OK, bears are cute. And Himalayan black bears, with their spectacular white-crested furry chests, are cute and majestic.
But we’re still not sure what a man from Lashio, Shan state, was thinking when he (allegedly) illegally bred several of the animals at his home.
The man, named as Hla Thein, is facing charges after police found four of the bears, an adult and three cubs, at his residence. They were sent to Mandalay’s Yadanarpon Zoological Gardens on July 8.
“Officials from our department visited the local village heads and inspected and discovered the bears,” Kyaw Myo Min from the Department of Forestry told the Global New Light of Myanmar.
Hla Thein had reportedly bought the original animals on the black market. He is facing charges under Article 35(c) of the Protection of Wildlife and Protected Areas Law.
The animals are considered vulnerable to extinction due to hunting and deforestation.
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