Wellington Zoo’s Malayan sun bears call state of the art ASB enclosure home

Wellington Zoo’s Asia Precinct has enjoyed a successful first year of operation. The new area opened in 2012 as part of the Zoo’s 10 year development programme and features the state of the art ASB Malayan Sun Bear enclosure.

The enclosure replaced a previous one at the Zoo which was showing signs of age . The Zoo’s two sun bears Sean and daughter Sasa are enjoying the well-designed enclosure, which gives them access to climbing frames, grassy areas and even a waterfall.

The dedication of Wellington Zoo to world-class enclosures and leading sustainability programmes makes it an enriching community partner for ASB to be involved with. The Zoo’s bears are the only bears in New Zealand, and it was the first zoo in Australasia to successfully breed sun bears.

 "Working with Sean and Sasa is an absolute pleasure; they have real character and individual personalities,” says Wellington Zoo Carnivore Keeper Linda Cook. “Being able to pass on information about problems sun bears face in the wild and how people can help is a highlight."

The Zoo works with Free the Bears, an international charity dedicated to freeing bears from unsuitable living conditions throughout Asia and the rest of the world.

Find out more about the plight of sun bears in the wild at the ASB Malayan Sun Bear enclosure at Wellington Zoo. A special Sun Bear Talk is held every day at 3:00pm at the enclosure.

You can donate to Wellington Zoo online here to support the ongoing work the zoo does for conservation.