Police are investigating the death of a Formosan black bear discovered on Tuesday buried near an industrial road in Nantou County, with initial evidence indicating that it was shot accidentally by a hunter.
The bear had been caught in wildlife traps at least five times before, three times since 2020.
Codenamed No. 711, the bear received extensive media coverage last year after it was discovered trapped twice in less than two months in the Taichung mountains.
Photo courtesy of the Forestry Bureau
After its most recent ensnarement last month, the bear was released in the Dandashan (丹大山) area in Nantou County’s Sinyi Township (信義).
However, officials became concerned after the tracking device stopped working on Friday last week after the bear had moved toward the Wujie (武界) community, and informed Fajhih Village (法治) Warden Yeh A-lang (葉阿良) that it might encroach on inhabited lands.
Yeh on Friday and Saturday made loudspeaker announcements informing residents to remain alert and retrieve food and traps.
On Tuesday, Forestry Bureau officials discovered the bear’s remains buried in a creek valley about 100m from an industrial road in Wujie, with serious injuries on its head and chest, and no tracking collar.
Chinese-language media also reported finding a small hunting shack about 100m away.
The remains have been sent to the Council of Agriculture’s National Institute for Animal Health for an autopsy to determine the cause of death, the bureau said.
Police have been asked to investigate, although they are likely to be challenged by a lack of security cameras or passersby on the remote road.
One local hunter told reporters that fellow hunters often ride scooters along remote roads at night looking for prey, since the headlights illuminate their eyes.
This means that hunters usually do not know what they shot until afterward, and even sometimes hit other hunters, he said, adding that some illegal loggers have even been killed this way.
He said he suspects the bear was killed by mistake and buried to hide the evidence, and its tracker removed and destroyed, as turning it in would implicate the hunter in an illegal act.
The bureau said in a statement on Tuesday that GPS tracking showed no movement from Wednesday morning to Thursday morning last week, at which point the bear appeared to suddenly start moving toward Wujie before it stopped transmitting.
The bureau asks anyone with a lead to contact police at 049-277-5110 or the bureau at its 24-hour hotline, 0800-000-930. A reward of up to NT$200,000 is offered for evidence leading to an arrest, it said.
Additional reporting by CNA
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) today condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after the Czech officials confirmed that Chinese agents had surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March last year. Czech Military Intelligence director Petr Bartovsky yesterday said that Chinese operatives had attempted to create the conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, going as far as to plan a collision with her car. Hsiao was vice president-elect at the time. The MAC said that it has requested an explanation and demanded a public apology from Beijing. The CCP has repeatedly ignored the desires
Many Chinese spouses required to submit proof of having renounced their Chinese household registration have either completed the process or provided affidavits ahead of the June 30 deadline, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Thursday. Of the 12,146 people required to submit the proof, 5,534 had done so as of Wednesday, MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. Another 2,572 people who met conditions for exemption or deferral from submitting proof of deregistration — such as those with serious illnesses or injuries — have submitted affidavits instead, he said. “As long as individuals are willing to cooperate with the legal
The Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant’s license has expired and it cannot simply be restarted, the Executive Yuan said today, ahead of national debates on the nuclear power referendum. The No. 2 reactor at the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County was disconnected from the nation’s power grid and completely shut down on May 17, the day its license expired. The government would prioritize people’s safety and conduct necessary evaluations and checks if there is a need to extend the service life of the reactor, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference. Lee said that the referendum would read: “Do
Taiwan's Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said Saturday that she would not be intimidated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), following reports that Chinese agents planned to ram her car during a visit to the Czech Republic last year. "I had a great visit to Prague & thank the Czech authorities for their hospitality & ensuring my safety," Hsiao said on social media platform X. "The CCP's unlawful activities will NOT intimidate me from voicing Taiwan's interests in the international community," she wrote. Hsiao visited the Czech Republic on March 18 last year as vice president-elect and met with Czech Senate leadership, including
RSS