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Damm
was confiscated by the forestry department in Luang Prabang province at
the same time as her brother, Kayasin.
Arriving at the same time as Kayasin and
Noy, Damm is now the largest female bear cared
for at Tat Kuang Si.
The easiest way to spot Damm is to look for the bear with the large
white spot on the end of her nose, we wish it was as easy to identify
all the bears...
One
of Damm's other obvious features is the incredible "ruff" or mane of fur
around her head and shoulders. This is a common characteristic of
Asiatic Black Bears (females in particular) and we have noticed that the
Lao bears show a more pronounced ruff than their Khmer cousins.Like
her brother, Kayasin, Damm is a very gentle
bear with a stunning crescent moon crest - if you're lucky you may get
to see it as she is a curious bear and will often stand on two legs for
a better look at something that has caught her eye.
Damm is quite a lazy bear and is happiest when snoozing or relaxing
on the woodpiles. She does, however, have the odd ‘active’ day where she
surprises us all and races around the enclosure and up the trees much to
the amusement of the other bears!
She loves the bamboo enrichment toys and structures that the keepers
make to provide stimulation for the bears. Well, we say ‘loves’
them, in fact she ‘loves to destroy them’ - but she has such fun doing
so! She also made short work of the nice shiny new
metal bucket we took in a while ago, that's the last time we leave
anything within easy reach of Damm unguarded. |
