The sun bear (Helarctos malayanus), also known as the dog bear or honey bear,
after its love of honey, is the smallest of the eight bear species. It is black
with a golden crescent marking on its chest which, in ancient Eastern folklore,
represents the sun.
Distribution, Population and Range: Sun bears are currently found throughout
south-eastern Asia, the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo, in dense tropical
and subtropical forests at all elevations. They may even reach into northern
China and north-eastern India. There are currently no reliable estimates of the
sun bear population but their numbers are decreasing in direct response to
excessive logging and illegal poaching.
Physical Characteristics: Growing to just over a metre in length the sun bear
rarely weighs more than 65kg. The sun bear is an excellent tree climber and is
classified as arboreal. The pads of their feet are smooth and hairless to assist
with climbing and they have long claws to help them hang on. They are nocturnal,
sleeping and sun bathing in tree nests formed of bent branches (often as high as
8 meters off the ground).
Diet: The sun bear is omnivorous, its diet consisting mostly of termites,
insects, vegetation, soft growing parts of palm trees, fruit, honey and the
occasional bird and rodent. They have an unusually long tongue, which is used in
slurping up insects. Huge claws aid in manipulating food items and they are well
equipped to tear open termite mounds. Using their front paws, trees are torn
open in search of wild bee nests and for insects and their larvae.
Hibernation: As with most bears that dwell in warm climates, the sun bear never
hibernates.
Family Life: Information on the social habits of the sun bear is scarce. Bears
are often sighted in pairs, leading to notion that they may be monogamous.
Sexual maturity is reached between 3 and 5 years old and a litter of two 300
gram cubs are born on the forest floor after a gestation of about three and a
half months. Sun bears have been known to live up to 25 years.
Conservation Status: The sun bear is protected under CITES and listed on
Appendix 1 to afford maximum protection. However without strong wildlife
legislation this protection, in reality, is not enforceable. To this end Free
the Bears Fund has supported legislative reform, the ban of bear meat from the
restaurant trade, and built sanctuaries into which confiscated bears can be
released and rehabilitated. As sanctuaries can only provide a temporary solution
to the problem Free the Bears Fund is implementing pro-active community based
conservation initiatives such as the Protected Areas Ranger program within
Cambodia to ensure wild populations are protected and indigenous communities are
provided with sustainable alternatives to the wildlife trade.
Threats: The illegal wildlife trade and habitat destruction remain the major
threat to the Sun bear. Education programs and enforcement of wildlife
legislation is required in order to curb the trade of bear meat in restaurants,
the poaching of adult bears and the keeping of cubs as exotic pets.
References: The above has been prepared by reading the information provided by
Don Middleton on his web-site: www.naturenet.com/bears and the Bear Den at
www.bearden.org.
|
