A bear in Cambodia has learned how to walk after being found with spinal problems that made it difficult for the young cub to move.

Blue, a sun bear who lives at Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre near the capital Phnom Penh, used to be able to only take a few steps before becoming tired.

The cub was found in a blue basket by Free The Bears, an organization that works to rescue bears that have been captured by black market bear farmers.

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Blue the sun bear cub was rescued in Cambodia with spinal problems after suffering physical trauma at a young age

Free the bears faces the 'difficult consideration of euthanasia' after rescuing Blue, but the cub has been gaining strength after 24-hour care and medical treatment

Sun and moon bears are used in traditional medicine or sometimes kept as pets by hotels and restaurants for tourists' amusement.

Blue, who weighs 24lbs would have likely been kept as a pet in a small cage and 'he would likely be dead as he has a curved spine,' Free The Bears told Daily Mail Online.

Physical trauma at an extremely young age most likely caused the cub's spinal troubles.

Sometimes he would give up altogether and stop moving.

The organization consulted veterinarians after Blue's rescue and said that it faced 'difficult consideration of euthanasia if he began to show signs of chronic pain'.

However, after months of exercise and medical treatment, the young bear has been able to join its speedy playmate Baker, a cub also rescued in Cambodia.

'Blue is still a very young, growing bear and is not out of the woods yet, but he is dearly loved and we at Free The Bears are so happy with his progress,' rescuers said on Facebook.

When the young cub was first rescued in a blue basket, he had difficulty moving more than a few steps at once

Blue is now able to walk and even climb in the enclosure he shares with his more energetic playmate Baker

The cub can now enjoy the rocks and hammocks where he lives at the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre near the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh

The bear is able to climb now and uses his teeth to help him.

He still becomes tired, but is building up his strength.

Free The Bears used money from donations of care kits to provide 24-hour assistance to the animal from local bear keepers.

He was bottle-fed at least eight times a day and given joint supplement and anti-inflammatory medicine.

Blue and Baker live in an enclosure with pools, rocks, hammocks, climbing frames, plants and toys.

They will eventually grow to around 145lbs, but it will be difficult to release them into the wild because of their time spent in captivity and the rapid destruction of their habitat.

Thousands of Asian bears are farmed for their bile, which contains a chemical called ursedeoxycholic acid used in traditional medicine, according to the New York Times.

There are an estimated 10,000 farmed bears in China, where it is legal.

The animals live in cages where they are unable to move and some of their gall bladders swell to the size of watermelons.

Selling bear bile is illegal in Cambodia.

Free The Bears also rescues animals in Cambodia that would have been eaten as bear claw soup or put in cages in hotels for the amusement of tourists.

Sun bears are one of the Asian bears that are placed in tiny cages and hooked up to catheters to extract their gall bladder bile for traditional medicine