

Female sun bears even hold their cubs with both hands and walk on their feet, very human like, so I guess that’s why people get mistaken.”

“Most bear species can stand on their hind legs but sun bears stand up high to reach higher ground to investigate their surroundings so there is a purpose to why they do that. “Not enough people know about sun bears – they are a very forgotten species,” BSBCC founder and wildlife biologist Wong Siew Te told CNN. The center cares for 43 rescued bears, each with their own mannerisms and unique personality.Ĭaged and cut open for bile: The fight to free Asia's farmed bears Their numbers in the wild are at threat by poachers and deforestation, declining by 35% over the past three decades, according to conservation groups like the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Center (BSBCC) in Sabah, Malaysia. Sun bears are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and are a protected species in native countries like Malaysia. They do not hibernate and are also characterized by amber colored crescent shaped fur patches on their chests and long tongues which help them extract honey from bee hives – earning them the name “beruang madu” (honey bear) in Malaysia and Indonesia. Adult bears stand at heights of up to 70 centimeters tall (28 inches) and weigh between 25 to 65 kilograms (55 to 143 pounds), experts say.

Native to the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, sun bears are the world’s smallest bear species. A standing sun bear Courtesy Hangzhou zoo
