TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Last week in central Taiwan, a Formosan black bear was found dead in Taichung’s Heping District after being caught in a snare designed to catch wild boars, Taiwan’s Forestry Bureau said on Saturday (June 8).

The Forestry Bureau is surveying bears in the region, and on June 2 received a signal that a bear tagged for the research lost vital signs. After tracing the signal, the dead bear was found on June 3 with a wire snare around its left forearm, likely dead from dehydration, said the bureau.



The bear, an adult male weighing 85 kilograms, was caught and tagged by the bureau on March 24. The record of its movement shows that it had remained in the same general area in Dashyueshan Forest National Park along the Dajia River, typically foraging in one spot for two to four days before moving on.

The signals from the tracking device are only received every 42 hours on average. Before the signal revealed that there were no vital signs, a signal had been registered for the bear on May 29 in the area where it was ensnared.

The case was transferred to law enforcement officials to investigate if the individual who set the trap was intentionally targeting Formosan black bears.

The type of boar trap that snared the bear’s forearm has been banned in Taiwan for many years. However, much of the hunting gear market in Taiwan, especially in remote mountainous areas, suffers from a lack of oversight and regulation, making such traps easy to obtain, according to a report from UDN.



The Formosan black bear is considered an endangered species by the Taiwan government, with a population in the wild of less than 600. Although the government has stepped up measures to protect the species, they are often targeted illegally by some hunters.

In April 2023, nine people were charged for hunting or killing protected wildlife under the Environmental Protection Act, with some charges related to hunting Formosan black bears.