Formosan black bear mother, cub released after 1 year of rehabilitation

Taipei, April 8 (CNA) A female Formosan black bear taken in with an injured paw and her cub were jointly released into the wild in Hualien County Wednesday after spending more than a year in a wildlife rehabilitation center, conservation officials said.

In a statement issued Wednesday, the Hualien branch of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said the adult female bear was reported to authorities in March 2025 after injuring its paw in a trap, requiring it to be taken for medical treatment.

Later that month, residents of an Indigenous village reported finding a bear cub wandering alone in the same location. The female cub, which weighed only 11.5 kilograms and was still nursing, was also trapped by conservation officials, the agency said.

Following surgery on the adult bear's paw, both it and the cub were placed in the care of the WildOne Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Taitung, where genetic testing confirmed that the bears were a mother and her cub.

During rehabilitation, caregivers tried to reintroduce the mother and cub to each other in June and July, but found that they had limited interactions and did not reestablish a filial connection, and therefore decided to keep them separated.

Beginning in October, the cub began rewilding training at the center's forest facility, learning how to forage, climb trees, adapt to its surroundings and avoid contact with people, the conservation agency said.

By March of this year, the cub had grown to 46 kg and learned the skills necessary for surviving in the wild, while the mother bear had fully recovered from its injuries and weighed 74 kg.

Both animals met the requirements for being released back into the wild, the agency said.

Release

On March 11, conservation agency officials held an informational meeting in the Nakahila community of the Bunun people in Zhuoxi Township, where residents agreed to take part in the bears' release and subsequent monitoring.

Prior to the release on Wednesday, village residents held a ceremony to give the mother and cub the Bunun names "Uli" and "Mua." The names, respectively, mean "virtuous wife and loving mother" and "cute and gentle little girl," in the Bunun language, according to the agency.

Following the ceremony, the cub and then the mother were released at a 30-minute interval at the end of Zhongping Forest Road, both disappearing quickly into the forest.

After their release, the bears will be monitored via satellite collars and geofencing. Wildlife officials will also set up a feedback mechanism with the Taiping Village chief to allow tribal members to track and report the bears' movements.

Wednesday marked the first time a mother bear and cub have been released together following rehabilitation in Taiwan, according to the conservation agency.