Hunters, conservationists join forces to protect Taiwan's Formosan black bear

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-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.

"Please take care of him and help him find his parents safely," Pihao Payen, the leader of a nearby ethnic Atayal community, said in a prayer as Ziman disappeared from sight.

Wearing a traditional tribal tunic and headgear decorated with animal horns, the 74-year-old chief and an experienced hunter also prayed for his ancestors' help to keep Ziman away from traps.

Taiwanese hunters and conservationists are teaming up to protect the Formosan black bear, with only a few hundred estimated still in the wild, by designing new traps which will not amputate limbs if they are accidentally caught in a snare.

While bears are not a target for indigenous Taiwanese hunters, people in Pihao Payen's village accidentally caught bears twice in recent years when laying traps for prey such as deer and boars, a traditional practise in indigenous culture.

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-fashion 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, an animal