A Rescued Asiatic Black Bear Walks Upright on His Hind Legs Around His Enclosure at a Wildlife Center

A petite Asiatic black bear walks upright on his hind legs like a human around his enclosure at the Laos Wildlife Center. While the bear’s shuffling gait is amusing, the cause for his upright stance is due to a medical condition caused by the cruel treatment he was subjected to at a bear bile farm. Holistic veterinarian Eliza Jinata, who posted the video, explains the situation in more detail.

This bear was rescued from bear bile farm where he was kept in tiny cages and fed very little amount of food, only to keep him alive so they could extract his bile liquid. With this living condition it’s not surprising that he’s malnourished, which is shown by how short his legs are and the body size is disproportionately small for his head size. He is much smaller than an adult Asiatic black bear of his age should be. …With his smaller and malnourished body, it is easier for him to stand on his hind leg because his spine can support his light body weight. Standing up and waiting for food slowly became a habit which he does on a daily basis now.

via Holiztic Vet