Hematological Profiles of the Formosan Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus formosanus)

93 *To whom correspondence and reprints requests should be addressed. Tel and Fax: 886-4-22206317. E-mail: [email protected] The Formosan black bear (Ursus thibetanus formosanus) belonging to the family Ursidae is distributed in the Central Mountain Range of Taiwan from broadleaf forests as low as 200 m to coniferous forests as high as 3500 m (Hwang et al. 2000, Chang et al. 2004). Field studies suggest that Formosan black bears do not hibernate, but migrate from high to low elevations where food remains available throughout the winter (Hwang et al. 2000). The Formosan black bear is endemic to Taiwan and is the largest carnivore on the island. In the past few decades, habitat destruction and over-hunting have rapidly reduced its distribution range, threatening the population with extinction (Wang 1990, Yang et al. 2003). In accordance with wildlife conservation laws, the Taiwan Council of Agriculture listed it as an endangered species in 1989. Since then, hunting, trading, possession, and killing of the Formosan bear have been prohibited. Hematological characters and serum chemistry are becoming increasingly important diagnostic tools for physiological and taxonomic studies of the Ursidae. Results are helpful for fighting diseases in wild bear populations (Seal et al. 1967, Hissa 1997). Previous studies showed that elevation, climate, species, sex, age, and reproductive status affect the hematological values of bears (Svihla et al. 1955, Matula et al. 1980, Palumbo et al. 1983, Huber et al. 1997). Seasonal variations in hematological characters have been documented for captive American black bears (Ursus americanus) in Michigan (Erickson and Youatt 1961) and North Carolina (Hellgren et al. 1989), and for Hematological Profiles of the Formosan Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus formosanus)