Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre

Text and Photos by Chiew Lin May

The beautiful, majestic and the forgotten species  Sun bears, we share this earth with these beautiful and adorable creatures !! Here are the photos for you to share to spread the word!!

http://www.nst.com.my/latest/habitat-loss-and-poaching-threatens-survival-of-sun-bears-1.283981#ixzz2U1Kiromo

SANDAKAN: Habitat loss and poaching have led to a decline of up to 30 per cent of the Malayan sun bear population in the last three decades, according to the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC).

In Borneo, this smallest of the world’s eight bear species is also seeing a drop in numbers following their illegal capture for the pet trade and when they are wrongly perceived as pests and gunned down, said BSBCC founder and chief executive officer Wong Siew Te.

The Polar Bear, Brown Bear, American Black Bear, Spectacled Bear, Sloth Bear, Giant Panda and Asiatic Black Bear are other better known bear species.

Found throughout mainland Asia, Sumatra in Indonesia and Borneo, the exact number of sun bears in the wild is unknown, making it even more pressing toreduce pressure on a species that is classified as “vulnerable” on the IUCN(International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List, and at risk of becoming endangered unless circumstances threatening their survival improve.

Sun bears are also classified as a totally protected species under the Sabah Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997, providing it the same status as the Orang Utan and the Sumatran Rhinoceros.

Wong said the sun bear was divided into two sub-species – the Helarctosmalayanus malayanus and the Helarctos malayanus euryspilus, with the latter, smaller bear found only in Borneo.

“In other words, sun bears in Borneo are even smaller than the sun bears found in other parts of Malaysia and the region.

We hope to share with more locals how fortunate we are that such a unique bear is found here in Borneo, and right here in Sabah,” he said in a statement.

He said the shrinking forest cover made poaching and capturing of wild bear seasier due to increased contact with human settlements.

“Our centre is now holding 28 rescued bears. Some were illegally kept as pets and others were trapped in the forest, and sent here.

“Bears here are trained to adapt to the forest within an enclosed area as some have never been in the wild, having been kept as pets from a young age. They are then evaluated to see if they can be released into the wild,” he said.

The centre is located adjacent to the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre, here.

“In Borneo, sun bears continue to face threat from habitat destruction and poaching. We need to protect the remaining forest cover if we are to secure the future of the sun bears and, at the same time, eliminate any poaching of these bears in the wild,” Wong said.

He said awareness activities would be stepped up once the centre was officially opened to the public, tentatively by early next year.   — BERNAMA

Read more: Habitat loss and poaching threatens survival of Sun Bears – Latest – New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/latest/habitat-loss-and-poaching-threatens-survival-of-sun-bears-1.283981#ixzz2U5JxJsxD

Text and Photo by Chiew Lin May

Damai is feast the leeches who stick inside her paw.

Do you ever wonder why Damai, 10 months-old female sun bear cub likes to eat beetle larvae, beetles, millipedes and other forest insects? This is because insects contain protein. When you see sun bears flipping decayed wood, climbing tree or digging into logs, this is generally the reason for them doing so.

Beetles, millipedes and other forest insects also considered to be sun bears’ favorite food source beside termites. Damai eats insects by thrusting her paws into a log and grab a handful to eat.  Her powerful claws are used to break into log and get access to the insects. She also detects the insects by her keen sense of smell. Damai flips over the decayed wood and get the insects with a few flicks of her long tongue. Damai gets lucky with these insects. They do sound crunchy when she feasted on them!!

Damai found a milipede. She is going to feast this delicious millipede !!

She was curious and play with the millipede.

Time to feast beetle !!

Damai have great sense of smell, which helps her in finding the food.

Foraging across the forest floor, Damai will eat practically anything edible she can find.

Damai will try her best to find out any insects hiding inside the log.

Damai has big claws that helps it climb tree, and a long tongue which it uses to extract insects from inside trees.

Damai keep digging until appear a hole to search insects.

Damai skim the forest floor in search of beetle, beetle larva, millipede and other insects !! Please help us spread the words. You can help preserve and protect wildlife and their habitat.

Text and Photos by Chiew Lin May

Sun bear is an arboreal bear. In the wild, let look what Damai doing and spending at  rainforest.

