8 Photos That Show What This Baby Sun Bear Really Thinks of Freedom
Meet Kala, a baby sun bear who’s had a rough start to life.
She is a victim of the illegal wildlife trade. Her mother was most likely killed by poachers when she was taken from the jungle and sold as a pet in Malaysia.
Fortunately, Kala’s new owner wasn’t buying the endangered bear to keep as a pet, but to free her. She was handed over to Malaysia’s Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Center in January, where a team worked to nurse the emaciated and malnourished bear back to health after her stint in captivity.
By late February, Kala had turned a corner, and BSBCC staff started introducing the baby sun bear back to her natural environment.
“Sun bear cubs depend on and stay with their mothers for about two to three years,” BSBCC staff member Chiew Lin May wrote on the organization’s website. “Kala lost her mother at a very young age and now has to learn by herself how to survive in the wild. She has a long way to go through rehabilitation, but we are happy that her forest skills are improving day by day.”
Luckily for us, the staff took photos of Kala’s forest adventures over the past three months.
Kala’s first trip back to the forest came on Feb. 26. Regular walks outside the refuge are one of many activities the conservation group uses to acclimate bears back into the wild.
She quickly adjusted to her time in the wild, BSBCC reported. “She has become more active and energetic, and her favorite activities include digging, eating soil, and playing,” Lin May wrote.
Finding forest foods is one of the most important skills sun bears need to master to survive. While this tree might not be a grub, it contains termites—one of the most important food sources for the world’s smallest bear species.
Biting trees works too.
“She has a unique behavior of eating soil,” Lin May wrote, “which is something another sub-adult bear [at the BSBCC refuge] named Mary does.” But Kala dislikes millipedes and giant ants—whenever she sees one, she runs away.
When it came to climbing trees—another key survival skill for sun bears—Kala was a bit wary. BSBCC workers built a climbing structure in her compound at the center, which has built up her confidence in vine and tree climbing.
After a few hours of exploring, climbing, and dirt-eating, Kala usually takes a quick nap before returning to her forest romp.
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Original article from TakePart
