The government should regulate snare traps that pose a danger to Formosan black bears and other wildlife, bear expert Hwang Mei-hsiu (黃美秀) said yesterday, following a report that a bear was injured in Hualien.
An apparently ensnared black bear was seen in a two-second video uploaded to Facebook on Saturday by Taiwan Black Bear Conservation Association member Wang Hsiao-hu (王嘯虎).
The association on Monday last week received a report that a bear was snared in the hills of Jhuosi Township (卓溪).
Screen grab from Wang Hsiao-hu’s Facebook page
Later that day, Huang, a veterinarian and Forestry Bureau officials released it, the association said on Facebook.
The bear had been immobilized for three to four days and showed signs of dehydration, while a wound from the snare was gangrenous and maggot-infested, it said.
The animal was missing its left forepaw, suggesting it had been snared previously, it said.
After tranquilizing the bear, the team sterilized and dressed the wound, and checked the animal for tags and trackers, the association said, adding that none were found and the animal was released.
Wang has for many years asked the government to establish a medical center for wildlife in the nation’s east, but has not received approval, he wrote on Facebook.
The association has established its own stockpile of medical supplies, cages and restraints at the Taiwan Black Bear Education Center
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