Taipei, April 22 (CNA) Taiwan’s Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (FANCA) 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 Zhuoxi Village (Panital) at around 9 p.m., and moved aggressively toward patrol members after being shouted at, prompting one officer to fire a single shot, FANCA’s Hualien branch said Tuesday.
The wounded bear collapsed in a nearby ditch and was later sedated and examined by veterinarians after being sent to an animal hospital, the agency said.
According to FANCA, the bear suffered 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.
FANCA, an agency under Taiwan’s Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), said the bear had preyed on four dogs and raided poultry over a 10-day period in Zhuoxi Village, with its most recent sighting less than 100 meters from Zhongzheng Village (Sinkan) alarming residents.
Due to its abnormal, predatory behavior, FANCA and Yushan National Park Headquarters coordinated plans to capture the animal, while night patrols conducted by FANCA and local residents were also deployed to ensure public safety.
After the shooting, a 28-person response team from FANCA, Yushan National Park Headquarters, and civil society wildlife conservation groups assisted at the scene.
The bear’s carcass will be sent to the MOA’s Veterinary Research Institute for a full necropsy, FANCA said.
Because killing a bear is considered taboo by the Indigenous Bunun community who live in Zhongzheng Village, local residents planned a purification ritual to take place on Tuesday, which FANCA said it would attend.
The agency expressed “deep regret” over the death of the animal but said the shooting complied with Taiwan’s Wildlife Conservation Act and was necessary to protect human life.
FANCA added that the incident highlights increasing conflict between humans and bears in rural Taiwan, and noted that lessons learned from this incident will inform future conservation efforts.
