celebrated her sixth anniversary since she was officially appointed as stationmaster to mark the 15th anniversary of the Kaohsiung MRT. Over the years, Mikan has become Taiwan's recognised tourism symbol, receiving visitors from all across the world and even an official visit from then-President Tsai Ing-wen. Mikan-themed products have expanded to more than 120, with annual sales exceeding 10 million new Taiwan dollars (about 317,920 USD), while her Instagram account, @krtcmikan, boasts over 227,000 followers."
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