Moon bears are great climbers. Their strong legs and long claws are made for going up trees. They build daytime nests high in the branches by bending in leaves and twigs - a bit like a giant bird's nest. From the nest they can rest, watch out for danger, and reach the best fruit.
They eat almost anything: berries, nuts, leaves, ants, honey, and the bark of certain trees in spring. Moon bears love acorns. In autumn they can spend almost the whole day under an oak tree, eating fallen acorns to build up enough fat for winter sleep.
Through the coldest months, moon bears curl up in caves or hollow trees and sleep. This is called hibernation. Mother bears even give birth to their cubs during hibernation, and the cubs stay warm against her chest until spring. When they finally come out of the cave, the cubs see the world for the very first time.
Korean rangers work hard to protect them. In the 1990s, fewer than 10 wild moon bears were left in South Korea. Special teams started carefully looking after cubs in protected forests, then releasing them as adults. Today there are several dozen wild moon bears in Jirisan - still rare, but growing slowly back.