A little sun bear named Murphy couldn’t believe his luck when he saw that his sanctuary had built him his own personal playground. The sweet bear couldn’t wait to begin climbing on all the different structures!
Murphy first arrived at the Animals Asia Sanctuary in November of 2015 when he was just six weeks old.
The poor bear had a rough start to life. His mother was killed by a poacher who then tried to smuggle Murphy over the Vietnam-China border in a backpack.
The smuggler was most likely bringing Murphy to a bear bile farm in China. In these farms, bears are kept in extremely small cages. The bile is collected from the bears’ bladders, and it’s then used in traditional medicine. Luckily, Animals Asia caught the smuggler and saved Murphy from a life in one of these cruel farms. The smuggler faced criminal charges for his actions.
Animals Asia took Murphy to their sanctuary in Vietnam. He was one of the youngest bears that Animals Asia ever took in. He was so young, he didn’t even know how to walk when he arrived at the sanctuary. He learned how to walk when he was in quarantine in his first days in the sanctuary. The little bear was very inquisitive, and he spent his days checking out all the different objects in his room.
When he was three months old, Animals Asia gave Murphy his beloved playground.
The playground is lots of fun for Murphy, and it also helps his long-term development. Playing on these structures will help Murphy tackle the obstacles he’ll encounter when he’s released back into the wild.
In the two years since he arrived at the sanctuary, Murphy has grown into a rambunctious and happy young bear.
A few months after he got to the sanctuary, Murphy bonded with another sun bear named Goldie, and the two now have a brotherly relationship. The energetic young bears love wrestling, chasing each other, and hanging out in their pen.
In late 2016, Animals Asia introduced Murphy and Goldie to two more orphaned sun bears, Sassy and Layla. The four bears got along well, and they have formed a little family.
Murphy had a tough start to life, but he has found a wonderful place to call home. We’re thrilled that Murphy is doing so well and is growing up into a healthy and happy bear!
If you’d like to see Murphy’s adorable reaction to his playground back when he was a little cub, check out the video below.
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