An endangered bear, previously seen in “alien-like” viral images, has been discovered and rescued after more than two months.
“The bear is now in a good and safe place,” said Nickson Robi of Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC), The Dodo reported. “She ate the food and drank the water we provided. However, she still has no hair and she is sick, and we need to determine the cause of her illness.”
A group of plantation workers near the village of Sibυ in Borneo initially observed the “strange” animal in Japan. Unsure what she was, the employees allegedly beat her with sticks and pushed her back into the woods.
A video showing the animal fleeing from its attackers has been viewed approximately 6 million times.
Despite widespread speculation on Malaysian social media that the animal was of unknown origin, police deemed it to be a sick bear. The species is protected in Borneo, Robi explained, “so we had to do something, rescue it and give it medical care.”
An SFC team had been searching for the bear since January, but it was finally spotted on another adjacent beach on Wednesday, according to the Borneo Post.
After everything he’s been through, it’s no wonder the sick bear is scared and violent.
Now he is getting the help he needs.
“I just took the bear to our wildlife center here,” Robi said. “A veterinarian will review everything to determine what medication should be given to the bear. “We hope the bear recovers quickly, so we can release it back into the wild.”
To give you an idea, this is what a healthy bear looks like:
Shortly after the rescue, the animal was taken to the Matag Wildlife Center and placed in the care of Silje Robertse. The vet said the bear suffers from jumping infections, moderate anemia and mite infections. Fortunately, the animal showed signs of recovery and if her health improves further, they hope to release her back into the wild.
According to veterinarians, the poor animal has omission infections, anemia and mite infections.
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