Sun Bears from Sepilok
Posted at 11:44 am November 28, 2006 by Suzanne HallOur sun bear cub is now 64 days old, and is doing very well (see Suzanne's previous blog, Sun Bear Essentials). Marcella, the dam, is leaving the den regularly to feed and to interact with enrichment items the keepers are leaving for her. She is still keeping her den meticulously clean, and regularly brings in new bedding material to spruce up the den for her cub.
Our little bear cub is growing by leaps and bounds. Like its sibling, Danum, this cub has a spot on its nose resembling the spot on Daddy Dibu's snout. Danum lost his spot after a few months"¦ will this cub hang on to it? Time will tell.
This morning, I observed the cub walking about the den. It looked a little wobbly, but was otherwise doing a fine job of moving about. It has a round, full belly, indicating Marcella is feeding it well. The coat is sleek and shiny, and its eyes are bright. All appears well so far with this cub. The veterinarians haven't yet gotten their hands on this cub, so it may be some time before we know the gender and weight of this animal.
The sun bear is thought to be the bear species most likely to go extinct. Throughout its range, habitat destruction is rampant. Both the Malayan subspecies, found along the leg of the southeastern portion of the Asian continent into Indonesia, and the Bornean subspecies, limited to Indonesia and Malaysia, are suffering from declines in available habitat. Zoos in the U.S. have opted to focus their attention on the Bornean subspecies, and you will find that in AZA-accredited institutions across the country only Borneans are being bred.
To accomplish the goal of breeding Bornean sun bears, zoos in the U.S. imported 20 such sun bears in 1996 and 2000. The bears came from the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center in Sabah, a Malaysian state located on the island of Borneo. All of the animals were brought to the center either as rescues from the pet trade or had been found injured or ill in the wild. Our very own Marcella, Ting Ting, and Dibu might have been someone's pets in their early years or months. Fortunately, the pet trade in sun bears has been dwindling in recent years. I wish I could say the same were true for orangutans, primates that inhabit much of the same habitat as the bears.
There are still bears being rehabilitated in the center in Sepilok. Currently the center has eight sun bears and has recently undergone a renovation to provide the animals with more space and a more enriched environment. The lives of the bears have improved to the point that mating between two of the Sepilok captives was observed in September. The willingness to mate suggests the bears are doing well psychologically, and is a tribute to the staff that has worked so hard to improve the bear's housing situation. I am pleased to say that the Sepilok facility is a collaborator with us in our bear maternal care studies. If cubs are born there, we will be fortunate enough to learn from the mother-infant relationship of their animals. Let's keep our fingers crossed!
Suzanne Hall is the senior research laboratory technician for the Giant Panda Conservation Unit of Applied Animal Ecology/CRES.
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November 28th, 2006 at 12:57 pm
Thanks, Suzanne, for keeping us updated on Marcella and her cub. Thanks also for educating us about the special Bornean Sun Bears and their plight. Kudos to you and your colleagues at Sepilok for taking such great pains to make the lives of the animals in captivity better, and for helping them breed and keep their species going. Are zoos in Europe or elsewhere working with the other subspecies of bears while US zoos concentrate on helping the Bornean subspecies? Are there any pictures of Marcella and her cub available that you can share with us? It must be hard to get photos if the Vet staff has not yet examined the cub's sex, health status, etc.
Editor's note: We'll have some photos to share once the cub makes its debut in Sun Bear Forest.
November 30th, 2006 at 5:54 pm
Why is Su Lin never on panda cam any more? I rarely can see her, either in the trees or elsewhere. I have tried at work during the day, and at home during the evening and night. I remember watching Mei Sheng on the cam, even when he was partially obscured, more than you have ever had Su in the spotlight. I've taken to watching baby girl cub in Atlanta and Tai in D.C. I rarely check your web site any longer, because I just get a emply exhibition area. I " adopted" Su Lin, and I haven't seen her in weeks, or longer.
December 1st, 2006 at 9:30 am
Thank you for the update on these wonderful bears. I look forward to the pictures.
December 1st, 2006 at 2:06 pm
Rosie #2,
I saw Su Lin this morning. She had followed her mother in during the period when the keepers are cleaning the exhibit. She and Bai Yun had access to a behind-the-scenes tunnel system while the keepers worked, and I got a good close up look at her for the first time in a few weeks. She was curious about me and approached the gate where I was, and even Bai Yun stopped by to say hello.
Su Lin has a scraggly, full coat in preparation for the winter ahead. Keepers have noted that her intake of biscuits has increased, and that she is becoming more routine-oriented in that she no longer keeps exclusively to the trees where she ignores the goings on below.
However, she still spends time high in those trees most days, and as a result she isn't visible on most of our cameras. She's just too high! Keep checking, you'll see her eventually… but in the meantime know that she is well and is progressing beautifully down the panda cub developmental stepping stones.
December 1st, 2006 at 2:56 pm
Suzanne, thanks for writing about your Sun Bears. I was in St. Louis a few weeks ago, and on my visit to their lovely zoo, spent a good bit of time admiring their Malayan Sun Bears. They are so beautiful! I loved the way a couple of them would pose for us visitors, standing up and proudly showing off the golden crescents on their chests. It is a shame that there is an illicit trade selling them as pets, and although I can see how a person would be tempted, that doesn't make it right. I would enjoy learning more about Marcella and her family, and some pics would be most appreciated!
December 3rd, 2006 at 12:55 pm
could we have a photo gallery put together of Ting Ting,Marcella,Dibu,Danum,and this little baby?
April 20th, 2007 at 8:48 am
All types of sun bears are sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!