The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday said it shot and killed a Formosan black bear in Hualien County on Monday evening, after the animal ran toward agency personnel who were conducting a patrol.
The bear had been spotted attacking a dog in Jhuosi Village (卓溪) at about 9pm, and moved aggressively toward patrol members after being shouted at, prompting one officer to fire a single shot, the agency’s Hualien branch said.
The wounded bear collapsed in a nearby ditch, and was later sedated and examined by veterinarians after being sent to an animal hospital, it said.
Photo courtesy of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency
The bear sustained multiple spinal fractures, a collapsed lung and internal bleeding, and was euthanized under deep anesthesia due to the severity of its injuries.
The animal was identified as YNP-BB02, a black bear released four years ago by the Yushan National Park Headquarters as part of a research and tracking program.
The agency under the Ministry of Agriculture said the bear had preyed on four dogs and raided poultry over a 10-day period in Jhuosi Village, with its most recent sighting less than 100m from Chongcheng Village (中正) alarming residents.
Due to its abnormal, predatory behavior, the agency and Yushan National Park Headquarters coordinated plans to capture the animal, while night patrols conducted by the agency and local residents were also deployed to ensure public safety.
After the shooting, a 28-person response team from the agency, Yushan National Park Headquarters and civil society wildlife conservation groups assisted at the scene.
The bear’s carcass would be sent to the ministry’s Veterinary Research Institute for a full necropsy, the agency said.
Because killing a bear is considered taboo by the indigenous Bunun community who live in Chongcheng Village, local residents planned a purification ritual to take place yesterday, which the agency said it would attend.
The agency expressed “deep regret” over the death of the animal, but said the shooting complied with the Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法) and was necessary to protect human life.
The incident highlights increasing conflict between humans and bears in rural Taiwan, the agency said, adding that lessons learned from this incident would inform future conservation efforts.
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