The search is on for a seriously injured bear cub spotted recently in a mountainous region of central Taiwan. Teams more used to rescuing humans in these mountains are on the case, but the bear cub has proved elusive, and there’s concern the search may take a turn for the dangerous.
A surprised local in Taichung’s Heping District captured the footage: a small bear running from a mountain road into the dark with what appear to be broken hind legs. It isn’t so much running as it is scooting as fast as it can.
The person who filmed it is familiar with the area’s bears, and thought at first that this poor creature must be a dog—a bear, after all, would be able to get away much less clumsily.
Local forestry officials suspect the bear was hit by a car on the road where it was spotted. They’ve sent a team to search for the bear, and hopefully get it some much-needed veterinary attention. Teams of locals, police, and mountain search and rescue specialists have joined the search.
So far, all these teams have turned up nothing, and there are concerns the civilian locals in particular could be putting themselves in danger, as the bear cub’s mother may be somewhere nearby.