— Digging —

Damai is opportunistic omnivores that feed on termites, ants, beetles and other forest insect.

Damai is digging, foraging and exploring the decayed log.

Damai’s sharp claws and long tongues make her adapt at reaching into termite mounds to locate food.

Damai use her strong strength for turning over logs to get colonial insects.

Decayed wood was one of the type of feeding site for sun bear.

— Playing —

She play with the milipede !!

She likes to breaking the twig and play with the leaves.

Stick holding during play !!

— Climbing —

Damai is a very good in tree climbing.

Damai attempt to climb a variety of trees in search of food, rest or for play.

With naked paws and long curved claws, Damai is well adapted for climbing trees.

Damai learn to find food amd avoid danger from animals or human by climbing trees.

— Grooming —

Damai busy grooming her paw to take off the leeches !! Sometimes the leech will become her meal.

She also will use her long tongue to take out the leeches.

— Resting and Sleeping—

Taking nap time !!

— Alert with stranger sound —

Using her stong sense of smells and hears, Damai will alert surrounding sound of the area.

Every  sun bears  has their own unique patterns of chest mark. No two chest marks is the same like our finger print.

This is Damai’s chest mark

With their forests getting chopped down and their babies sold as pets, we are rapidly losing our endangered sun bears. Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) aims to conserve sun bear through education, research, rehabilitation, and improve welfare for captive orphan sun bears. We need your help to achieve these goals !! And if you care about sun bears, you won’t want to be left out of the fight for their survival. They are depending on you !!

Here we wishing all the teachers  Happy Teachers day !!
And wishing our BSBCC’s CEO & Founder Wong Siew Te  Happy Birthday !!

Text and Photos by Chiew Lin May

Mother’s day is a special day to appreciate and think about all those wonderful mother out there. However this not only just the human ones, the animal ones too. Sun bear cubs depends and stay with their mum for about two years. Damai, the 10 months old sun bear cub was rescued by Sabah Wildlife Department and sent to Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC), which became an orphan sun bear cub. Damai loss her mother and do not feel mother’s care anymore. Damai was learn herself how to survive in the wild. They are simply so cute and adorable, yet face so many challenges for surviving. Major threats to sun bears are habitat loss and commercial hunting. So please share to help us spread the word.

Happy Mother’s day to every Mother with love.? 

Text and Photos by Chiew Lin May

It is only if we can raise awareness of these little known sun bears that we can ensure a place for them in the world. Lets hear your thought of what this little Damai is thinking? Please help us spread the words and loves !!

Text and Photos by Chiew Lin May

The mysterious and world’s smallest bear of the jungle !!
Below are variety of pictures of Damai, female sun bear cub which spend each day foraging, climbing and resting in the tropical forest. Some pictures just tell a story better than words ever can. Please help us spread the words of our forgotten species – Sun bear.

Sun bear, the world smallest bear, is also the most arboreal bear.

Damai is busy foraging for search of termites on dead stump until the wood dust also stick on her hand.

She is roaming at the grassland of forest.

Damai found her favorite dead wood for digging.

Damai is enjoy playing the stick on forest floor.

Eye see you !!

Damai is use her long and powerful canines to break the branches.

Using her keen sense of smell, Damai is very focused on digging in search for invertebrates.

…Thinking of want to climb this tree or not.

Damai was slept by biting the branch of tree.

By Amanda Shia, BSBCC volunteer: Feb 18-March 31, 2013

April 9, 2013

One of the question laid in my volunteer’s application form was, “What do you expect to learn by the end of the program?”

That was two months ago. Frankly speaking, I knew nothing of managing, ecology or morphology of neither sun bears nor anything about them except for a general fact they are the smallest species of bears in the world. I went on volunteering for experience, for knowledge, to simply drop that barricade bricks of limited knowledge and take in information in, to discover more through volunteering under 6 weeks.

Welcomed by Gloria and Dawn on the first day! To be introduced to Thye Lim that gave induction on routines in the bear house and safety procedures to follow. In the bear house, formally introduced to David, Beyri, Lin May, Julian, Tommy and Azzry. Everything and everyone was new to me, and astonishing to know out of all the volunteers, I was the second volunteer from Sandakan to be volunteering there.

