Taiwan's black bears were successfully rehabilitated, recording first-person perspective for the first time to reveal behavior close to human settlements

The number of black bears in Taiwan has been successfully restored in recent years. In March this year, it was initially estimated that there were about 1,200. When the forestry department released black bears in the wild, they placed camera collars and successfully recorded the first-person perspective of the black bears for the first time, confirming that the black bears had entered the shallow mountain settlements from deep mountain areas. The department formulated the "Human-Bear Conflict Response Guidelines", also established a black bear notification system, and introduced an AI early warning system in high-risk areas where bears appear to reduce the risk of human-bear conflicts.

The collar of the wild lens reveals the first point of view

The Taiwanese black bears "Dagu Ali" and "Ariman Sikken" once broke into the Hualien mountain tribes. The Hualien Branch of the Forestry Protection Bureau captured and released them into the wild. Photographic lenses were installed on the satellite transmitting collars of these two bears. Related images were released yesterday, revealing the first-person perspective of the black bears. It was found that some individuals will be born from late December to early March of the following year. The emergence of hibernating hibernation and den-changing behavior has not only reversed the past academic theory that Taiwanese black bears do not hibernate, but also found that black bears will go to betel nut orchards and orchards, and approach human settlements. Black bears can also be seen rummaging through garbage left by humans in mountainous areas, and even eating chicken leg lunches, etc., indicating that the distance between black bears and people is closer than originally expected.

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In early March, there were estimated to be about 1,200 black bears in Taiwan.

In March this year, the Forestry Conservation Department initially estimated that there were about 1,200 Taiwanese black bears, and plans to release a more accurate number of black bears by the end of the year. Lin Huaqing, director of the Forestry Conservation Department, pointed out that with the restoration of habitats, black bears used to be mostly found in the jurisdictions of the Hualien Branch, Taitung Branch, and Taichung Branch, but now they are also found in the jurisdiction of the Hsinchu Branch, and their frequency of occurrence has increased.

If we want humans and bears to coexist peacefully, we must not only increase people's understanding of bears, but also reduce the chance of human-bear encounters. The department has introduced AI and surveillance systems to predict bear invasions as early as possible and issue early warnings within two minutes. It has also set up bear-proof trash cans in mountainous settlements to prevent bears from rummaging for food, and set up electric fences to keep bears away. In order to let the public know how to respond after encountering bears, a simple human-bear encounter guide has been developed and will be distributed to community schools in bear-infested hot spots.

Avoid contact and reduce human-bear conflicts

Lin Huaqing said that the best way to reduce human-bear conflicts is to avoid contact, and people must take away their garbage when visiting mountainous areas. He also pointed out that whenever tribes encounter human-bear conflicts, some urban people will make irrational remarks such as "Indigenous people are invading black bear habitats" and "asking Aboriginal people to move away." In fact, the Aboriginal tradition is that black bears are not allowed to be hunted. The lifestyle of coexisting with nature also preserves the natural forests and secondary forests where black bears live. He hopes that residents in different regions can understand each other.

Scholars call for more funding for research

Lin Lianggong, a distinguished professor at Tunghai University, pointed out that there were more than 50,000 bear sightings in Japan last year, with 238 people injured and 13 people killed. Bears have strong learning abilities. Japanese research shows that if bears are close to human settlements, they will distance themselves again after three generations. He also pointed out that due to serious bear infestation in Japan, related research and protection funds have been increased from 100 million yen to 6 billion yen. He also hopes that the Chinese government can invest more funds in research.