Malaysian popstar thought pet bear was a dog

A Malaysian singer has faced court after a sun bear was filmed roaring from the window of her Kuala Lumpur condo.

Zarith Sofia Yasin, 27, a former contestant in a Malaysian reality singing show ‘Rocknova,’ claims she initially thought the sun bear was a dog when she “rescued” it.

"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 dog," Yasin told Kosmo!

The sun bear, an endangered and protected species, apparently lived in Yasin’s inner city apartment for about two weeks, during which time she named it Bruno.

It is still unclear when the singer realised her mistake, but she later told The Star that she was worried about handing the bear over to the zoo “because the animals there look skinny".

Sofia Yasin’s condo was raided by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia on June 7 after a neighbour filmed the bear with its head out the window of her high-rise apartment, roaring.

Yasin claimed that she took good care of the bear, feeding him chocolates and allowing him to roam around the apartment uncaged.

“If Bruno could talk, it would surely say the food I gave him was delicious,” she told The Star.

"I know the bear cannot be reared, it can't be kept as a pet… I only wanted to save the bear, I had no intention of exploiting it,” said the singer.

Facing court yesterday, Yasin pleaded not guilty to the two charges of harbouring a protected and endangered species. If convicted, the singer could face a fine of about $70,000 AUD (RM200,000) and 10 years in prison.

Yasin is currently on bail.