| Pueblo Zoo Animals | |
| Centerstage! | |
| Malayan Sun
Bear Helarctos malayanus |
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Solar Sue, the
Pueblo Zoo's resident Malayan Sun bear, came to live at the Zoo in October
1977. She was just a baby when she arrived - her birth date is January 1977.
"Sue Bear", as she is affectionately known to local visitors and the
staff at the Zoo, is a favorite with the kids. She recently got a new home when
the Asian Adventure Exhibit opened in the Spring of 1998. Her new enclosure has
lots of trees - sun bears LOVE trees (it is believed they sleep in trees) - and
gives her lots of room to play. The zookeepers say that she has a great time
with the enrichments she is given. The keepers want Sue Bear to keep as many of
her natural behaviors as possible, so they come up with ways to make her forage
for her food. Some of Sue's favorites are:
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| Facts | |
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| The Malayan Sun Bear is found in Asia, from Burma through Southeast Asia, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo. The bear's range may reach northern China and northeastern India. They are found in the dense tropical and subtropical forests at all elevations in these regions. | |
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| With a weight somewhere
between 60 and 190 pounds, a height of about 2 feet and an overall length of
about 3.5 feet the Malayan Sun Bear is the smallest bear in the world. This
bear is named for the yellowish crescent on its chest. This mark varies in size
from bear to bear and sometimes may not be present at all. The bear's muzzle
may vary from grayish white to orange in color. It has small, beady eyes, small
ears and an extremely long, slender tongue which it uses to feed on insects
found in tree trunks. The feet are tipped with long, sickle-shaped claws, which
the bear uses to tear apart logs and dig through debris in search of
food. The sun bear, like most bears, is omnivorous, eating tree fruits, termites, small mammals and birds. The bear also loves to eat honey and it will do so while seemingly being oblivious to the bee stings. Females first breed in their third year. Courtship length varies from two days to a week, and can take place any time of the year. The average gestation period for sun bears is 100 days. They are thought to give birth to their young hidden in vegetation on the forest floor. Newborn cubs are tiny (only seven ounces) and are born blind, hairless, and nearly transparent. Mothers usually nurse their cubs for 17 weeks, and the cubs accompany her until they are grown. The sun bear can bark loudly as warning to a potential attacker. This bear has several defenses including its powerful jaws and sharp claws. If a larger predator grabs the sun bear, it can virtually turn around in its loose skin and bite back. An expert climber, the nocturnal bear spends its days sunbathing or sleeping in trees between 2 and 7 meters off of the ground. It makes its bed in a small platform of broken branches. These nests look similar to those of orangutans. Sun bears usually travel in pairs and occasionally can be seen foraging during the day. The demand for bear products is the greatest threat to all bears. Traditional Asian medicine prescribes bear fat, gall, meat, paws, spinal cord, blood, and bones for complaints ranging from baldness to rheumatism. Bear entrees are popular in restaurants, and sun bear paws are favored in Taiwan for soup. The trade in bear gall in particular is so highly profitable that it has been likened to the heroin trade, as dried gall can sell for 18 times the price of gold. Although many countries have banned trade in bear products, the governments of South Korea and Taiwan, home to some of the most devoted consumers of bear products, are not parties to CITES. The belief in the medicinal properties of bear products is so firmly rooted in some cultures it is virtually impossible to change. A more concentrated and effective synthetic version of one ingredient of bear gall is widely available and less expensive, but its availability has not reduced the demand for bear gall. With a world population of an estimated 600 - 1000, the sun bear is one of the rarest animals on earth. It is on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s red-list for endangered species. Unfortunately for the sun bear, the world's human population is expected to double by 2025, and the largest increase is expected to be in Southeast Asia. Coupled with the fact that forestry is big business in many of these economically troubled nations, the sun bear needs our help if it is to continue to survive. |
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Click on the crayons to print a picture of "Sue Bear" to color!
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| Dominion Systems for
the Pueblo Zoo This document created and maintained by Georgia Lozinsky Copyright (c)1999 Please email questions or suggestions - tursiops@rmi.net |