Sun Bear Cub Emerges
Posted at 11:20 am January 19, 2007 by Suzanne HallToday our sun bear cub is 117 days old. He is growing and changing rapidly, and is proving to be an amusing and inquisitive little creature. (See Suzanne's previous blog, It's a Sun Bear Boy.)
The denning phase has largely ended for this as-yet-unnamed cub. We will have to review videotape from the den to ascertain exactly when this transition occurred, but it's safe to say it seems to have happened at about the same time as for his sibling, Danum: around 105 days. We define the end of the denning phase as the time when the cub begins spending more than 50 percent of its time outside of the den. Keepers have noted that, despite the unusual cold we have been experiencing, both Marcella and her cub have often been seen resting in a little nest of hay she assembled in a room as far from the den as possible.
This is a very interesting time in the cub's development, and a bit of a difficult time for a researcher like me. Our little boy is exploring everything in sight, putting everything in his mouth, manipulating everything with his little paws. He is learning to climb quickly. Two weeks ago, he couldn't climb more than a few inches off the ground, but this morning he is able to negotiate vertical bars and climb as high as I can reach. It is important that he has learned to get himself down from these heights: the first few times, he needed Marcella's help.
It is tough for me because during my data collection sessions I am writing constantly The cub never stops moving! He is always engaged in rough-and-tumble play sessions with his mother or trying to figure out how to crush her kibble into tiny pieces. Gone are the days where my observations involved recording a lot of resting and nursing. I write furiously for the hour that I observe them, then breathe a sigh of relief when the session is over!
Although he is progressing nicely, our little sun bear will not be ready for a trip to the exhibit for a few months yet. The exhibit space contains many hazards he is not yet equipped to negotiate: steep moats, waterfalls, rocky ledges, and some very high climbing features. Our adult bears utilize these features well, but our cub needs to perfect his athletic skills further before he can greet our San Diego Zoo guests. When the time comes, I am sure he will take the exhibit by storm!
Suzanne Hall is the senior research laboratory technician for the Giant Panda Conservation Unit of Applied Animal Ecology/CRES.
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January 19th, 2007 at 11:34 am
Thanks for the update, Suzanne. He sounds like quite a little guy. Marcella must be one very busy mom, who needs her rest when she can get him to take a nap. And this is before he even gets to all the excitement of the exhibit!
Watching all the bears learn to climb must be a thrilling and entertaining experience. They start out so clumsily and timid, and quickly develop strong muscles and coordination and off they go to unbelievable heights. Glad I am not their mom watching! Although I am sure bear mothers take it in stride much more than human mothers do.
Climbing for them is an essential part of life, and so they must master the skill early to survive in the wild.
Any chance of some pictures of the little guy and his mom, and especially of some of his new found skills?
January 19th, 2007 at 2:04 pm
even though there is no naming contest,i did have a name suggestion-Sabah
January 21st, 2007 at 8:24 am
Margaret #1,
Climbing is an extremely important aspect of sun bear life. Where they live, trees grow big and tall, and can be laden with fruit the bears need to climb to reach. The bears are also known to bed down high in the trees as well.
Calvin #2,
Well, Sabah is the part of Borneo that Marcella originated from… perhaps it is fitting. I'll let you know when a name is settled on.
January 23rd, 2007 at 2:27 pm
It's getting really exciting! Looking forward to meeting this little guy in person.
Last time I was at the zoo, I noticed that the two sun bear exhibits in the bear canyon were occupied by bear cats. Is Ting Ting OK? Is she just taking a break? It's always been interesting to watch her.
January 23rd, 2007 at 8:16 pm
Sayuri #4,
Ting Ting moved to the Oakland Zoo in December where she can currently be seen on exhibit. Her old San Diego exhibits are slated to be renovated for some new bears incoming in 2007… sloth bears, a species not currently found at our zoo. We will be getting at least 2 sloth bears, but perhaps as many as 6 (…though in that case not all would be housed in bear canyon).
January 24th, 2007 at 10:31 am
Oh, I bet Bay Area folks will find her very interesting. I loved watching her scratch both her ears with both hands at the same time.
Sounds like 2007 is going to be a beary exciting year. Looking forward to meeting sloth bears and this new baby sun bear.
January 29th, 2007 at 6:45 pm
I believe you guys have housed sloth bears in the past? i saw on the toledo zoo website that a sloth bear named Deva from San Diego Zoo lives there?will she be coming back?will Ting Ting ever return to breed with Dibu?
April 17th, 2007 at 11:22 pm
Ting's doing very well in Oakland. She inherited a large exhibit when her new buddy died of a stroke. The keepers and volunteer observers have watched Ting Ting explore and adapt to her new space. I saw her 4/15 and she was trundling around sniffing everything. At one point, she grabbed a big jar and looked like the sunbear version of Winnie the Pooh.