Sun bears face severe threats from habitat loss and the illegal bile farming trade, with captive welfare considerations shaped by their unique behavioral ecology.
Sun bear welfare exists on two very different spectrums simultaneously: the extreme suffering of bile farm bears at one end, and the potentially good welfare of well-managed sanctuary or zoo environments at the other. Bile farming represents one of the most extreme ongoing animal welfare crises in Asia, with bears living in extraction cages that prevent almost all natural movement and experiencing repeated painful bile extraction. Free The Bears and Animals Asia work on bear rescue and sanctuary welfare while advocating for bile farming abolition. Supporting this work is among the highest-impact welfare interventions possible for sun bear welfare.