Rare bear among creatures spotted on trail cam in Thailand park. See them forage

Miami Herald

15-05-2025

Spanning nearly 100 square miles, the forests of Si Phang Nga National Park are home to some of Thailand's most interesting creatures.
From the forest floor to the tree canopies, wildlife officials are trying to get a better picture of the animals that call the park home, and a set of trail cameras are helping the cause, according to a May 12 news release from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.
Park officials recently looked through the images collected by the cameras spanning from April 10 to May 10 and were surprised by what they found, according to the post.
The cameras caught five different major animal species foraging in the area, including some rare species.
Most notably, an Asian black bear spent some time in front of the lens, officials said. The species is vulnerable and their numbers are decreasing, making their appearance in the park good news.
Asian, or Asiatic, black bears have black to slightly brownish fur with a crescent moon shaped white mark on their chests, according to Britannica.
They are found throughout southern Iran and into the Himalayas, as well as throughout southeastern Asia and Japan, Britannica says. The bears spend most of their time at higher elevations but spend their winters at lower elevations after putting on fat.
The bears only forage in abundant, undisturbed environments, officials said, making their appearance in the park an indicator of successful conservation efforts.
But while the black bear may be the giant of the forest, other much smaller animals also made their presence known.
Officials said two male sambar deer, three female sambar deer, two large mouse-deer or tragulus, one male great argus pheasant, one female great argus pheasant and a troop of pig-tailed macaques were all recorded on the cameras.
There has been a noticeable decline in poaching since regular patrols were performed in the park, officials said, and this work is evident through both male and female deer appearing on the cameras.
Si Phang Nga National Park is located on the southern peninsula of Thailand, near the coast of the Andaman Sea.
ChatGPT, an AI chat bot, was used to translate the Facebook post from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.