If you didn’t know that Asiatic Black bears are primarily nocturnal, or that the Sun bear’s unusually long tongue comes in handy for slurping up termites, then a trip to the new Bear Discovery Centre at Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre, about 40km outside of Phnom Penh, might be for you.

The recently opened centre was funded in part by the Australian Government and Free the Bears Fund, an Australian NGO working on bear preservation in South East Asia. ‘The hope is to inspire Cambodians to learn more about bears in the wild for future generations’, said Matt Hunt, FTB South East Asia program manager.

The centre complements an existing bear sanctuary at Phnom Tamao currently home to 88 bears rescused from the illegal wildlife trade, which is largely driven by overseas bile farms in Vietnam and China.

If you would like to arrange a visit to the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre please contact Asia Adventures: info@asia-adventures.com

Edited from The Cambodia Daily (21-3-08)