Rain Forest #65 - Lions, and Tigers, and Bears, Oh My!

SUN BEAR
Helarctos malayanus

Description: The sun bear is the smallest of the bears, with a body length of 48 to 60 inches. Local peoples refer to it as the "dog bear" They can weigh between 60 and 145 pounds with the males being slightly larger. Sun bears have short, sleek black fur with a golden or white colored crescent shape on their chest and the same lighter color around their muzzle and eyes. The muzzle is short and the ears are small and very round. The paws of the sun bear are large with naked soles, possibly an adaptation for better tree climbing. The claws are long, curved and very pointed.

Range: They are found in southeast Asia; India, Burma, southern China, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.




Habitat: Sun bears prefer lowland tropical rain forests. They are quite arboreal and are believed to sleep in trees.

Diet: Sun bears are omnivorous, eating birds, small mammals, termites, the young tips of palm trees and the nests of wild bees. They have been known to cause crop damage particularly to oil palms.

Social Organization: Nothing is known about the sun bear's social organization in the wild. Cubs are reported to stay with their mothers until fully grown.

Reproduction: Through observation of captive sun bears it is believed that cubs can be born throughout the year. Gestation has been reported at 95 days, at 174 days, and at 240 days at varying zoos so it is unclear whether there is delayed implantation. Litters consisted of one or two cubs weighing about 10 ounces (325 grams) each.

Conservation Status: Sun bears are listed in CITES as Appendix I.

Threats to Survival: Habitat loss in the sun bear's range is of major concern as is the pet trade, poaching for food, fur and the Asian medicinal trade.

Zoo Programs: An AZA Species Survival Plan for sun bears was formed in late 1994. Due to genetic and demographic deterioration of the current North American captive population, new founder animals must soon be imported. This needs to be done with an active conservation-linkage program in the range country where the animals will be obtained in order to protect and preserve as much remaining habitat as possible while at the same time carrying out intensive field studies on the sun bear itself. This is vitally important as so very little is known about these animals in the wild. The AZA Bear Advisory group recommends the establishment of an in situ conservation program and the importation of animals to be coordinated through the AZA Species Survival Plan working closely with IUCN-BSG. Five zoos will initially participate in this endeavor.

The Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle is working on a reproductive fecal steroid program. Woodland Park Zoo and the USFWS forensics laboratory are also working on genetic analysis of the North American population. All zoos currently holding sun bears are reminded to provide medical and necropsy reports to the AZA Bear Advisory Group veterinary advisor.

It must be stressed that zoos holding these animals put emphasis on the impact of illegal hunting and the trade of bear parts to the Asian medical market.

SPECTACLED BEAR
Tremarctos ornatus

Description: The spectacled bear is a small black bear with cream-colored facial markings around its eyes that give it its name. Females weigh about 150 pounds and males may reach 250 pounds. They have a total body length of 60 to 72 inches.

Range: The spectacled bear is found in Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.






Habitat: It lives in a variety of forested Andes mountain habitats, ranging in elevation from 500 to 14,000 feet. The spectacled bear is an excellent tree climber and forages in the trees. It is most often found in what is called the cloud forest, a lush, misty ecosystem of the Andes. The spectacled bear is thought to play a vital role in the forest by scattering seeds through its droppings, a function called seed dispersal.

Diet: The favorite food of the spectacled bear is fruit and it will also eat varieties of bromeliads, rodents and insects. When feeding in fruit trees the spectacled bear will bend back many branches forming a "nest" that will serve as a feeding platform and a daytime refuge. When a spectacled bear strays into human farmland it is often shot on sight because it is considered a pest species for both the farmer's crops and livestock.

Social Organization: Little is known about the behavior of this shy forest bear. It is believed that they are mostly nocturnal and spend the day time sleeping in self-made tree nests, large tree root cavities or on ground beds. At sites of abundant food, as with fruiting trees, several bears can be seen feeding in close proximity with very little interaction between them. Only mothers with young have been seen traveling together so it is assumed spectacled bears lead solitary lives.

Reproduction: Females reach sexual maturity between 4 and 7 years of age. Spectacled bears will mate during the months of April, May and June. A pair will stay together for a week or two, actually copulating several times. Females bear a litter of one to three cubs, which become independent in one year. A mother bear may carry her young on her back when they are still small. A mother and her cubs employ a number of specific vocalizations in communicating with each other.

Conservation Status: The spectacled bear is listed as vulnerable in the IUCN Red Data Book and as an Appendix I species under CITES. There are thought to be a few thousand left in the wild.

Threats to Survival: Habitat destruction and hunting are the two biggest threats to the spectacled bear. Though the hunting of spectacled bears is illegal, it continues to be poached. Its bones and fat are used for the local medicinal market and recently reports of poaching for gall bladders for the Asian market have been reported in Ecuador.

Zoo Programs: Approximately 71 bears are managed under the Spectacled Bear Species Survival Plan. The Species Survival Plan works closely with the European EEP program which works with 52 bears in Europe and 6 in Russia. South American facilities have 33 bears while 3 are held in Japan. The Species Survival Plan is also working closely with zoos in Venezuela and Peru on management of bears in zoos and importing and exporting of new bloodlines. A Spectacled Bear Interest Group facilitates the exchange of information on South American facilities. An International Spectacled Bear Symposium held in Chicago in 1988 brought field biologists and zoo managers together for the first time. These contacts continue to be used to monitor the bear's population and programs in South America. Preliminary studies on the relationship between mother and cub have been completed in some zoos while ongoing research works on improving zoo diets.