Honey bears charm park visitors

Nurni Sulaiman, The Jakarta Post, Balikpapan

Hunkered down in her home in the Natural Environmental and Education Park in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, is Anna, a honey bear.

Ignoring all the humans around her, she tucked into her food. She is one of five bears living in the facility, ranging from five to 10 years old. There are three males -- Haris, Benny and Batik -- and two females, Anna and Idot.

The bears have been the pride of the park since 2003 and in the past few years the city has made the honey bear its official animal.

"Honey bears are solitary animals. Those which survive in the jungle can sense human presence from two kilometers away. The captive bears are quite familiar with humans, as long as there is not too much noise," said park manager Satria Imam Pribadi.

Anna and her colleagues seem to enjoy their activities in the 1.3-hectare enclosure. Anna usually plays for two hours and is provided with meals at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. every day.

Satria said the animals must be left to roam freely in the enclosure to prevent fights, adding that Harris and Batik in particular did not get on well.

The enclosure is in the form of natural forest an is enclosed with an electrified fence.

"It's not fatal, but only creates some pain or shock. All the animals have been trained to stay away from the fence," said Satria.

Visitors can not directly interact with the five bears, but can watch them from a boardwalk a meter away.

The 250-meter boardwalk is made of 90-cm wide planks and a 90-cm wall from bangkirai timber, and was still under construction The Jakarta Post visited the park recently.

"It will have surrounded half the enclosure at 400 meters long by next week," said Satria.

Although the animals are familiar with humans, signs at the park advise: "Honey bears are very sensitive and shy. Walk slowly and speak softly!", with pictures of a bear hiding.

Visitors are not allowed to smoke or bring food and drink with them onto the boardwalk.

The honey bears were all rescued from human homes, where they were mistreated.

Harry, the largest, is blind due to abuse. The four other bears also have health problems and have no teeth, which were probably pulled out by their owners.

"They were kept by humans before. The authorities had to seize them because they were not taken care of and were suffering," said Satria.

The bears are fed with boiled tempeh, or soyabean cake, eggs, rice and vegetables, with the same nutritional content as their natural diet. However, their favorite food, unsurprisingly, is honey.

Honey bears survive in the tropical rainforests in Southeast Asia. In Indonesia they are only found in Kalimantan and Sumatra.

The park is also home to numerous rescued cats.

"They were neglected or abandoned by people on the streets, so we take care of them. As their number gradually rises, each time a cat is brought to the park, we sterilize it first so they won't breed," added Satria. The cats have also been vaccinated to prevent rabies and worms.

"We also provide a children's park so they can enjoy the natural surroundings while playing," said Satria.