Joe Loves his First New Friends

Text and Photos by Chiew Lin May

Joe, a three month old sun bear cub, was found by a person alone in the forest at Kg.Kipaku, Tambunan. The person then sent the cub to Lok Kawi Wildlife Park on the 12th of April 2018. The bear arrived on the 22nd of January 2019. We believe that Joe was stolen from his mother in the wild. Joe appeared tame and would suckle his hind paws which are believed to be a result from being kept as a pet for long periods in captivity. He needs to learn all the skills he will require to survive in the wild – skills that he would have learnt from his mother. 

​We decided to introduce Joe with two resident cubs. 

Joe recently completed his quarantine period. He is now one year old and weighs 22kg.
On the 22nd of February 2019, Joe made his first new friends! 
 

​Once Joe entered the den, Logan and Romolina started to greet him by growling! 

​Both started sniffing around while Joe was busy with exploring the new den first. Once the door opened, Logan started to play fight by biting and rolling with Joe.

​Logan has shown to be a more fun-loving bear that always initiates play with Joe. 

They can wrestle for hours and hours…nonstop PLAY!!
 
Logan began spending more time with Joe while Romolina always seemed curious and she would paw Joe in a gentle way. Romolina would still like to maintain her independence and is less interested in joining to play. We found Joe being hugged by Logan when they met. 

Joe has had a new experience by learning how to defend himself during play fights and wrestling.

We are glad to see Joe has been having a good time with his new friends, Logan and Romolina. These three bears have a close bond and share their food or enrichment together too. Little Romolina and Logan were quick to accept Joe. 

​The three bears have been venturing out to the larger exercise dens which are filled with different types of enrichment. 

​They share their dens which can enrich Joe’s life and help stimulate his natural behaviour. 

 They enjoy playing, exploring and making us fall in love with their beautiful smiles! 

​This is important for the rescued bears to help them recover from trauma and start to put their past behind them.
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Interactions between Joe, Logan and Romolina have shown to be positive. Joe now has a place full of love. Hopefully, this relationship can help Joe become a more confident and stronger bear!