Formosan black bear captured again, much thinner than before

Taipei, March 10 (CNA) A Formosan black bear that had been previously caught and released into the wild in Hualien County was again captured weighing considerably less than it had when last seen, leading to questions about its future.

Taiwan's Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (FANCA) caught the bear, which had been scavenging for food in the county's Yuli Township, by trapping it on a fruit farm at around 6 a.m. Monday, said Chu Yi-chien (朱懿千), the deputy chief of FANCA's Hualien branch.

The caged bear was then examined by an onsite vet from Taiwan's WildOne Wildlife Conservation Association, who found that the bear, named Da qu-ali (達古阿里), had lost a lot of weight since being last released on Dec. 4, 2024, Chu said.

The bear's weight was down from 91 kilograms from when last weighed to 63 kg, Chu said, and its left hind leg had sustained new wounds after having had recovered from previous injuries.

Whether the bear will be returned to the wild again or get long-term care in a facility will be determined at a later date after a thorough physical checkup by experts, Chu said.

Da qu-ali was first rescued by FANCA in late March 2024 after it repeatedly trespassed in areas near human settlements in Yuli.

After eight months of physical therapy, it was returned to the wild with a satellite tracker around his neck.

FANCA's Hualien branch indicated that the bear was then observed to have entered Yushan National Park, presumably to establish a wintering site.

The bear started to relocate in early February before being detected entering areas under electronic surveillance by the Hualien agency, with sightings of the bear reported over the past 10 days.

The branch office previously said that judging by images from cameras, the bear may have become weaker after losing weight from wintering and having trouble finding food due to the new leg injury.

On March 3, teachers at Yuancheng Elementary School in Yuli reported that a black bear, later confirmed as Da qu-ali, was spotted entering schoolgrounds on Feb. 27.

By March 4, the bear was discovered to have been scavenging in fruit farms, going as far as to devour rotten meat used to lure fruit flies.

To avoid an encounter with local residents after images of the bear captured by a member of the public showed the animal limping and seemingly smaller and weak, the branch office launched the operation to trap it on Sunday before its capture on Monday.