Bear or badger? Debates continue over photo of unidentified wild animal

An Asian black bear (left), an unidentified animal spotted on April 24 (center) and an Amur badger. (Ministry of Environment)

An unidentified wild animal was spotted on Mount Palgong, Daegu, causing a widespread online debate about its identity, despite the local environmental authority's announcement that it was a badger.

A photo taken by a hiker on a trail at 6 a.m. on April 24 in Daegu shows a wild animal with dark fur, four legs, small ears and a long snout.

The hiker reported the animal as a bear cub, because the black fur covering its whole body made it look like a bear, the Palgongsan Natural Park Management Office announced on the same day.

The Daegu Regional Environmental Office, however, identified it as a badger after scrutinizing the photo, citing the white fur on the tips of its ears and the relatively small size of its paws.

The animal seems too small to be a bear and if it were a bear cub, its mother would have been found nearby, said the office to local media.

The environmental office added that there is no registered bear farm on Mount Palgong, which spreads across northern Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province.

People differ in their opinions of the animal in the photo, with many arguing that it was a bear.

Some wildlife experts also say there's a possibility that it could have been a bear.

Its thick snout and black fur are features of a bear, while the animal's appearance is distinct from that of a typical badger, which has gray or bright brown fur and white on the top of its head, Inter-Korea Wildlife Institute Director Han Sang-hun said to local media.

Regarding this possibility, the Daegu Regional Environmental Office is carrying out further investigation on the animal in the photo, installing surveillance cameras and searching for footprints and droppings.

While the investigation team aims to come up with results this week, Daegu city is to take some protective measures for climbers if the animal is indeed determined to be a bear, said a Daegu city official to local media.

By Lim Jae-seong(forestjs@heraldcorp.com)