National Parks of Taiwan

Bunun’s legendary man in national park

On June 14, 2016, Lin Yuan-Yuan passed away in sleep. His family dressed him in traditional Bunun clothes and put a hat decorated with Formosan Muntjac’s horns and seashells on his head. Director of the documentary Black Bear Forest Hsiang-Hsiu Lee and other friends went to visit right after hearing about his death.

The eastern reaches of Yushan national park used to be the Taiwanese aboriginal Bunun people’s hunting area. When Lin was young, he was dubbed “little Tarzan” for being an excellent hunter hunting everywhere in forests in that area. In 1985, the Yushan National Park Headquarters (YSNPH) was established, and in 1992, the Nanan administrative station was set up. In June 1991, Lin started to be in charge of frontline eco research work, mountain rescue mission, old trail maintenance, and other work. In 1996, Lin joined the “Conservation Group for Black Bears Project” when it was launched by YSNPH.

“I no longer have the desire to kill animals when I see them. I only want to take photos of them,” Lin said in the 2011 interview with AFP, and he stroked his camera with deep affection. In Yushan park’s perimeter of 10,300 hectares (about 255,000 acres), Lin patrols almost 40% of the forest area on foot every month. However, as an aborigine who started learning to hunt when he was very little, it was difficult for him to transform into a forest guardian.

Lin Yuan-Yuan instructing children in a natural eco camp.	Lin Yuan-Yuan (center) promoting Bunun culture.

Guide for conservation research

Lin was a good partner with researchers studying culture or the ecosystem in Yushan park. He assisted with many academic projects such as the fauna surveys in Xinkang district by professor Lien-Siang Chou, study of traditional Bunun architecture and its distribution by professor Yi-Hung Lin, study on the west side of the Batongguan historical trail of Yushan national park by professor Nan-Jiunn Yan, and research on Formosan black bears (Ursus thibetanus formosanus) by professor Mei-Hsiu Hwang of National Pingtung University of Science and Technology.

Last hunter remembered

Lin will always be remembered and appreciated not only for being the guardian Formosan black bears (Ursus thibetanus formosanus) but also as a Bunun aborigine who dedicated himself to passing on his tribe’s tradition. Based on knowledge about the forest and ecosystem, he converted old wisdom into professional expertise to help improve mutual understanding between aboriginal people and the national park. He devoted a big part of his life to conservation of Bunun culture as well as black bears in the national park. He also contributed a lot to protection of the forest and environment.

Then director Lin of YSNPH awarding Lin Yuan-Yuan a certificate of appreciation.	Lin Yuan-Yuan, a guide of conservation research who dedicated his life to black bear research.