Bornean Sun Bear Conservation

Category: captivity, conservation, sanctuary | Date: Sep 24 2008 | By: Siew Te Wong

The concept of setting up sun bear conservation center has long in my mind after I learned more and saw more sun bears being kelp in captivity. They are in pain, suffering, and miserable since the first day their human “owners” lock them up in small cages. Sun bear is by far the most forgotten bears and the most neglected endangered mammal in Southeast Asia. Only very few people in this region is helping them. Although the idea of setting up this conservation center is brilliant, the process of setting it up is not easy. It needs a lot of money and people to make it happen.  

I am very fortunate to have LEAP (www.leapspiral.org) to help me with this brilliant idea. I also very thankful to have Sabah Wildlife Department (http://www.sabah.gov.my/jhl/) and Sabah Forestry Department (http://www.forest.sabah.gov.my/) to give us full support to help the sun bears. Over the past many months we have been fund raising very hard but still failed to meet up our goals. One of the common problems we faced are potential donors lack the confidence on our efforts because we are brand new and lack of general knowledge on bears due to sun bear has very low publicity.  “Bear Necessities” was first suggested by the innovative idea of Cynthia Ong, LEAP Executive Director, to resolve our problem of financial, publicity, and credibility.      

The goals of this fund raising event is: 

To raise half of the financial need of the project ,i.e. RM1,000,000, so construction can begin.

To raise “home” support and ownership for the project, so it is a local international, trans-boundary collaboration.

To bring together all groups – government, conservation NGO, industry, private foundation, zoo, wildlife biology, etc. in a concerted effort to protect the sun bear species from extinction in the wild. 

We would like to make the event the first of its kind in Malaysia. We would like to let many Malaysians and the world know more about sun bear after this event from mass media report. Together we can make a different for the speechless ones.

Together we “boleh!” (meaning “can” in Malay language).  

Here is the flyer for Bear Necessities: