Abbot assures public that temple’s Asian black bear was well cared for

Published on 20 Apr 2017 12:53:30 AM

An abbot of a Buddhist temple in Chonburi, Thailand is assuring the public that a domesticated Asian black bear residing in their temple was well cared for.
This comes after Thai social media users hurled accusations of the temple’s alleged abuse towards the animal.
Well-known monk Phra Phayom Kalayano said the three-year-old female bear, named Baloo, is fed with bananas along with other fruits both by the temple staff and visitors.
A local wildlife authority has checked the bears’ health following skepticism expressed by netizens and found that Baloo, who weighs 100kgs, is overweight.
After the inspection, the monk handed Baloo to the central government wildlife authority.
Baloo will be relocated to a sanctuary in Bangkok next month.