In May 2022, a Formosan black bear died on its way home. The tragic death of “568”,
which came after a long-term, widely followed recovery in captivity, shook society and
challenged public perceptions about human relationships with wildlife.
Through interviews with wildlife conservation officials, naturalists, caretakers, and
three members of the hunter family involved in the shooting, journalist Tsai Hui-ping
uncovers a story both complex and rife with contradictions. She finds that, “between
the black and white we think we know, there are many shades of gray.”
Between humans and animals, experts and the public, indigenous communities and
Han Chinese, officials and civil society lie deep divides and misunderstandings.
So what is the truth? How can we begin to understand it?
Must everything be judged only in terms of right and wrong, black and white?