The Sun Bear
Credit Darren Welsh on Unsplash
The Sun Bear and Moon Bears cry for help
Please read this and research the plight of the Sun and Moon bear. It will make you cry and touch your heart, but no one knows the actual agony these bears are put through. While living in Asia, I met with rescue advocates and charities trying to help them, and the visuals have stayed with me forever. They are cute and sweet and need the attention organizations give them. Sun bears are shy and reclusive animals and usually do not attack humans unless provoked unless they are injured or with their cubs; their timid nature has led to these bears being often tamed and kept as pets. Their fur is generally jet-black but can vary from grey to red. Sun bears get their name from the characteristic orange-to-cream-colored chest patch. According to the IUCN Bear Specialist Group, sun bear populations have fallen by an estimated 35% in the last three decades. Numbers are meager in Bangladesh, China and Vietnam and are feared to decline by another 50–80% in the next 30 years. Habitat fragmentation is rising, particularly in Borneo, Sumatra and some mainland areas. Heavy deforestation (due to agriculture, logging and forest fires) and hunting for the wildlife trade are severe threats throughout the range; human-bear conflicts are relatively minor.
The Sun Bear
Credit Darren Welsh on Unsplash
A report published by TRAFFIC in 2011 showed that sun bears, along with Asian black bears and brown bears, are specifically targeted for the bear bile trade in southeastern Asia, and are kept in bear farms in Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar. Poaching is common in countries in the region. Hunting pressure is rising even in some protected areas; in the Nam Ha National Protected Area in Laos, hunter snares have been found that specifically target bears. A study in Nagaland (northeastern India) recorded a sparse distribution of sun bears in the Fakim and Ntangki National Parks and reported extensive illegal hunting for food and trade in bear parts. Protective laws have shown little success in controlling these threats, mainly due to poor execution and a high potential for gains by the business.
Lets us always research the world and see what we can save.
