Asiatic Black Bear - Five Sisters Zoo

Individuals are primarily black with a white or yellow “crescent moon” patch on their chest and some white or yellow fur on their muzzle and under their jaw.  Individuals have powerful front legs and strong claws to dig through logs and soil to find food like insects, nuts, and fungi. Females will give birth to 2-3 cubs at a time and they may remain with their mother for up to 3 years.

Facts

Diet: Omnivore; individuals adapt their diets to food availability and abundance. They will eat succulent vegetation, fruits, small mammals, insects, carrion and nuts.

Length: 1.3 – 1.9 metres

Weight: Up to 200 kilograms

Habitat: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, portions of southern China; forested areas with plentiful access to fruits and nuts, with some bears observed eating in human orchards when other food is not available.

Lifespan: around 20 years in the wild and over 30 under human care

Adapted to Survive

  • Fantastic sense of smell to detect danger and find food
  • Enter a type of extended sleep known as torpor in the colder months to conserve energy when food is scarce.
  • Store large fat reserves in the summer and autumn to keep them alive during hibernation

Threats

  • Habitat loss and degradation
  • Bear Bile industry, where bears are killed to obtain items for traditional medicine markets
  • Hunting and trapping

IUCN Conservation Status

Vulnerable

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