Today marks the 20th anniversary of one of Wellington Zoo's sun bears being rescued from Cambodia, where he was found chained outside a shop in Phnom Penh.
Australian businessman found the bear, Sean, chained outside the shop in 1997 and rescued him on the back of his motorbike.
After keeping him for a while at his house, he worked with Free the Bears to find a suitable long-term home for Sean.
![Sean was rescued as a cub when he was discovered chained outside a shop in Cambodia. Photo/supplied](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/572ZYXQZ3BY7UXOERILDSCV63E.jpg?auth=74efbd7214564f22eba90fb9dd48290fa94b33467643acfbc3718c63d97436d8&width=16&height=23&quality=70&smart=true)
Free the Bears and the Cambodian Department of Forests and Wildlife sent Sean and two rescued female bears to Perth Zoo in 1998 to establish a regional conservation breeding programme. Sean came to Wellington Zoo in 2004 to breed with the zoo's female bear Chomel.
"Sean was one of the earliest bear rescues for Free the Bears in Cambodia," said the organisation's chief executive Matt Hunt.