Therein lies the problem. The tropical rain forests where these bears live are rapidly being destroyed for short-term economic gain over large areas of Asia. Even in areas where forests are intact, the females are often shot to obtain their cubs for the pet trade. Nobody seems to be making any effort in Asia to captive-breed them for this purpose. The bears are also often shot or trapped as vermin for damage they do to agriculture. The Sun Bear, as a result, has become seriously endangered in the wild, and remarkably little is known of its habits. (Like the other tropical bear, the Indian Sloth Bear, males often accompany the female and cubs to make a true family group, unlike the infanticidal northern bears.) Another bad thing is that the cubs, when they get big, destructive, and hard to handle are typically sold to wild animal dealers who butcher them for food or medicine. Koreans are especially voracious in their appetite for bear meat. Unspeakable, sickening horror stories are told in Thailand of Sun bears or Asian black bears being lowered alive into boiling water or onto hot coals, or slowly clubbed to death before mobs of Koreans who have travelled to Thailand for just such a purpose, drooling in anticipation of the feast to follow. This needs to be seriously investigated. I hope it's not true, but if it is, Korea deserves to be internationally condemned and criticised.
The last species of bear is the Indian sloth bear, found as its name implies in South Asia, namely India and Sri Lanka. Easily the ugliest of all bears, it is dark in color and extremely shaggy, sort of looking like a giant animated barracks mop. In size, it is similar to the black bear but with longer claws. It has a remarkably ungainly looking face with a long snout. It is the most heat-tolerant of all bears, living in dry, scrubby forest land under the hot tropical sun. This is the only bear that is specialised as am insectivore. It claws open a hole in ant or termite mounds and positions its mouth over the hole and applies a powerful suction, slurping out the insects with a noise that can be heard a long way off. Its upper front teeth are missing to facilitate the vacuuming effect. The cubs are homely but cute and are habitually carried by the mother on her back, on an especially thick patch of fur on her shoulders. Despite their extravagant homeliness, these bears are basically good-natured and not particularly agressive. They are, however, highly emotional and inclined to panic if suddenly surprised. Every year, somebody gets mauled as a result and the locals maintain a respectful distance from them. They are being aided by efforts to set aside lands for the conservation of tigers. Though vulnerable, they do not seem to be seriously endangered yet.
