Formosan black bear mother and cub released after 1 year in care

Formosan black bear mother and cub released after 1 year in care

2026-04-09

A Formosan black bear that accidentally got caught in a trap last year is free once again after more than a year in a rehabilitation center. In March last year, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency was notified that an adult female bear had been injured in a trap near Taiping Village in Hualien. Personnel were dispatched immediately to rescue her. And in the process they fortunately found her offspring, a young cub that had not yet been weaned. The two animals were taken in for care and released into the wild on Wednesday in a first for Taiwan.

Before their release, a tribal leader in Zhuoxi Township led a blessing ceremony and gave both bears name so that they can be protected back in the wild. The mother was named Uli, which means virtuous wife and loving mother in Bunun. And the cub was named Mua, which means cute and gentle little girl. Both bears will be monitored via satellite tracking collars and an electronic fencing system, so that authorities can keep track of their movements at all times.

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#bear #formosanblackbear #blackbear #cute #cub #bunun #taiwan #hualien #nature

誤入陷阱獲救照養逾一年台灣黑熊母女同日野放創首例

2026-04-09

林保署去年3月接獲通報，花蓮卓溪鄉太平村，有一頭成年母熊誤入陷阱，醫療團隊隨即展開救援。後面發現附近有幼熊徘徊，並成功捕捉尚未離乳的幼熊。歷經逾一年救援照養，週三同步野放重返山林，創下台灣首例，母女熊同日野放紀錄。

野放前，卓溪鄉總頭目主持祈福，並且為兩頭熊命名，母熊烏莉，代表賢妻良母，幼熊慕娃，象徵可愛溫馴，希望他們回到森林後能一切平安。後續兩頭熊將透過衛星頸圈，以及電子圍籬系統持續監測，隨時掌握他們的動態。

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A flock of black-face spoonbills land in a fishpond in Tainan. They use their long beaks to catch small fish.

The black-faced spoonbill migrates to Taiwan’s wetlands every winter. There are currently 7,746 of the birds worldwide, and Taiwan has recorded over 4,000 of them, with over 2,000 seen in Tainan for six consecutive years.

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There are 410 more in Tainan this year, with a total of over 2,700. They tend to eat for three to five days, with up to 100 birds coming at once.

Fishponds usually close in the winter, so the Tainan City Government started giving fish farmers NT$10,000 per hectare to lower their water levels and leave small fish, making their ponds ideal fishing grounds for birds. Nearly 60 farmers responded, turning over 180 hectares of ponds into a fish buffet.

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Most fish farmers would probably be willing, because our ponds normally close for the winter anyway. If it was better promoted, I think everyone would be even more willing.

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The largest area since we started in 2021 has been 207 hectares. We hope that after their harvest, fish farmers can leave small fish in their ponds to increase food sources for black-face spoonbills.

Thanks in part to conservation efforts by Tainan and its fish farmers, the International Union for Conservation of Nature now lists black-faced spoonbills as threatened rather than endangered. After eating their fill, these migratory birds begin their journey back north.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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The Taiwan People’s Party has lost its only councilor in Nantou. Chien Chien-hsiang on Thrusday held a press conference to announce his withdrawal from the party. He is the first party member to do so since founder Ko Wen-je’s first-instance verdict in the a Core Pacific City corruption case. Chien says that the party’s internal operations have gone off track and increasingly out of line with his values. In response to his departure, former Party Chair Ko said that more people have been joining the party than leaving, while current Party Chair Huang Kuo-chang simply wished him well.

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The party’s internal operating model has gone so far off track that decisions are being made based on people rather than principles. This direction and approach differ greatly from my own beliefs. Effective immediately, I am withdrawing from the Taiwan People’s Party. In the 2026 local council elections, I will run as an independent. As for the legal case involving former Chair Ko, I have nothing to comment at this time. I won’t harm him or kick him while he’s down at his lowest point. I can only say that the party’s values and mine have grown further and further apart. We are parting ways, and all that remains are my sincere well wishes.

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For comrades we have worked with in the past, my principle is not to speak ill of them. I wish him a good future ahead.

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Only after completing all the steps above, is he allowed to enter the meat packaging line of Taiwan Farm Industry Company. Whole pigs have already been slaughtered with an automated system before entering this room, to be individually packed for consumers. Hopefully, exports will resume, because Taiwan has recently restored its status as a self-declared African swine fever-free area with the World Organisation for Animal Health, or WOAH.

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We follow the will of our deities. We go wherever they say. We’ll ask whether we should do it at the beach again. If the answer is yes, we’ll go ahead.

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Their actions are in violation of Article 32 of the Air Pollution Control Act. We will issue a citation and fines of between NT$1,200 and NT$100,000.

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