Cintron couldn’t appear more regal overlooking a kingdom that she almost certainly believes to be her own.

Occasionally she lets out a long drawn out moon bear yawn – it’s been a long day’s forage in this House of Moon Bear.

Who would have thought this imperious looking bear arrived at Animals Asia’s Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre a tiny 2kg cub just three years ago.

Little Cintron was rescued along with her twin brother Bradley in Vietnam’s central province of Kontum, along the lush and mountainous Laos border. Weighing only 2.5kg she initially needed to be hand-fed - below, bear nanager Falk does the honours for this tiny cub:

Saved from a lifetime of bear bile farming by the local authorities’ timely intervention, the two cubs have since lived a life free of fear and pain in the VBRC.

They’ve grown up here together, the tiny twosome going from little bundles of fur that would curl up and sleep together, to being active members of large juvenile communities.

As they’ve grown, so their surroundings and social circle have grown with them, being successfully integrated with increasingly complex groups and today are housed with 13 other juveniles.

Animals Asia founder and CEO, Jill Robinson MBE said:

“It’s amazing how quickly moon bears grow from gentle cubs to energetic juveniles and eventually large, charismatic adults, their needs changing as they grow. The commitment of taking on cubs is huge – it’s a 30-year promise. But it’s a pleasure and a privilege to be able to do so – especially as the alternative is unthinkable. To see Cintron now, and think about where she and Bradley would have ended up without us – well, it doesn’t bear thinking about.”

They better enjoy summer while they can – winter is coming!

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