Are you interested in the moon bears? This article gives a deep dive into different aspects of moon bears.
Figure 1: picture of a moon bear
Behaviour
Moon bears share an environment with various types of other predators, including tigers. It is theorized that this is the origin of their slightly more aggressive behaviour towards humans: the surrounding of other aggressive animals dictates that they need to be more aggressive in order to hold their own and survive in the wild. As for activity, Moon bears are crepuscular, meaning they can be active at dawn and dusk.
Endangerment
Unfortunately, they are severely endangered and tend to be kept in critical conditions on ‘bear farms’ in various asiatic countries across the world where they are processed a certain way for extraction of their bile. Since bear bile is used in many medicinal developments, these bears are consistently trapped and processed inhumanely to extract such properties using methods like being kept in cages, removing teeth and claws, and insertion of metal catheters into their bodies. Aside from the captivity situation, Moon bears in the wild are constantly threatened by habitat loss and illegal poaching for their furs and claws. Their skins are highly sought after in certain trading markets and are highly valued despite the outlawing of hunting these bears.
Activism
Various organizations such as “Born Free” and the “IBA Bear Conservation Fund” have made it their mission to protect various species of bears, including the Moon Bear, from the conditions previously mentioned. Born Free rescues injured bears and cares for them if they cannot be released back into the wild, and the IBA Fund distributes their donations to various bear conservation grants all over the world (they also release their annual reports every year for transparency). Organizations and Funds such as these allow for the hope of humane treatment for Moon bears and many others and inspire others to help do the same.
Summary
Moon Bears are an asiatic species of black bears named for their yellow-on-black fur in a crescent moon shape around their necks. They are known to be highly intelligent and can register an extensive variety of sounds and vocabulary! Additionally, they are very skilled climbers, preferring high altitudes and dense forestry as opposed to open hunting grounds like some other species of brown or black bears.
Citations
“Biological Information on the Asiatic Black Bear | Animal Legal & Historical Center.” Www.animallaw.info, www.animallaw.info/article/biological-information-asiatic-black-bear.
“Moon Bear - Facts and Beyond.” Biology Dictionary, 10 June 2020, biologydictionary.net/moon-bear/.
“Moon Bears.” Www.bornfree.org.uk, www.bornfree.org.uk/animals/moon-bears.
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