With temperatures regularly going above 30C at our sanctuaries in Vietnam and China, it’s imperative that our moon bears know how to keep cool during the summer months.

So for the uninitiated, moon bear Moonie is on hand with his top tips on how to stay cool.

Laze in the shade

Rule number one, moon bears is that wherever you choose to roam, make sure you’re never far from some shade. Silly young bears often make the mistake of playing and foraging in the sun on hot days, but us older bears prefer to find a shady spot. Our sanctuaries are full of good places to escape the heat and there are even shade cloths stretched out between trees to make it even easier. As you can see above, Wang Cai finds it coolest up in the canopy - but my favourite? It’s got to be lying in the shade of a tree on my favourite platform.

Have a swim

When the mercury soars, nothing feels better than a dip in cool water. Us moon, brown and sun bears absolutely adore splashing around, and as everyone knows it gets more fun when somebody else is in there with you to have a good wrestle. Last one in is a Panda!

Eat an ice lolly

I don’t know about you, but nothing cools me down quicker than ice-covered fruit. Whenever I find a frozen orange or a piece of melon encased in ice, I quickly carry it away so that nobody can take it from me – just touching it feels cool! Once I’m alone I either lick the ice or put the frozen fruit on my stomach and let ice-cold water run off it. Sometimes I get impatient and smash the frozen treat off the ground because I just can’t wait another moment to eat what’s inside, but even then I can still lick up the broken ice – it’s heaven!

Take a nap in a den

We all love being outdoors, but sometimes the heat really is hard to take. Sometimes, if I’m too hot after a summer forage, I like to go back into the den to escape the midday sun. Our dens are as cool as caves and our raised metal beds are perfect for moon bear naps. An added tip, young ones – bring a piece of browse in with you, you can lay the cool leaves on your face while you sleep and best of all, you won’t have to get up if you get a little peckish!

Make the most of the rain

Luckily, summer is also the wet season at our sanctuaries. It’s going to rain for a short time every day, so I suggest you make the most of it. A tropical downpour will keep you cool while you forage, but if the rains come late in the day after all the food’s been found, then I suggest climbing up something. From the top of a tree or a climbing frame you not only get great views, but you can enjoy the cool breeze that the rains bring – and get absolutely soaked at the same time. Now that’s refreshing.

If you’d like to help the 243 moon bears at our Vietnam and China sanctuaries to stay cool during the summer, click the link to see how you can sponsor iced-treats, shade cloths and everything else that moon bears need to beat the heat.

BACK