How enrichment programs tailored to Malayan sun bears address their foraging, climbing, and cognitive needs in captivity.
Malayan sun bear welfare in captivity requires addressing their highly specialized foraging toolkit. Sun bears spend extensive time in the wild using their exceptional tongues and claws to extract honey, insects, and fruit — behaviors that cannot be expressed in barren enclosures. Enrichment that replicates these foraging challenges including honey-filled logs, insect traps, and climbing structures for arboreal access dramatically reduces stereotypy rates and increases behavioral diversity. The Sun Bear Conservation Centre model demonstrates that welfare-centered management can support both captive welfare and public education about wild sun bear conservation.