A Formosan black bear cub found alone in Hualien County in July has been sent to a forest area for skills training, bringing it a step closer to its release into its natural habitat next year, the Council of Agriculture’s Forestry Bureau said yesterday.
The cub was on July 10 found walking alone near Nanan Waterfall (南安瀑布) in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) when it was about three or fourth months old, the bureau said.
As the cub’s mother did not show up and it was found to be undernourished, the bureau in August sent the cub to the council’s Endemic Species Research Institute in Nantou County.
Photo: CNA
On Dec. 6, institute veterinarians examined the cub and found that it was 112cm tall and 27.5kg, up from 102cm and 21.3kg on Oct. 23.
They placed a radio transmitter on the cub and moved it to the institute’s forest enclosure for wildlife training, where it has been learning how to hunt for food and avoid natural enemies, the bureau said.
The cub’s rescue and release involved the efforts of the council, police officials, the Taipei Zoo, the Taiwan Black Bear Conservation Association and experts from National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST), National Taiwan University and National Taiwan Normal University, the bureau said.
As one of the cub’s caregivers, the association last month started raising funds for preparations to release it, conservation documents and follow-up tracking of its adaptation in the wild.
The association used crowdfunding instead of raising funds from a few wealthy people to engage more people in the release project and boost public awareness of wildlife conservation, association founder and NPUST associate professor Hwang Mei-hsiu (黃美秀) wrote on Facebook on Saturday.
Hwang has been nicknamed “Bear Mother” for her long-term involvement in bear conservation.
The association had hoped to raise NT$3 million (US$97,094) by 10am today, but it had raised more than NT$4.3 million as of 4pm yesterday.
Funding for the cub’s care is not entirely covered by the association, given that many agencies have made contributions, a valuable experience that can help improve rescue work for large animals, bureau Conservation Division head Hsia Jung-sheng (夏榮生) said.
The cub might be released in April or May, when it is one year old and more food is available in its natural habitat, Hsia said, but added that scenarios need to be carefully evaluated by experts.
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
EVA Airways on Saturday said that it had suspended a pilot and opened an investigation after he allegedly lost his temper and punched the first officer several times as their plane was taxiing before takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport. According to a report published on Thursday by The Reporter, the incident occurred after the flight’s Malaysian first officer tried to warn the Taiwanese pilot, surnamed Wen (文), that he was taxiing faster than the speed limit of 30 knots (55.6kph). After alerting the pilot several times without response, the first officer manually applied the brakes in accordance with standard operating
NOT AN OPENING: Trump’s violation of international law does not affect China’s consideration in attacking Taiwan; Beijing lacks capability, not precedent, an official said Taiwanese officials see the US’ capture of the president of Venezuela as a powerful deterrent to Beijing’s aggression and a timely reminder of the US’ ability to defeat militaries equipped with Chinese-made weapons. The strikes that toppled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro signaled to authoritarian leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), US President Donald Trump’s willingness to use military might for international affairs core to US interests, one senior official in Taipei’s security circle said. That reassured Taiwan, the person said. Taipei has also dismissed the idea that Trump’s apparent violation of international law could embolden Beijing, said the official, who was not
RSS