Ever seen a brown Asiatic black bear? Moon bear Chocolate Tara is an exception and seven years on from his rescue he’s top of the world.

In 2010, Chocolate Tara was finally freed from a bear bile farm in Vietnam. Nobody knows how long he had languished in that cage, but when he stepped out on grass later that year, it was almost certainly his first time.

He was still a young bear then, but bile farming had ravaged his body. His gall bladder had to be surgically removed due to chronic inflammation, but thanks to his young age, this playful bear was able to make a full recovery.

Since then, he’s lived happily at Animals Asia’s Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre. He’s made friends, learnt to forage and taught his carers exactly what food he likes the most. It’s the sweet stuff. Apple, dried fruit and peanut butter will never be unwelcome with Chocolate Tara.

But this week, this amazing bear did something totally unexpected. Instead of his usual routine of foraging and resting, Chocolate Tara decided he wanted to climb the highest structure in the enclosure – and he made sure everybody knew about it.

 

A video posted by Animals Asia (@animalsasia) on Jan 22, 2017 at 10:25pm PST

 

Animals Asia’s Vietnam Bear and Vet Team Director Heidi Quinne said:

“While many bears rest on enclosure structures or play with toys after foraging, Chocolate Tara often likes to wander around to find leftovers before returning to his favourite dens or enjoying a splash in the pool. So it was certainly a surprise to see him horsing around on one of the highest points in the sanctuary – and it looked like the other bears were equally amazed! They all rushed over to see what he was up to and it looked like he loved the attention.”

It remains to be seen whether Chocolate Tara makes a habit of climbing and showing off, but he’s more than welcome to. Whether he wants to forage, swim, climb, sleep or play – he has the time, space and freedom to do so.

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