FLEUR LOVES HER SOLITUDE

Fleur is one of the 75 sun bears in our care. She started her journey with the BOS Foundation at the Nyaru Menteng Rehabilitation Centre. However, in May 2018, we transferred her to more sun-bear-appropriate facilities at the Samboja Lestari Rehabilitation Centre. Find out how the female is doing today.

When Fleur arrived at the Samboja Lestari Sun Bear Sanctuary alongside six other sun bears, Wiwin, Christy, Haq, Sibear, Denny, and India, the BOS technicians immediately placed her in the training enclosure. They chose this location as it only houses one bear at a time, and Fleur has a history of hostility and aggression towards other sun bears.

Most of the enclosures at Samboja Lestari house small groups of bears. They give them as much space to explore as possible despite the size limitations of the sanctuary. With this in mind, our technicians observed Fleur continuously and attempted to socialise her with another sun bear, Paul.

Serious fight
Initially, the meeting of the two was progressing smoothly, with no fights occurring. However, both bears grew stressed over time, and a fight broke out. After that, the risk of serious injury, or even death, was just too high, and Paul and Fleur had to be separated.

Following Paul, our technicians attempted to socialise Fleur with another sun bear named Feri. But these two didn’t get along either. Another brawl broke out, and the caretakers moved Feri to avoid further trouble. Our animal welfare team then determined Fleur could no longer socialise with other sun bears. 

Just neighbours
Fleur is currently occupying Training Complex #1. Another sun bear named Bernard lives next door. They take turns exploring the yard and playing on the platforms, as they cannot adventure together without a fight erupting. Both appear to be content as amicable neighbours and nothing more.

Sun bears enjoy solitary lives in the wild, where space is plentiful. Excluding mothers and their children, they naturally explore the forests and forage alone. Fleur enjoys her solitary existence just like her wild counterparts. During meals, she does not have to compete with others and consumes everything offered to her. She also finds joy in the enrichment provided daily by our technicians. These items include ice blocks, ironwood logs, and sacks and branches stuffed with tasty and nutritious food.

Even though Fleur has gained a reputation at Samboja for being the most aggressive of the bears, she is always eager to explore and makes the most of her environment. You just keep on doing you, Fleur! 

Find out more about our conservation work here.