The sun bear is the smallest member of the bear family, and is named after the golden patch of fur on their chest, which legend says represents the rising sun.  Unfortunately, sun bears are heavily hunted by commercial poachers for their body parts, such as gall bladders and paws used in traditional medicine. Their homelands are being lost rapidly to deforestation, causing their populations to drastically shrink.

The sun bear is the smallest member of the bear family, and is named after the golden patch of fur on their chest, which legend says represents the rising sun. Unfortunately, sun bears are heavily hunted by commercial poachers for their body parts, such as gall bladders and paws used in traditional medicine. Their homelands are being lost rapidly to deforestation, causing their populations to drastically shrink.

Meet Micah

In June of 2018 we received a young sun bear cub from Stung Treng province after he was donated by a villager. He was only around 4 months old and, hoping for the best chance at release, we took Micah to the Wildlife Release Station in the Cardamom Rainforest.

Now fully grown, he shares a 1-hectare forested enclosure with our juvenile female sun bear, Kolap! At the moment, they are just enclosure mates, usually only interacting at meal times. In the future it is hoped that they will form a breeding pair, with the plan to release their offfspring into the wild. Follow their story through your sponsorship!

Sun bears live in the dense forests of South East Asia where their stout stature suits their arboreal lifestyle and their long claws allow them to rip open trees and termite mounds. They have a comically long tongue that is perfectly adapted to extract honey from beehives, are they the real life Winnie the Pooh?

The species is under threat from poaching for their body parts and habitat loss due to deforestation. They are a hard species to study because they are so elusive, but they are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, with a declining population trend across most of their range.

If you sponsor Micah today, you will help to ensure that he has the best care at the Wildlife Release Station, with plenty of coconuts and enrichment to keep him happy and healthy.

Meet Micah
In June of 2018 we received a young sun bear cub from Stung Treng province after he was donated by a villager. He was only around 4 months old and, hoping for the best chance at release, we took Micah to the Wildlife Release Station in the Cardamom Rainforest.

Now fully grown, he shares a 1-hectare forested enclosure with our juvenile female sun bear, Kolap! At the moment, they are just enclosure mates, usually only interacting at meal times. In the future it is hoped that they will form a breeding pair, with the plan to release their offfspring into the wild. Follow their story through your sponsorship!

Sun bears live in the dense forests of South East Asia where their stout stature suits their arboreal lifestyle and their long claws allow them to rip open trees and termite mounds. They have a comically long tongue that is perfectly adapted to extract honey from beehives, are they the real life Winnie the Pooh?

The species is under threat from poaching for their body parts and habitat loss due to deforestation. They are a hard species to study because they are so elusive, but they are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, with a declining population trend across most of their range.

If you sponsor Micah today, you will help to ensure that he has the best care at the Wildlife Release Station, with plenty of coconuts and enrichment to keep him happy and healthy.

SMOOTH-COAT OTTER FAMILY CLOUDED LEOPARD ASIAN ELEPHANT
BINTURONG PANGOLIN WREATHEAD HORNBILL
SLOW LORIS PILEATED GIBBON SUN BEAR