Sun bears are the smallest bear species and face both welfare challenges in captivity and conservation threats from the bear bile industry and habitat loss.
Sun bear welfare encompasses two distinct populations: wild and wild-caught animals in rescue programs, and long-term captives in zoos and bile farms. Bear bile farming inflicts severe welfare harm — bears are surgically implanted with catheters or holes in their gallbladder and held in tiny cages for years to decades, causing chronic pain, psychological trauma, and severe behavioral abnormalities. Rehabilitation programs at Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre and similar facilities provide long-term sanctuary for animals that cannot be released. In accredited zoos, sun bear welfare requires arboreal access, foraging enrichment focusing on their honey-extraction behavior, and appropriate thermal management. Consumer rejection of bear bile products is an important welfare action.