WE CARE FOR SUN BEARS!

In addition to caring for and rehabilitating orangutans, the BOS Foundation also takes care of a large number of sun bears. The sun bears at the Samboja Lestari Rehabilitation Centre in East Kalimantan, were entrusted to BOSF by the East Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan BKSDA. We have been helping take care of sun bears since 1998. 

The sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) is the smallest of the eight bear species in the world. Sun bears are included in the Red List of Threatened Species, as reported by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which has also implemented the Sun Bear Conservation Action Plan (2019-2028) to help save the species from extinction.  

Sun bears face many threats: Their habitat is being destroyed by persistent forest clearing, and they are hunted as pests and as a commodity for the illegal animal trade, with an ongoing demand for their body parts and for baby bears as pets. 

The sun bears require lifetime sanctuary care, just like many of the orangutans in our care at Samboja Lestari. Therefore, we apply the same animal welfare principles and implement training programs to help physically rehabilitate them. When left undisturbed in the wild, sun bears start learning survival skills from their mothers from the time they can see, walk, smell, and hear, at around five months of age. 

Our sun bear training incorporates: 

Target Training 

Target training involves teaching sun bears to follow a target on a stick that directs them to move from place to place, in a safe and relaxed manner. 

This type of training is repeated, so that sun bears learn to follow the direction of the target readily. Sun bears are given a break from the training session if they begin to display aggressive behaviour; the technician will stop and wait until the bear has calmed down. 

This training is undertaken in 10-20 minute sessions, repeated 3-5 times per week, until the bear understands fully. The duration of this training should not be too long, to avoid the bears becoming bored or frustrated. 

The goal is to make it easier for the bears and technicians when moving in and out of enclosures. For example, when the enclosures require cleaning or when the bears need to be relocated. 

Electric Fence Awareness 

This training is conducted to make sun bears aware of the dangers of electric fences. Samboja Lestari has forest enclosures that are connected to each other and covered with natural foliage. These enclosures are bordered by electric fences, to stop the sun bears from escaping. The stages of this training include: 

• Stage 1: moving sun bears out of cages and into small forest enclosures. The bears then discover the food that has been placed inside. This stage is conducted with the electric fences turned off and is supervised by three technicians around the enclosure. The technicians will clap loudly when a bear gets too close to the electric fence, to avoid them making contact with the wire. 
• Stage 2: this stage is carried out using the same protocols as Stage 1, but with the electric fences turned on. 
• Stage 3: when a sun bear has recognised the electric fence and has not approached or touched it, then the bear can be moved to a larger enclosure. 

Each electric fence training session lasts 15-30 minutes and only fails if the sun bear touches the electric wire (6 volt DC, 3/1 second). Sometimes, if a bear touches the wire, they will refuse to enter the enclosure again. If this happens, we give the bear time to rest and only restart the training again from Stage 1 when they are ready.   

That isn’t the end of the story as we are training our sun bears in one more very important skill. However, good things come to those who wait, so tune in next week when we share even more lessons from our sun bear care team!