HUALIEN (TVBS News) — Conservation officials successfully rescued an underweight female Formosan black bear cub in Hualien over the weekend, marking the second bear recovery operation in the area within days. The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (FNCA, 林業保育署) Hualien Branch (花蓮分署) conducted the delicate capture operation on Saturday (March 30) with a specialized team of 16 personnel, including wildlife veterinarians from the WildOne Association (野灣協會). After safely sedating the young bear, the team transported it to a designated rehabilitation facility where it will receive specialized care.
The rescue operation comes as part of an ongoing monitoring effort that began last Thursday when officials successfully freed a trapped adult female bear and detected signs of a second, smaller bear in the vicinity. Conservation personnel reviewing footage from strategically placed automatic wildlife cameras confirmed the cub's presence early Friday morning, though the young animal remained elusive until finally entering a humane trap on Saturday. Veterinary specialists from the WildOne Association conducted an initial examination, identifying the bear as a female weighing just 11.5 kilograms. While the cub shows no signs of physical injury, experts noted its concerning underweight condition. Wildlife officials are now investigating whether this cub is related to the adult female bear rescued earlier in the week.
Conservation authorities have developed a comprehensive rehabilitation plan for the young bear, beginning with specialized nutritional care until it achieves a healthy weight appropriate for survival in the wild. Once physically rehabilitated, the cub will participate in a structured field training program designed to develop essential survival skills before its eventual release back into Taiwan's mountain forests. In an effort to prevent similar rescue situations, the Hualien Branch has issued an urgent appeal to farmers and indigenous communities in mountainous regions to discontinue use of commercially available large snares that pose significant risks to the endangered Formosan black bear population. The agency offers alternative, wildlife-friendly hunting tools at no cost through its local workstations. Officials encourage residents experiencing bear-related disturbances to report incidents promptly by contacting the dedicated Hualien Branch hotline at 0800-000-930.
