Young Formosan black bear rescued from boar trap

Animal rescue workers took a juvenile Formosan black bear to a rehabilitation center for medical treatment after it was rescued from a boar trap in a mountain district of Miaoli County yesterday, October 16.

A fruit farmer named Zhang was inspecting his orchard when he heard an animal growling in a nearby bamboo grove. On inspection, Zhang found a small black bear with one limb caught in a snare. Zhang contacted the Taichung branch of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency of the Department of Agriculture to report the incident.

The agency dispatched 11 personnel, including veterinarians to the location at an altitude of 851 meters in Guizhu Forest in Tai’an Township. Veterinarians anesthetized the bear using a blowgun and successfully freed the animal from the trap.

The bear was not seriously injured, but suffered a swollen paw, and was taken to the Wushikeng Research Center of the Taiwan Biodiversity Research Institute for medical care.

Veterinarians said that the bear is less than one year old, weighs 29 kilograms, and is 105 meters long. The bear will be re-released into the wild as soon as possible.

Forestry officials said that Mr Zhang is a member of the local indigenous Da’an tribe. Zhang participated in the Friendly Black Bear Tribe Community Briefing, a program designed to educate people about black bear conservation, and encourage reporting of accidental bear trapping incidents. Under the program, Zhang will receive an NT$6,000 reward, and three other members of the tribe who provided assistance with the rescue will receive NT$3,000 each.

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