Sun Bears

Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Nature, Wildlife, Biodiversity, Sustainability, Global Change, Endangered

Ed Hessler

Sun bears are discussed in a Heroes of The Wild columnn -- Light in the Forest -- by Alex Fox. The two page feature in Smithsonian Magazine (April May 2024) includes a photograph and Fox's discussion.

Sun bears are the world's smallest bears (~60 pounds / ~27 kg). Roshan Guharajan of Panthera calls them "'forest doctors'". Their powerful jaws, large canines, well muscled limbs and large claws modify the habitat as they munch, creating new habitat and seeds that pass through their gut are left in their scat, boosting natural forest regeneration.

As a species they suffer from the usual insults: loss of habitat, the use of their gallbladders in Chinese medicine, and understudy. (my emphasis) There are "no reliable estimates of their global population or current distribution" which makes conservation efforts difficult. Best guesses are currently used on where to protect and conserve habitat as well as to "crack down on poachers."

Fox notes that this year we'll see the launch of an effort by International Union for Conservation of Nature's Bear Specialist Group. The research plan and expectations are described.   

 

Dr. David Garshelis is a co-chair of the Bear Specialist Group. Garshelis has a Minnesota Connection, serving for 37 years as Wildlife Research Scientist (Bear Project Leader) for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.