TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Formosan black bear was found ensnared in a leg wire-trap intended for wild boars on Sunday (July 2).
The incident was reported to the Hualien District Forest Management Office, which dispatched a team to tend to the injured bear. The bear suffered an injury to the forearm above the left palm, but was otherwise in good health.
The animal rescue team assessed that follow-up care was needed. The bear was sent to the WildOne Wildlife Rescue Center for temporary care and recovery, with the intention of releasing it back into the wild at a later date.
WildoOne Wildlife Rescue Center reports this is the fourth Formosan black bear the center has treated this year.
Formosan black bear taken in for a wire leg trap injury. (CNA photo)
The male bear weighed more than 80 kilograms. It was trapped in Zhuoxi Township, a location where another bear, given the name Lizuk Dumaz, was rescued from a similar trap in May.
The two incidents involving black bears have led Hualien County Government to continue their appeal to farmers to avoid using traps to prevent wild animals from entering their property and destroying crops.
Instead of traps, the Forestry Bureau recommends electric fences which not only keep away black bears but also macaques and wild boars. Government subsidies for electric fences cover 75% of material costs, with farmers paying the remaining 25%.
If the public finds a wild animal that has been accidentally trapped, they can call the Forestry Bureau's 24-hour hotline at 0800-000-930, or Hualien County's special hotline, 1999.
The Forestry Bureau adds that if someone accidentally catches or injures a protected wild animal, as long as they report it immediately and assist in the rescue, they will not be held accountable.
