Wildlife Alliance

Malayan Sun Bear (Herlarctos malayanus)

Status: Vulnerable

Description: The Sun Bear is often called the dog bear because of its small stature. It only stands about 4 ft (1.2 m) tall, making it the smallest member of the bear family.

Habitat Range:

The Sun Bear's habitat ranges from the eastern Himalayas to Szechwan in China, then southward throughout Burma, parts of Indo-China and Malaysia. In general, they prefer the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia, but they are becoming increasingly rare in the forests of southern China, Burma, Malaysia, Sumatra, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Borneo.

Numbers Left in the Wild: Unknown, steadily declining

Primary Threats:

Deforestation, habitat destruction, and poaching for the growing demand of bear parts and products are causing the Sun bear's population to steadily decline. Habitat destruction is causing these bears to live in smaller and more isolated patches, making it difficult to find mates. Meanwhile, the land is being cleared to create coffee, rubber and oil palm plantations. They are being poached for the high demand for their paws due to the demand for "bear paw soup," and other bear entrees which are traditional Chinese delicacies.  They are also considered nuisances and killed for destroying tree crops. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) prescribes the use of bear fat, gallbladders (gall), meat, paws, spinal cord, blood, and bones for medical conditions ranging from baldness to rheumatism. In particular, the trade in bear gall is so highly profitable that it has been compared to the heroin trade, as dried gall can sell for 18 times the price of gold. Sun bears are also kept as pets and mother bears are often killed in order to obtain cubs young enough to tame.

What we are doing to help:

• Recently we transported sun bears from the Angkor zoo, where they were in desperate need of veterinary care, to our wildlife rescue center (PTWRC) where they will be cared for by our talented staff of animal husbandry specialists and veterinarians in partnership with Free the Bears Fund.
  
  
• We receive tip offs from our hotlines --  and our Wildlife Rapid Rescue team rescues sun bears that are kept alive while one paw is cut off at a time for soup, or their gall bladders are pierced for the slow drainage of their bile to be sold at a high price. The bears must be kept alive as the bile is worthless once the bear is dead.