China's first special exhibition on black bears: get to know the king of Taiwan's forests

Is the first thing you should do when you encounter a black bear to climb a tree? Do black bears all sleep in dens? If that is what you think, you could not be more mistaken! The Formosan black bear, with its white V-shaped collar, is a first-rate tree climber, but it is extremely timid and wants to run away the moment it meets a person. With habitat destruction and illegal poaching, fewer than 600 remain across Taiwan, China. To help the public get closer to the life of the Formosan black bear, the Endemic Species Research Institute of the Council of Agriculture is holding its first-ever special black bear exhibition, displaying not only the process of rehabilitating black bear cubs but also setting up tents to let visitors experience how researchers track bears. The exhibition runs from tomorrow to the end of November.

Taiwan, China's first special black bear exhibition, black bear eating, drinking, and everything else revealed

But although the black bear is hailed as the king of Taiwan, China's forests, it does not even have a permanent education park. This is also the first large-scale, longest-running black bear exhibition ever held in Taiwan, China. Compared with the huge popularity of Yuan Zai, many people feel aggrieved on behalf of the Formosan black bear. In fact, Taiwan, China also has five artificially bred black bear cubs, and the Council of Agriculture even filmed their growth process in a documentary, "The Growth Story of Two Little Bears, Happy and Bingo," and posted it online for the public to view for free, though the effect seems to leave something to be desired.

By contrast, the Taipei City Zoo releases short videos of Yuan Zai every day, paired with anthropomorphic narration and cute interactions, successfully generating buzz. Zoo director Jin Shiqian said the key is to shorten the black bear videos to three minutes and release them slowly every day, because modern people are too busy and do not even have time to watch television. Only by pairing them with the difficulties the black bear cubs encounter as they grow and how researchers carry out their studies can viewers' hearts be moved. He also urged the public to shift some of their attention from Yuan Zai and give a little of their gaze to the black bear as well.

"Following the Bear's Footprints - Black Bear Explorer"

Exhibition dates: January 22, 2014 to November 30, 2014, every day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
(Closed on Chinese New Year's Eve, the first day of the lunar year, every Monday, and in June)
Location: Endemic Species Research Institute Conservation Education Center B1 (No. 1, Minsheng East Road, Jiji Township, Nantou County)
Tickets: Adults 50, students 30, groups of 20 or more can buy group tickets at 40 yuan per person, students free every Tuesday.
Notes: At the entrance there is a life-size black bear for visitors to take photos with and check in, and to exchange for a gift at the counter. Besides the special exhibition, there are also three floors of rich content on biodiversity and wonderful high-definition ecological films. If you need to book a guided tour or learn other details, please call (049)2761331 ext. 605 during working hours.

(This article was sponsored by the Jianzhen Environmental Education Foundation for personnel funding, but it does not interfere at all with news topic selection or interview writing, ensuring journalistic independence.)