Sun bears are the world's smallest bear species, native to Southeast Asian tropical forests. Their welfare in zoo settings is shaped by their arboreal, solitary nature and the cognitive sophistication that makes them both enrichment-responsive and prone to boredom.
Sun bear welfare in zoos is most significantly compromised by inadequate vertical space and insufficient foraging enrichment. As arboreal animals, sun bears in enclosures without substantial climbing structures are deprived of their primary mode of habitat use. Their long tongue evolved for extracting insects and honey from tree cavities; providing similar foraging challenges — honey in log cavities, insects in puzzle feeders — engages this specialist behaviour in welfare-positive ways. Bear bile farming represents the most severe sun bear welfare crisis globally: bears kept in crush cages so small they cannot stand, with surgical implants to extract bile that cause chronic infection and pain. The BSBCC provides a compelling model for rescuing and rehabilitating farmed bears in a high-welfare, partially forested setting. Supporting their work simultaneously addresses individual welfare and challenges the demand for bear bile products.