Woman Accidentally Kept Bear In Flat Thinking It Was A Stray Dog

• A Malaysian singer has been arrested after mistakenly keeping a bear in her flat thinking it was a stray dog.
• Neighbors were alerted to the bear after it let out a huge roar.
• The “dog” that Zarith found was a rare sun bear cub.

A woman has been detained by authorities for keeping a bear which she thought was a stray dog. Zarith Sofia Yasin shared that she felt pity for the animal and decided to bring it back to her flat.

The 27-year-old Malaysian singer and former reality star explained that it was night time when she discovered the furry animal, which is why she mistook it for a dog. However, residents confirmed the real identity of Zarith’s “pet” when it poked its head out of the unit and roared loudly.

Following a public tip-off, the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia (Perhilitan) arrested Zarith for keeping an endangered wild animal in her home.

The “dog” that Zarith found was a rare sun bear cub, it was just six months old and was in poor health when she found it. A sun bear was listed as an endangered species and protected under the Wildlife Conservation Act of 2010 in Malaysia.

Although Zarith took the bear, she shared that she did not plan to permanently keep it as a pet. The singer, who is a former Rockonova singing contest competitor, found the animal that she named Bruno two weeks earlier her neighbors called the cops on her.

She said:

“It was night time when I found the bear cub in a weakened state by the side of the road – and I thought it was a dog!”

Zarith already accepted her mistake and claimed that she “only wanted to save the bear” and had “no intention of exploiting it.” She was released on bail and will appear in court again next month.