Sun bear pals Murphy and Goldie have moved to a new, larger enclosure at Animals Asia’s sanctuary — and they’re just so happy.

The two young bears have been with Animals Asia for over a year and in that time they’ve gone from traumatised young bears, to a terrible twosome up for fun, games and destruction.

Rescued months apart, both had the worst start to their lives when they lost mothers to poachers. Thankfully their traffickers were apprehended and the cubs started new lives with Animals Asia.

 

A photo posted by Animals Asia (@animalsasia) on Oct 13, 2016 at 9:09pm PDT

 

Now, having destroyed every last item in their previous enclosure, Murphy and Goldie made it clear they were ready to graduate to a larger space, and Animals Asia staff were one step ahead of them — with a new open space of paddling pools, swings and trees reserved just for them.

Bear Manager Kelly Donithan said:

“It was a delight to see Murphy and Goldie in the new enclosure. They immediately started exploring every last section and they both had a blast. To see them both so happy and carefree is very rewarding.”

Both bears were victims of the illegal wildlife trade and were discovered as extremely young cubs being trafficked through Vietnam.

Their mothers were most likely killed so that they could be sold into a lifetime of suffering on bile farms. Thankfully, the authorities acted and the two cubs were saved.

Animals Asia Bear and Vet Team Director Heidi Quine said:

“Everyone at the sanctuary loves Murphy and Goldie to bits. They arrived so young that we have seen them grow up — and over the next 30 years, sanctuary staff will see them grow old. They are a real symbol of how big a commitment a bear rescue can be, especially when rescuing bears so young.

“Our challenge now is to make theirs a life worth living. Seeing them enjoying themselves under the sun, and playing together on the open grass assures us it is.”

For bears as young as Goldie and Murphy, returning to the wild was never an option. Being so small and with no mother to protect them and teach them how to survive, they would have had no chance of survival. Illegal poaching also remains a serious problem.

Despite the horror of their past, the two bears are now safe. They will spend the rest of their lives in Animals Asia’s care, hopefully as lifelong friends playing together for decades to come.

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