Bear’s Mountain Trek

[Anchor Lead]

Not so long ago, we brought you the story of an Asian black bear that was captured on a mountain in Gimcheon, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province and released on Jirisan Mountain. But the bear has been found to have returned to the previous mountain just two weeks later.

[Pkg]

A bear steps outside a fence. It's the Asian black bear that had been captured on Sudosan Mountain in Gimcheon and released on Jirisan Mountain. The animal was found using a tracing device that was attached by the Species Restoration Technology Center. The bear left Jirisan Mountain one week later and traveled more than 100 kilometers in just five days by crossing a stream, going over a tunnel, and crossing two highways. Surprisingly, the bear arrived in Sudosan Mountain in Gimcheon, where it was captured before.

[Soundbite] Moon Kwang-seon(National Park Service) : "The bear presumably migrated through lush woods where it can move easily on its own."

The bear avoided residential areas and left distinct pawprints on a two-lane motorway. It remains unclear why the curious three-year-old bear returned to Sudosan Mountain. Some say that the animal prefers Sudosan Mountain because of a better environment, as Jirisan Mountain is already overcrowded with bears.

[Soundbite] Choi Seung-hyuk(Green Korea United) : "The population of Asian black bears has grown to 47 through the species restoration project. It's natural that some of them move to nearby mountains."

The environmental authorities plan to capture the bear, but they are not sure yet whether to release it on Jirisan Mountain yet again.