Mano, an adorable sun bear cub rescued from Indonesia’s illegal wildlife trade, has taken her first steps back into the wild after being rehabilitated for over a year.
Mano has spent most of her young life in the care of IFAW’s rescue partner, Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN), in Indonesia. She was only three months old when authorities found her inside a car in Jakarta. Acting on a tip-off, JAAN and the Indonesian police intercepted the illegal trade deal, stopping her from being shipped to Dubai, where she might have been sold as a pet or confined to a private zoo.
Since her rescue, she has been under the constant care of her dedicated team, who worked in shifts to watch over her 24 hours a day. In the beginning, she required milk every two hours, but as she grew stronger, the JAAN team, supported by IFAW, built her a special enclosure where she could practice climbing and learn to forage for natural foods like berries, nuts, and termites.
Eventually, Mano advanced to JAAN’s Forest School, where she spent her days exploring the treetops and discovering the wild. With her carers always nearby, she trekked for up to nine hours a day, sometimes covering six kilometers through the forest. It was here that she truly began to thrive, gaining confidence, building her own nests, and sharpening the survival skills she will rely on in the wild, from foraging for insects and fruits to finding fresh water.
The next step in Mano’s journey toward freedom was her relocation to a national park, where she will spend the rest of her life living wild and free. With support from IFAW, her carers established a secure enclosure deep within the park and will stay nearby, guiding her until the day she no longer returns, when Mano will be fully independent and integrated back into the wild.
“One year ago, I could have only dreamt of the moment where we are now with Mano’s rehabilitation,” said JAAN’s co-founder Femke den Haas. “I am so grateful for all the support from IFAW and the team’s hard work in the field to be able to give Mano a second chance in life. She still has a long life ahead, which she should spend happy, healthy, and in freedom.”
IFAW’s Wildlife Rescue Program Director, Neil Greenwood, said the partnership with JAAN ensures that rescued animals are given a second chance at life.
“To watch Mano grow from being scared, vulnerable, and completely reliant on her carers to climbing treetops, building nests, and foraging for food so independently is remarkable,” Mr. Greenwood said. “Mano’s future was so close to being ripped away, so to be able to release her back into the wild, where she will hopefully be a valuable part of the population, is a conservation success story.”
IFAW has been working with JAAN for more than a decade to disrupt wildlife trafficking networks, train law enforcement teams, including tracking dogs, and ensure that animals confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade receive the best possible care.
