Threats
Adult sun bears have few predators except humans. Occasionally, they may be overwhelmed by tigers, or large reticulated pythons. Other possible predators include the leopard, the clouded leopard, and the sun bear's larger sympatric relative, the Asiatic black bear. The bear's loose skin on its neck allows it to wriggle its body inside its skin far enough to turn around and bite its attacker when grabbed.
The recent decline in the sun bear population can be largely attributed to the hunting of "nuisance bears" that destroy crops and widespread poaching driven by the market for their fur and for their bile, which is used in Chinese medicine.
Sometimes, sun bears are captured or bred to be domestic pets—a role for which they are considered desirable, due to their relatively inoffensive nature and small size in comparison with other bears.
The IUCN reclassified the sun bear from "data deficient" to "vulnerable" status in 2007.
Read more about this topic: Sun Bear
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