Daily tasks that revolve around the sun bears are food preparation, cleaning cages, feeding and making enrichments. With routines, practice to be efficient in those tasks gets easier. Trust me when I say that cleaning the cages were not difficult. It was built equipped with water basin and a basket for the bears to sleep. With their diet that consists dominantly by fruits, their faeces are not that smelly, amusingly the faeces are colour-coordinated sometimes.

It was a privilege, to be in very close proximity with the fluffies and cuties. It was a great opportunity to know more about the sun bears more than books can offer from the staffs. Throughout the period I was lucky to observed and be there for ‘little miracles’. The moment when Rungus stepped outside of fenced forest enclosure in Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) for the first time, followed by her group mate Natalie, Julaini and Ah Lun. Integration between Bongkud with other sun bears such as Rungus, Natalie and Julaini as well as Fulung. The youngest sun bear, 8 month-old Damai climbing tall trees and got used to sleeping on trees. These little ephemeral joys are so important for the sun bears as well as the centre, because  these are phases that prepare them and nurture their natural skills to survive in the wild by climbing trees, foraging and digging into soil and logs;  a chance for each of them to ‘be a sun bear’.

It was challenging and entertaining making enrichments for the bears. It was challenging by training up muscles I never thought I have by carrying heavy stuffs, unbolting and bolting, carrying bamboos, walking up a long distance around the forest enclosures and so on. It was one of those days I can proudly said “Yes people, I cut tyres.” The staffs and we volunteers made so many enrichments ranging from 2 different swinging tyres, 2 hammocks, swinging log, bamboos stuffed with fruits, a big water basin and more. The entertaining part was where sun bears played with them. It was enjoyable; having Fulung do a Cirque du Soleil stunt while swinging on the rope of the tyre swing. Mamatai is one of our favourite sun bears in the centre. With her cute stumpy figure, she tried to climb on the swinging log and to rest there is just pure adorable, even hopped inside the tyre swing!

Volunteers Ann and Amanda bolting the hammock swing.

Dawn and Ann also tried to make another hammock for the bears.

Tommy and volunteer Jeo Soon had to replace blunted saw blade 3 times to be able to cut the tyre into half!

Tommy and volunteer Jeo Soon had to replace blunted saw blade 3 times to be able to cut the tyre into half!

I had the fair share of cutting tyre too, with Louise (right).

I had the fair share of cutting tyre too, with Louise (right).

A stumpy figure of Mamatai. That won’t stop Mamatai from climbing high swinging tyre! – Photo courtesy of BSBCC

Fellow volunteers at BSBCC: (left to right) Steve, Ann, Thomas, Amanda, Louise, and me

Have a photo together with the other volunteers on my last day – Jeo Soon, me, Amanda and Thomas.

Have a photo together with the other volunteers on my last day – Jeo Soon, me, Amanda and Thomas.

It was a blessing, to meet incredible staffs. Right from Wong, to staffs Gloria, Wai Pak, Dawn, Thye Lim, Lin May, bear keepers David and Beyri, general workers Julian, Azzry and Tommy as well as volunteers who walked in to help the centre. They have been the backbone of the centre; taking responsibilities to care the welfare for the bears, and they have been a great help in guiding me throughout the volunteering period. They made volunteering so much enjoyable rather than a burden. They are dedicated staffs, as well as lovely friends.

It was like a mini travel pocket, getting to know volunteers who came from around the world in one similar aim like mine. Both Steve (UK) and Ann (Belgium) carried young spirits, never dimmed or hesitated in getting their hands down and dirty making hammocks and swinging logs. Amanda Pauli (US) and Thomas (UK) are wonderful people who dedicated their career helping out children, utilising their break by volunteering around.  Lee Jeo Soon (Korea), a to-be vet doctor; does not mind breaking a sweat making enrichments under the hot scorching sun. Louise, a great company to be for everyone and surprisingly enjoyed cutting tyres the most. I had fun with everyone; get to know them more from their respected countries.

