Bearific

I will have been in Thailand one month tomorrow and to celebrate I saw an Asian Black Bear today!! It was early in the morning and we had only been in the forest for 20 minutes. We heard loud noises and scratching against a tree close by. Chulum, our field guide, motioned that it was a bear and to come closer to where he was, since he had a good view of it. We watched the bear for about 20 minutes. We couldn't believe a bear that size could climb a tree and hold itself up there. It was half way up a tree and it was clawing at the bark apparently trying to get to the bees nest inside for, what else, but honey! The bear was beautiful and it was exhilarating to be able to see a bear in the forest up close, but at a safe enough distance away. Then the bear started sniffing around while climbing down the tree. We think it caught our scent so we got out of there. Apparently the bear lives in the gibbon group T's home range. We might happen across the bear again, since we are studying this group for a week.