By RK Shih/KHT Staff. Images via Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau.
KAOHSIUNG — Shoushan Zoo has placed the skeleton of Formosan black bear Xiaoshan (小山) on public display for the first time following the reopening of its renovated education center.
Xiaoshan lost his right front paw after being caught in a trap in the wild and was later taken into the zoo’s care. His skeleton is now being used to show visitors how black bears are physically adapted for climbing and finding food, as well as the lasting harm caused by traps.
Xiaoshan was taken into the care of Shoushan Zoo after the trap injury. The zoo said the skeleton allows visitors to examine the physical adaptations that help Formosan black bears climb and forage, while the missing forepaw provides a stark illustration of the dangers traps pose to wildlife.
The Formosan black bear is Taiwan’s only native bear and an endemic subspecies of the Asiatic black bear. Its long claws and thick paw pads help it climb trees and move through mountainous terrain, according to the zoo.
Xiaoshan’s death happened in December 2013, when another male bear, Bobby (波比), broke through a barrier separating the animals and attacked Xiaoshan, who was approximately 30 years old. Zoo staff attempted to separate the bears with water hoses but were unable to save him, Public Television Service reported at the time. A female bear in a neighboring area was also injured during the incident.
Animal welfare advocates said the attack exposed shortcomings in the zoo’s enclosure design and management. The zoo subsequently said it would strengthen the barriers separating the bears.
Xiaoshan’s skeleton is now the centerpiece of a renovated education area containing animal specimens, models and rotating exhibitions.
Tourism Bureau Director Kao Min-lin (高閔琳) said the renovation was intended to improve the zoo’s educational facilities while creating a brighter and more comfortable place for visitors.
The zoo has also introduced activities showing children how keepers use environmental enrichment to encourage animals to forage, investigate objects and display other natural behaviors.
During one workshop, participants placed leaves inside drilled bamboo tubes for Boer goats, mealworms inside movable acrylic balls for meerkats and chopped produce inside a burlap sack for an orangutan. Floating feeders were also prepared for the zoo’s black bears.
Other programs include English-language picture-book sessions featuring Kaohsiung Bear and lessons introducing children to English animal vocabulary.
An adjoining section of the education center is scheduled to reopen in October. The zoo said further conservation and environmental education activities will be announced through its Facebook page and other official channels.
Shoushan Zoo is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Tuesday through Sunday.
