Auckland lecturer tracks elusive Cambodian sun bear

Auckland lecturer tracks elusive Cambodian sun bear

6 September 2016
For immediate release

Animal management and wildlife welfare expert, Dr Kris Descovich, is uncovering the secret lives of Cambodia’s elusive sun bear.

Unitec’s Environmental and Animal Sciences lecturer recently returned from the ‘Free the Bears’ sanctuary near Phnom Penh where she tracked and observed the smallest of the world’s bear species over three weeks.

The sun bear is classified as ‘vulnerable’. Dr Descovich says as a forest-dependent tropical-living species, this animal’s natural habitat is rapidly declining due to deforestation and if current environmental or hunting trends continue, the bears are likely to become endangered.

“These bears are very rarely seen in the wild. They are very elusive and hard to follow. Little information is known about their normal behaviour, even less on abnormal behaviour.”

Dr Descovich’s surveillance covered 20 bears, female and male, old and young to increase the world’s knowledge on this shy animal. Observations included rescued bears which were disabled, had missing limbs and impaired sight, bears with considerable experience in the wild and others which had been kept as pets or trapped at a very young age.

“Like humans, experiences that happen at a young age can have a big impact on their behaviour later on. They will also have different personalities.”

Now Dr Descovich and a team of her students are reviewing hours of video footage to see how factors such as age, welfare and gender affect behaviour to provide insights which will help manage this species both in the wild and captivity.

The footage will become the basis of a video reference library to increase and collate what is known about the sun bear to help animal scientists and others working with these animals in captivity and to help with conservation efforts in the wild.

ENDS

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