In sanctuary, young bears are kept entertained with new experiences and much-loved activities – and few are so keenly anticipated as Coconut Day. 

If young bears are bundles of energy, then young sun bears are bundles rolling down hill.

These rambunctious little bears are constantly on the move, exploring, foraging, climbing, playing, wrestling and very often destroying anything they can get their paws on. 

The constant stimulation sun bears experience in the wild has to be recreated in sanctuary with daily enrichment programmes to ensure the bears’ live exciting, satisfying and enjoyable lives.

This week, excitement was at a peak for Coconut Day, as the cub club went nutty foraging for the tasty snack that is fun to break open and eat.

Animals Asia’s Bear Manager Sarah van Herpt said:

“These little guys love Coconut Day. It’s such a fun treat for them as the nuts are very satisfying to break open and it takes them a good bit of time and thought to work out the best way to scoop out the flesh. Top of the coconut class is Sassy who’s been spotted breaking the nuts open on rocks, which just shows how clever and resourceful these amazing animals are.”

The five bears sponsored by Miomojo aren’t cubs anymore, ranging from four to nineyears old, but they are still kept as a separate group, as they are either much smaller or more timid than the sanctuary’s adult residents.

All five bears were either rescued from cruel conditions as exotic pets or were intercepted by the authorities while being poached from the wild.

If they hadn’t been sent to sanctuary, they would have ended up on bile farms or in private homes living wholly unsuitable and miserable lives.

Sadly none of the bears are likely to ever be eligible for release into the wild. Bears like Murphy taken from the wild so young have no survival skills, while older bears like Annemarie have been traumatised from their experiences in captivity.

Supplying exotic treats such as coconut is just one of the ways Miomojo’s funding keeps the bears they support happy and healthy for their entire lives.

The Miomojo Cub House is part-funded by Miomojo – a responsible fashion company from Italy making gorgeous fashion accessories that don’t harm animals or the environment.

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