Presidential Office clarifies comments from Ma on pandas and black bears

Labeling the Chinese-language Liberty Times report as “intentionally misleading,” Presidential Office Spokesman Lo Chih-chiang said Ma's comment was meant to call the public's attention to the preservation of the species in Taiwan, as the bears are the nation's pride but less known and therefore less popular than pandas.

Showing the reporters a part of Ma's video weekly journal that was not suppose to made public online until today, Lo noted that president was making the comment when talking to Hwang Mei-hsiu, a professor of the National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, the top researcher of the animal in Taiwan.

During the video clip, Ma said that most Taiwanese seem to think that pandas are much cuter than Formosan black bears because it is extremely difficult for ordinary people to see the indigenous bears.

In response to Ma's comment, Huang said these black bears, the largest land animals and the only native bears in Taiwan, are “all we have, so we should cherish them for their uniqueness.”

”The President's remark was meant to state that the Formosan black bears receive less attention from the public because it is difficult for them to be seen,” said Lo, adding that Ma would invite Huang to talk about the preservation of such bears in the nation in his weekly journal.

Also known as the white-throated bear, the native Formosan black bears are an endangered species in Taiwan because of the severe exploitation and habitat degradation that has occurred in recent decades.

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