Two rare sun bears have gone on public display at a Scottish zoo after a 6,000-mile journey from Cambodia.
Brothers Rotana and Somnang, who arrived at Edinburgh Zoo on July 1, are the only bears of their kind in Scotland.
In 2004 Free the Bears Fund rescued the pair from a private owner in Cambodia who kept them in a tiny cage with barely enough room for them to stand, and took them to Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre.
The Scotsman
Published Date: 7 July 2010
By VICTORIA RAIMES
A GLOOMY and overcast day was not enough to keep a pair of sunbears from shining as they made their first public appearance at Edinburgh Zoo.
There were squeals of delight from visitors as the attraction's newest residents burst out of their quarantine pen and enjoyed a dip in the pool at their plush new enclosure.
The male duo, called Rotana, a popular Cambodian name, and Somnang, meaning lucky, arrived at the zoo from Cambodia last week, but they have just moved in to their £150,000 luxury home.
Led by the more boisterous Rotana, they bounded out of their cage as soon as the doors opened and started sniffing around the enclosure. It includes a pool, 30ft climbing tree and waterfall, all of which they have already explored.
Keeper Sharon Hatton said: "Rotana was straight out. He's quite bold, so he was investigating straight away. We had scattered a bit of food around the enclosure so it felt a bit more like home, but he didn't go for the food at first. He climbed up the walls, dipped his foot in the pool and after about 10 minutes got hungry.
"Somnang followed soon after and his reaction was more or less the same."
While the brothers, aged around seven, aren't overly keen on chillier climates, they braved the light wind and drizzle yesterday to pose for photographs.
They also played with their toys, which include clear honey boxes that allow visitors to watch the bears stick out their long, slender tongues to scoop out treats. Although the bears - the only two of their kind in Scotland - officially belong to the Cambodian government, it is hoped that they will enjoy residing at the zoo until one of them is hopefully replaced by a female sunbear.
They were rescued in 2004 in Cambodia from a private owner who kept them in a tiny cage with barely enough room for them to stand.
The smallest and one of the rarest of the world's eight bear species, sunbears possess an incredibly long tongue and display a yellowish crescent their chest, which looks like a sun on the horizon. In addition to fruit, nuts and honey, they eat lizards, birds and other mammals, plus fruits, eggs, roots, cocoa and coconuts.
Darren McGarry, animal collection manager at Edinburgh Zoo, said: "Having travelled from so far away, there is always a bit of apprehension about how they will settle in but we are really pleased to say they seem to be very at home."
Brothers Rotana and Somnang, who arrived at Edinburgh Zoo on July 1, are the only bears of their kind in Scotland.
In 2004 Free the Bears Fund rescued the pair from a private owner in Cambodia who kept them in a tiny cage with barely enough room for them to stand, and took them to Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre.
The Scotsman
Published Date: 7 July 2010
By VICTORIA RAIMES
A GLOOMY and overcast day was not enough to keep a pair of sunbears from shining as they made their first public appearance at Edinburgh Zoo.
There were squeals of delight from visitors as the attraction's newest residents burst out of their quarantine pen and enjoyed a dip in the pool at their plush new enclosure.
The male duo, called Rotana, a popular Cambodian name, and Somnang, meaning lucky, arrived at the zoo from Cambodia last week, but they have just moved in to their £150,000 luxury home.
Led by the more boisterous Rotana, they bounded out of their cage as soon as the doors opened and started sniffing around the enclosure. It includes a pool, 30ft climbing tree and waterfall, all of which they have already explored.
Keeper Sharon Hatton said: "Rotana was straight out. He's quite bold, so he was investigating straight away. We had scattered a bit of food around the enclosure so it felt a bit more like home, but he didn't go for the food at first. He climbed up the walls, dipped his foot in the pool and after about 10 minutes got hungry.
"Somnang followed soon after and his reaction was more or less the same."
While the brothers, aged around seven, aren't overly keen on chillier climates, they braved the light wind and drizzle yesterday to pose for photographs.
They also played with their toys, which include clear honey boxes that allow visitors to watch the bears stick out their long, slender tongues to scoop out treats. Although the bears - the only two of their kind in Scotland - officially belong to the Cambodian government, it is hoped that they will enjoy residing at the zoo until one of them is hopefully replaced by a female sunbear.
They were rescued in 2004 in Cambodia from a private owner who kept them in a tiny cage with barely enough room for them to stand.
The smallest and one of the rarest of the world's eight bear species, sunbears possess an incredibly long tongue and display a yellowish crescent their chest, which looks like a sun on the horizon. In addition to fruit, nuts and honey, they eat lizards, birds and other mammals, plus fruits, eggs, roots, cocoa and coconuts.
Darren McGarry, animal collection manager at Edinburgh Zoo, said: "Having travelled from so far away, there is always a bit of apprehension about how they will settle in but we are really pleased to say they seem to be very at home."
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