A Formosan black bear known as Lanihu (拉尼琥), who was trapped in a snare and stranded in a tree near an industrial road last August in Taitung County’s Haiduan Township (海端), was successfully released back into the wild on Thursday, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said.
Lin Meng-yi (林孟怡), head of the agency’s nature conservation division at the Taitung branch, said that Lanihu hesitated when the cage was opened, peeking outside, but seemed to be reluctant to step out into the wilderness.
However, with encouragement from villagers, including Village warden Chiu Chi-chiang (邱志強) and those who reported and assisted in his rescue, namely Yu Ming-hsiung (余明雄) and Wang En-ling (王恩齡), the bear finally stepped out of the cage to begin his new life in the mountains, Lin said.
Photo: screen grab from the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency’s YouTube channel
She said that indigenous people at the scene harnessed the spirits of the mountains, seeking their assistance in protecting the bear.
She added that the agency has received its first signal from the satellite attached to Lanihu and that it would continue to monitor his movements.
If Lanihu enters a warning zone, the agency would cooperate with the people living in the area and take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of both humans and bears, Lin said.
The bear, aged between three and four, is named after Yu, whose indigenous name is “Lanihu.”
The agency explained that after a rescue operation conducted by its Taitung branch, the WildOne wildlife conservation association and local indigenous people in late August last year, the bear underwent seven months of medical care.
After his rescue, his left front foot was thought to be so badly injured that it might need to be amputated. However, after careful medical treatment, it was saved.
WildOne said while caring for Lanihu they observed that he was a cautious bear and highly alert around caregivers.
The organization said Lanihu also exhibited behaviors such as nest-building and climbing. Throughout his time in captivity, his behavior was stable and his physical condition has continued to improve — he even gained 10kg over the past seven months — making him eligible for release back into the wild.
The agency said that it was grateful to the local people for rescuing the bear and reporting what had happened, and to its partners from Kamcing Village who participated in projects focused on protecting Formosan black bears.
The agency said that it would continue to invite surrounding residents and communities living near the bears to join conservation and protection efforts to promote a friendly co-existence between humans and bears.
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Taiwan's Gold Apollo Co (金阿波羅通信) said today that the pagers used in detonations in Lebanon the day before were not made by it, but by a company called BAC which has a license to use its brand. At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon yesterday. Images of destroyed pagers analyzed by Reuters showed a format and stickers on the back that were consistent with pagers made by Gold Apollo. A senior Lebanese security source told Reuters that Hezbollah had ordered 5,000 pagers from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo. "The product was not
COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai