Formosan black bear

 What is a Formosan black bear? (I am going to assume most people don’t know what they are since I didn’t know till about a few years ago). Formosan black bears are endemic bears in Taiwan. They have thick black fur with a distinctive white v-shape or crescent mark on its chest – giving them their nickname, “moon bear”. 

This species of bear has been listed as endangered since 1989 and is also on the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, which basically means that these bears are very close to extinction. What I found interesting was that according to a research conducted by National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Formosan black bears managed to survive while other wildlife in Taiwan have gone extinct is because of the myths surrounding this animal. Different Taiwanese aboriginal tribes have different myths but they all believe that killing a Formosan black bear will bring bad luck. For example, the Taroko tribe believes that the white marks on the bears represent the moon and that the bears are the “king of the forest”. Therefore, if you kill a Formosan black bear, you will be cursed and cause family disasters.

There are an unknown number of Formosan black bears left in Taiwan, but a video released in 2009 showing a mother with 2 cubs have renewed people’s hope to preserve this animal.