A BABY HOUSE FOR SUN BEARS

In addition to 116 orangutans, our Samboja Lestari Centre currently accommodates 76 sun bears. Many of them are orphaned cubs who need nursery care and go to Forest School, similar to our orangutans.

“Sun bear cubs require the comforting presence of their mothers at all times and experience stress when left alone,” says Patrick Rouxel, consultant for the BOS Foundation’s Sun Bear Program at Samboja Lestari. He emphasises that when a new rescued sun bear cub arrives, it is crucial to provide them with the best possible early childhood experience, including round-the-clock care and allowing the cubs to spend as much time as possible in their natural habitat.

“In the past five years, the BOS Foundation has received twice as many orphaned cubs as adult sun bears. Typically, the mother is killed, and the cub is handed over to the authorities, who then pass it on to BOS”, explains Patrick Rouxel.

Sun bears are classified as ‘vulnerable’
Sun bears, like orangutans, face numerous challenges, including habitat loss, commercial hunting, and the illegal pet trade. The total population of sun bears has declined by at least 30 per cent over the last 30 years, which has led to their classification as ‘vulnerable.’ Since 1998, BOS has been dedicated to caring for the world’s smallest bears, and like our efforts with orangutans, we strive to provide them with the highest welfare standards.

However, unlike the orphaned orangutans we care for, the sun bear cubs do not have a Baby House, an essential part of their upbringing. In a Baby House, they could sleep near their human surrogate parents rather than share the same room, which becomes challenging when the cubs get older. “Therefore, the bears often have to spend the night in forest enclosures, a situation they don’t like”, says Patrick.

The Swedish-french, who has spent most of the last 14 years with sun bears in Indonesia, stresses the importance of a nursery. “Our sun bear cubs deserve a healthy psychological and physical development, and the Baby House will greatly facilitate our ability to provide this for them.”

Will you help us build a new Baby House for our little bears? We must raise $50,000 by 31 March to help Patrick and his team build the urgently needed nursery so the cubs never have to sleep alone again. Please donate here. 

Photos: ©BOSF | Patrick Rouxel