Figure 2 from Top (Clockwise): Dawn, Amanda Pauli, Thomas, Louise, Lin May, Thye Lim, Wong, Jeo Soon, Me and Gloria. – Photo Courtesy of BSBCC.

Figure 2 from Top (Clockwise): Dawn, Amanda Pauli, Thomas, Louise, Lin May, Thye Lim, Wong, Jeo Soon, Me and Gloria. – Photo Courtesy of BSBCC.

The last day:Everyone! Except Wong who left for Singapore and Thye Lim (the photographer)

The last day:Everyone! Except Wong who left for Singapore and Thye Lim (the photographer)

Until the very last day, I left the centre knowing so much and learnt a lot about how conservation works and needs more work and awareness to come by before opening for public to visit. It is kind of sad to miss out more of the sun bears’ development like Damai and progress of stepping out into the enclosure for the first time, as well as being steps away from being candidates for release. These achievements I will miss, but I will come back to visit to catch up soon.

These respected staffs are dedicated to their work to bring this developed centre a safe haven for the rescued sun bears. Not only for saving their population an endangered species, but a second chance to live. They top that off with tasks creating a global awareness of the little known bears. What they do need aside from funds and donations are the local volunteers. At first I thought it was a privilege and unique to be one of the first locals to volunteer. Now that I think about it, local people should take part by volunteering to not only aware the existence of this species in our beautiful Borneo land, but to acknowledge them, protect them by being against poaching or body parts trade, and be in any way of help to tell, share, spread word. By being hands on and practical to conserve at the centre, locals will be more impacted and realize that one man’s action could do so much to help.

Text, Photo and Video by Chiew Lin May

A mother sun bear will defend and takes good care to protect her cubs from every disaster. Sun bear cubs depends and stay with their mum for about two years. Damai, the recently born 9 months old sun bear cub was rescued by Sabah Wildlife Department and sent to Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC), which became an orphan sun bear cub without her mother’s care. Hence, our BSBCC staffs provide her amount of care. Damai is doing well and had learnt how to survive in these wildlife surroundings. It is difficult to justify how a sun bear will react to sustain survival of its life when encounterring predators. Predators of the sun bears include clouded leopards, reticulated pythons, other bears and humans.

During a walk with Damai in the Kabili – Sepilok Forest Reserve, Sabah, she encounter many “strangers”. Example, macaques, infant orang utan, dog, and various sound from the forest (branches fall sound, birds sound, Bornean Gibbon long call sound, macaques jumping between tree or call sound, another sun bear’s barking sound from BSBCC’s bear house etc.)

What will Damai do and react when encounter with the “strangers”?

Damai will be alert to know where is the sound come from. Then, Damai will stand on hind legs to treaten “strangers” by looking bigger than the “strangers”. Aside from that, Damai will create barking and huffing sound which will frighten the “strangers”. She also will show her sharp claws to their “strangers” to scare them away. Moreover, Damai will climb on trees to escape and continue barking, using barking as weapons. This definitely is a sign of aggressiveness and display a strong warning to the “strangers”!! If the animals do not harm and disturb Damai, she will just let them be there and occupy herself with her digging or foraging.

However, her real mother would have jumped in front of her to protect her from any sorts of danger or harm. This also serves as an important reminder that although sun bear cubs are adorable and cute but they need to face many challenges to survive. Please DO NOT kills their mother and keeps sun bear cubs as your PETS!!

Find out more by watching this short video and please help us spread the words and share this video.

embedded by Embedded Video
Download Video

Text by Gloria Ganang

Raising environmental awareness to children through storytelling about animals. A brilliant approach for kids to understand about the importance of environmental protection. Joyce Malmo, author of this book volunteered in Borneo and went through tough experiences. This has changed her perspective about the world around her and she was inspired to share the amazing environmental stories to the children.

Teachers, guardians and parents out there, check out these amazing animals stories and share them to the children. It also features the story of one of our bears, Susie!

This book is currently for sale as an “eBook” as starter to generate enough fund to publish in paper format. Joyce is very kind to donate 10% of the sale to BSBCC for our education activities.

You can purchase this book online through this link:

http://www.story4environment.org/home/

Sneak peak on the story of Susie the sun bear featured in this book