By Lee Hyo-sik
A Malayan Sun Bear that escaped from its cage in a zoo on the outskirts of Seoul and fled into the nearby mountains on Dec. 6, has remained missing for the past eight days.
The 6-year-old male bear with black fur has been spotted several times by police helicopters at the top of Mt. Cheonggye, but hundreds of police officers and zoo staffers have failed to catch him.
The animal was last seen near a food cart selling instant noodles, snacks and beverages to mountain climbers at the top of the mountain at 10:30 a.m. Monday. Since then, the bear has disappeared without a trace.
Seoul Zoo said the food cart was found to have been damaged apparently by the escaped bear Monday morning. ``A mountain climber told us that a dozen aluminum cans of beer and other beverage cans were torn apart around the cart. We are positive that the bear was responsible for it,’’ a zoo official said.
Police at first banned people from entering the mountain area immediately after the bear’s escape. But on Dec. 10, climbers were allowed entry to climb the mountains.
Seoul Zoo said its staffers found footprints of the bear and a pile of fallen leaves seemed to have been raked by him near a hiking trail, close to one of the mountain peaks. They also found apple and grape seeds in the bear’s excrement.
Seoul Zoo and the police are expanding the search area surrounding all the peaks of the mountains. They also installed three traps containing honey, wine and fish, the favorite food of the missing black bear. Six additional traps will likely be set up.
Since Monday, a 30-member search team has been combing the mountains, with a team of four zoo staffers to chase after the bear.
``The bear can live without food for about 15 days because he had stocked up ahead for the winter. We are asking mountain climbers not to throw away any fruit and other food items so that the bear can more easily be lured into one of the traps,’’ a Seoul Zoo staffer said.
He said it is small and mild, but cannot rule out the possibility that it could turn violent if it encounters a human. ``If anyone spots the bear, immediately contact the Seoul Zoo’s emergency situation room on 02-500-7011.’’