Endangered
Malayan sun bears live on the Malay Peninsula, in Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, and possibly in southern China. There are also small, remnant populations in India and Bangladesh. They reside in dense tropical and subtropical forests. The sun bear's numbers are steadily declining due to habitat loss resulting from excessive logging and agriculture, the pet trade, poaching for meat and use of their gall bladders in traditional Asian medicine.

Conservation Efforts
Woodland Park Zoo is supporting field studies on sun bears in Thailand to learn more about their behavior and habitat. Zoo staff have also developed a Species Survival Plan (SSP) for the sun bear which addresses the need for educating local people on their native wildlife species, including the sun bear, and for breeding and conducting research on captive sun bears. Researchers will monitor their reproductive cycles to improve zoo-based breeding programs and sun bear reproduction in the wild.

For more info on the Malayan sun bear, click here.
For more info on the zoo's conservation efforts click here.