Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus)

IUCN Red List: Vulnerable CITES Appendix I

The Asiatic Black Bear has a coat of smooth black fur and can be distinguished from other animals by the V shape of white fur on its chest.


Presently, the Asiatic black bear is rarely encountered in the wilds of the Cambodia forests.

Even local conservationists could not find any trace of this species either by using camera trapping techniques or sign surveys (such as droppings or pug marks), but there are obscure reports from hunters and rangers of sightings in remote corners of Mondolkiri province.

As such, there is no information confirming the estimated remaining population of this species.

Wanted for its body parts
The main threats to any remaining bears comes from over-hunting for its parts such as skins, paws and gall bladders because it has high value in local and international market, especially in Vietnam, where demand for bears' gall bladder to be used in traditional medicine is high.

People also hunt black bear and sell it to restaurant as exotic meat to serve their guests. Other threats include habitat loss due to logging, expansion of human settlements and construction of roadway networks.