The Malayan sun bear / Beruang Madu (Helarctos malayanus) is also known as the "honey bear", which refers to its voracious appetite for honeycombs and honey. An adult male Malayan sun bear is about 4 feet (1.2 m) tall when standing on its hind legs and can weigh up to 140 pounds (64 kg).
The majority of the Malayan sun bear’s forest habitat has been destroyed by logging and conversion to agriculture. In addition to leveling the forest, logging roads create convenient access for poachers. As natural food sources disappear, sun bears are driven by hunger to forage for food on farms and plantations, where they are shot or trapped by angry farmers.
The demand for bear products is the greatest threat to all bears. Traditional Asian medicine prescribes bear fat, gall, meat, paws, spinal cord, blood, and bones for complaints ranging from baldness to rheumatism. Bear entrees are popular in restaurants, and sun bear paws are favored in Taiwan for soup.
In addition, locals often keep sun bears as pets. The mother bears are killed in order to obtain cubs young enough to tame.
Size: A3 - Technical Pen (Faber Castell)
