Lonely Planet has selected Mt.Jiri for the wildlife section of its ¡°Bluelist 2008.¡± Mt.Jiri is a sanctuary for the endangered Manchurian Black Bear. The influential travel book publisher chose 12 places to see endangered animals, and Mt.Jiri is listed as the place to go in October. The guide includes pictures of the Hwaeom Temple, Beomjonggak bell tower and a Manchurian black bear, and discusses the bears and musk deer in the mountain.
The last tiger was spotted in the mountain in 1944 and wolves are believed to be extinct, the guide says, but a few Manchurian black bears have survived. In fact, there are 17 Manchurian black bears living wild in the mountain, and eight being raised in a conservation center near the Hwaeom Temple. However, the chances for tourists to see the bears in nature while hiking in the mountain are slim.
Komodo National Park in Indonesia was voted as the place to go in January, and India and Bhutan for April. The Black River Gorge in Mauritius was named as the place worth visiting in September, and for December Australia¡¯s Shark Bay region was selected.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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