Hunters, conservationists join forces to protect Formosan black bear

A Formosan black bear plays inside an enclosure at the government-run bear shelter Wushikeng Research Center in Taichung, Taiwan, May 9, 2024. Since 2014, 18 bears have been captured in traps, with six found dead, according to the non-governmental organisation, the Taiwan Black Bear Conservation Association. While most of the bears were released, some suffered major injuries caused by old-fashioned hunting tools such as metal snares, which can break bones or severe paws or toes as the bear struggles to break free. "Steel snares bounce off from the ground and tighten up their limbs when triggered by animals," said Liu Li-wen, 36, an animal caretaker. "That's why we are seeing many bears with broken paws or toes in the wild. It's likely that they were entangled by traps, broke free by themselves and survived." REUTERS/Ann Wang

TAICHUNG, Taiwan (Reuters) -As the cage holding an endangered Formosan black bear swung open conservationists blasted gunshots and air horns to ensure the frightened young bear disappeared quickly into the mountains of central Taiwan, hopefully far from human contact.

Ziman, a one-and-a-half-year-old bear, had finally recovered from the amputation of a paw caused by a hunter's steel noose and now had a second chance in life.