Formosan black bears, which are endemic to Taiwan, have recently been spotted on mountain trails at lower altitudes in Yushan National Park, park rangers said yesterday.
Formosan black bears used to be found in forests throughout Taiwan, but the expansion of human activity and land development has gradually forced the animals to retreat deeper into the mountains.
The Yushan National Park Administration said the bears have only been spotted at high altitudes in recent years.
But last month some rangers found bear tracks around a mountain hut in the Yushan park at a medium elevation where mountain climbers like to camp.
Early this month, park rangers also spotted fresh claw scratches made by bears on tree trunks along a mountain trail between Dongpu (東埔) and Guangao (觀高) in Nantou County’s Sinyi Township (信義).
“Reports from rangers show a trend, with Formosan black bears venturing into mountainous regions frequented by humans,” an administration official said.
As to why Formosan black bears were reappearing in lower-altitude forests, the official said they could be attracted by the smell of food left behind by mountain climbers.
In addition, the official said, the number of other species, such as barking deer and goats, along mountain trails had increased in recent years, which may be drawing the bears down from higher altitudes.
With the chances of running into Formosan black bears increasing, the official reminded mountain climbers to remain calm and composed if they encounter a bear.
“While Formosan black bears can be ferocious and dangerous, they will usually not attack unless they are threatened, hurt or feel that their cubs are in danger,” the official said.
The best thing to do in the event of an encounter with a bear is to stay calm, try not to provoke the animal and leave the vicinity immediately, the official said.
The official said Formosan black bears, although strong, sturdy and skilled at mountain climbing, were less agile and slower than other carnivores.
Mountain climbers are advised to refrain from climbing trees or pretending to be dead if they come across a bear.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Credit departments of farmers’ and fishers’ associations blocked a total of more than NT$180 million (US$6.01 million) from being lost to scams last year, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed. The Agricultural Finance Agency (AFA) said last week that staff of farmers’ and fishers’ associations’ credit departments are required to implement fraud prevention measures when they serve clients at the counter. They would ask clients about personal financial management activities whenever they suspect there might be a fraud situation, and would immediately report the incident to local authorities, which would send police officers to the site to help, it said. NPA data showed
ENERGY RESILIENCE: Although Alaska is open for investments, Taiwan is sourcing its gas from the Middle East, and the sea routes carry risks, Ho Cheng-hui said US government officials’ high-profile reception of a Taiwanese representative at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference indicated the emergence of an Indo-Pacific energy resilience alliance, an academic said. Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) attended the conference in Alaska on Thursday last week at the invitation of the US government. Pan visited oil and gas facilities with senior US officials, including US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and US Senator Daniel Sullivan. Pan attending the conference on behalf of President William Lai (賴清德) shows a significant elevation in diplomatic representation,
The Taipei City Reserve Command yesterday initiated its first-ever 14-day recall of some of the city’s civilian service reservists, who are to undergo additional training on top of refresher courses. The command said that it rented sites in Neihu District (內湖), including the Taipei Tennis Center, for the duration of the camp to optimize tactical positioning and accommodate the size of the battalion of reservists. A battalion is made up of four companies of more than 200 reservists each, it said. Aside from shooting drills at a range in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), the remainder of the training would be at
RSS