Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre

Original posted at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/10/2/nation/9617882&sec=nation

By ISABELLE LAI
isabellelai@thestar.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: Animal lovers can learn more about the elusive and endangered Malayan sun bear (pic) when the visitor’s platform at the Borneo Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) in Sabah is ready.

BSBCC chief executive officer and wildlife researcher Wong Siew Te said construction of the platform has just begun and it was expected to open in June, next year.

He said little was known about the sun bear, which is the smallest bear species in the world and one of the rarest.

“The sun bear’s name comes from its distinctive golden-coloured chest patch, which resembles the sun,” he said during his talk on the bear at the Malaysian Nature Society headquarters yesterday.

He lamented that few Malaysians knew the importance of conserving this “wonderful, playful animal”, which faces extinction through illegal poaching and habitat destruction.

BSBCC is focused on rehabilitation, conservation, education, research and welfare of sun bears, he said.

====================================================

Photos: Christopher Leo