Banjarnegara zoo welcomes birth of sun bear

Serulingmas Zoo in Banjarnegara, Central Java, has welcomed the birth of a sun bear named Juliet.

The cub, a female, is the fourth sun bear at the zoo.

She was born last month but the mother refused to suckle her, said zoo director Lulut Yekti Adi.

Juliet has since been receiving special care from staff who is bottle feeding her around the clock.

“The mother does not want to suckle the cub, thus, we are forced to feed Juliet using a feeding bottle,” Lulut said on Sunday as quoted by kompas.com.

Lulut added that Juliet was being fed a special porridge, fruit and honey.

“Her growth is good so far. She is healthy. But because she is only a cub, she must have special care.”

The cub, which cannot stand and crawl yet, has yet to be permanently placed on display. However, zoo management has occasionally shown her to visitors.

Sun bears inhabit tropical forests in Southeast Asia and are classified as protected animals under an existing regulation on flora and fauna. (sau/ipa)