Formosan Black Bear

The Taiwan black bear, a unique subspecies of the Asian black bear, inhabits the central mountain range of Taiwan. It currently has a small population and its distinctive feature is the V-shaped pattern on its chest.

I created this bear in response to a real incident involving a mother black bear named “Xiao San” in the Taipei Zoo. Tragically, “Xiao San” lost her right front leg due to a trap earning her the name"Xiao San" meaning “Little Three” since she only had three legs left. Later, she was loaned to the Shoushan Zoo in Kaohsiung. 

Tragically, in December 2013, “Xiao San” was fatally bitten by another black bear in front of a crowd at the Shoushan Zoo. The zoo authorities initially concealed this unfortunate news, only revealing it to the public a month later. This heartbreaking news deeply saddened me, prompting me to design this bear in memory of “Xiao San” and the tragic incident.