SEOUL– One of two Asiatic black bears that had escaped from a bear farm just south of Seoul was shot dead by hunters on Tuesday and the other still remained on the loose for the second day, officials said, leaving local residents jittery amid a massive search operation.
The escape occurred at the farm in Yongin, 50 kilometers south of Seoul, at 10:30 a.m. Monday, when five Asiatic black bears left their cage.
Three of the bears were soon discovered by officials of the Han River Basin Environmental Office, who captured two of them and killed a third that ran to attack them despite being shot by an anesthetic gun.
The whereabouts of the other two bears had remained unknown, despite two days of a sweeping search operation by about 30 hunters and officials from the environmental office, according to Yongin’s municipality.
The fleeing bears were known to be cubs weighing 70 to 80 kilograms at about three to four years of age, it said, adding one drone equipped with a thermal imaging camera, two unmanned traps and search dogs were also mobilized.
One of the two was spotted at a mountain area about 600 meters from the farm Tuesday afternoon and shot dead by hunters, officials said, noting the search was still under way for the other.
In July, a bear escaped from the same farm and was killed. The farm owner was arrested last month on charges of obstructing the execution of official duties by falsely reporting two bears escaped in July to cover up his illegal slaughter.
Source: Yonhap News Agency