Sun bears are the smallest bear species and among the least studied in captivity; their social and environmental welfare needs require attention as populations are held in diverse facilities globally.
Sun bear welfare in captivity is complicated by the significant psychological consequences of their frequent entry into captive care via the illegal wildlife trade. Bears rescued from cub trafficking or bile farming often show severe behavioural abnormalities from early trauma and deprivation. Rehabilitation to functional welfare requires extended programs of appropriate housing, social introduction, and environmental enrichment. In zoo populations without this traumatic background, welfare depends on providing appropriate foraging opportunities that engage the species' highly specialised feeding adaptations, social housing where individuals are compatible, and complex environments that allow natural investigative and climbing behaviour. The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre provides an inspiring example of what high-welfare sun bear rehabilitation looks like at scale.