Moon Bears Are Supposed to Be Black. Nobody Told This Rescued One in Cambodia

Moon bears normally have black coats. The bear rescued in Cambodia in late October 2024 was golden.¹

The female, officially known as Cambodia Rescue #221, was rescued by Free the Bears with help from Wildlife Alliance and Cambodia’s Forestry Administration.¹⁵ The charity describes golden moon bears as an extremely rare genetic color phase of the species.³

The charity called it quite a surprise to rescue another rare golden moon bear so soon after losing Brandy.¹

Brandy came first

Brandy was a golden moon bear too. Free the Bears rescued her in 1999.¹ She was found clinging to a tree in a forested area that was due to be turned into a palm oil plantation.³ She received 25 years of care before she died in August 2024.¹

The charity says the new bear is reminiscent of Brandy, though slightly darker.¹

What the charity was told about her past

Free the Bears says it was told the bear had been taken as a cub and kept in a cage for around six years.¹ She was overweight, which the charity attributed to a poor diet and lack of exercise.¹

Even so, the charity said it was confident she would make a full recovery and live a healthy, enriched life at its sanctuary.¹

A familiar crowd

By May 2025, Free the Bears reported that the golden bear had been successfully integrated into a group of older females.² It was the same group Brandy used to live with.²

A busy year, after a long wait

The rescue came after more than a year and a half with no rescues in Cambodia.¹

A message from the charity’s CEO counted 28 bears rescued in 2024 by late September.¹ The charity’s own history page calls 2024 its largest year ever for rescues, with 30 bears rescued in Laos and four in Cambodia.⁴

The details of this rescue, including the bear’s background, come from Free the Bears’ own newsletters, website and video. Its partners, Wildlife Alliance and the Forestry Administration, are credited for their help in the charity’s video.⁵