Understanding the unique welfare needs of sun bears — the smallest and least-studied bear species — in zoological settings, and the conservation programs that support wild population survival.
Sun bears face welfare challenges both in the wild — where they are victims of one of the most inhumane industries in the world (bear bile farming) — and in captivity, where their specialized behavioral and dietary needs are often inadequately met. The bile bear industry, in which bears spend their entire lives in crush cages with catheters permanently inserted for bile extraction, represents one of the clearest cases of extreme and prolonged suffering in any farming context. In zoo settings, sun bear welfare requires arboreal access, complex foraging opportunities that engage their remarkable tongue, appropriate management of their solitary social nature, and recognition of their sophisticated behavioral repertoire.