Introduction: Are We Ready to Coexist with Black Bears? This April, a black bear caused unrest in Panital, Hualien, preying on chickens and at least four dogs, causing panic among tribal communities. The bear, identified as YNP-BB02, had been collared by Yushan National Park in 2019. After ten days of community alerts, deterrence efforts, and failed capture attempts, the incident ended when a park officer, facing a dangerously close encounter, fired in self-defense. Following the bear’s death, tribal members held traditional purification rituals to bring closure. This marked Taiwan’s 13th human-bear conflict this year, sparking polarized public debate and raising urgent conservation questions: How can we safely share our landscape with bears? Now, communities near black bear habitats are reexamining how ancestral wisdom might inform modern coexistence strategies.