Bornean Sun Bear Conservation

Category: Fund raising, SBCT UK, education | Date: Jun 19 2009 | By: Siew Te Wong

By Anna Cocker (Sun Bear Conservation Trust)

The Rare Species Conservation Centre in Kent, England hosted a very successful fundraising event on Sunday 24^th May and Monday 25^th May 2009. 

The event which was co-organised by the UK-based Sun Bear Conservation Trust (SBCT). This event was part of the endeavour to raise funds for sun bear conservation in South East Asia. Visitors at the centre had the opportunity to indulge in a selection of homemade cakes, including gingerbread bears, play the tombola and buy a range of bear goodies such as teddy bears and handmade sun bear cards, as well as plants.  Visitors were also made sun bear aware by educational talks by Wai-Ming Wong (Sun Bear Conservation Trust member and PhD student) and leaflets on sun bear conservation.  BBC Radio Kent joined in the action and interviewed Fiona McInally (Sun Bear Conservation Trust member) about sun bear conservation.  In total, £278.48 was raised.

The two Cambodian sun bears play fight at RARE Species Conservation Centre. 

Our table full with toys, tombola (you know what it is?) and many other goodies

Fiona and her cake table- yummy cookies, gingerbread bears, cake, etc., all to raise money for the bears!

Tags: Fund raising, Rare, SBCT, sun bear

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Category: Fund raising, SBCT UK | Date: May 14 2009 | By: Siew Te Wong

Come and enjoy a fantastic family day out and help us raise money to save the ‘Forgotten Bear’! 

On the Sunday 24^th and Monday the 25^th of May 2009, the Sun Bear Conservation Trust in conjunction with the Rare Species Conservation Centre in Sandwich, Kent are holding a ‘Sun Bear Conservation Weekend’ to raise money for the conservation of Sun Bears – the worlds smallest and least well known bear. 

The Rare Species Conservation Centre is home to some of the world’s lesser known rare and endangered species, often overlooked in other more mainstream zoological establishments, such as: the Fat Tailed Dwarf lemur, the Arabian Sand Cat and of course, the Sun Bear. The centre was established in 2006 and forms part of The Rare Species Conservation Trust which is a registered U.K. charity (Registered charity number 1119230). Apart from running the Rare Species Conservation Centre, The Rare Species Conservation Trust also supports and runs various other in-situ conservation projects in the field. Thanks to the their kind generosity, members of the Sun Bear Conservation Trust will be hosting a number of stalls and attractions at the centre on the second May Bank Holiday including a raffle, cake stall and information stand, all to raise money for rescued Sun Bears in South-East Asia. 

The Sun Bear Conservation Trust (SBCT) is a charitable organisation founded in 2008 by a group of enthusiastic volunteers who have been lucky enough to work with Sun Bears in Borneo.  SBCT is currently working towards becoming a registered charity and has been holding several events across the country to achieve the mandatory fundraising threshold to register. It is hoped that the money raised on the ‘Sun Bears Conservation Weekend’ at the Rare Species Conservation Centre will help the SBCT achieve this goal. All money raised by SBCT so far is being used to support the work carried out by the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, a sanctuary for orphaned and rescued Sun Bears, based at the famous Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in Sabah, Eastern Borneo. The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre is using the money donated to help build a much needed new centre for the Sun Bears they look after and also for the bear’s ongoing care. It is the hoped that, with the help of the money raised in the future, the majority of Sun Bears rescued by the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre will be rehabilitated and released into the wild. SBCT also hope to use some of the money raised in the future to raise awareness of the plight faced by the Sun Bear. 

What is a Sun Bear?

The Sun Bear, which is also known as honey bear, is the smallest of the world’s eight bear species and also one of the most threatened. They can be found in several South-East Asian countries including, Malaysia, Indonesia and China, but their number are decreasing in all the countries in which they inhabit. Sun Bears can grow to just over a metre in length, stand approximately 2.5ft tall when standing on all four feet and rarely weigh more than 65kg. Sun Bears have sleek short fur, brown or black in colour with a cream coloured crescent on their chest said to resemble the rising and setting sun. They have a small tail and a very long tongue which helps them reach larvae, termites and of course honey hidden in the forest. Sun Bears have long curved claws and a pigeon towed gait, both of which make them excellent tree climbers. Sun Bears in the wild will often build nests high in the trees in which to sleep or sunbathe during the day. 

Threats to the Sun Bear

Major threats currently faced by these unique animals are illegal poaching and habitat destruction, however, Sun Bear body parts are also highly sought after for traditional Chinese remedies, in particular Sun Bear bile. Bile from Sun Bears is collected in Bear Bile farms where bears are kept in tiny cages and their bile continually collected from open wounds in their abdomen. The bears in these farms suffer substantial amounts of pain and often get large tumours and fatal infections as a result of their treatment        

Sun Bears paws are also considered a delicacy in some South East Asian countries and in some cases, the bears paws are cut off while the animal is still alive. Adult mother Sun Bears are also often killed for their babies which are then sold as pets. In all of the above cases Sun Bears suffer tremendously. It is estimate that the worlds Sun Bear population has declined by at least 30% over the past 30 years and continues to decline at this rate. It is also one of the 6 bear species threatened with extinction.  

Please come along on to the ‘Sun Bear Conservation Weekend’ at the Rare Species Conservation Centre on the 24^th and 25^th May for a fun filled family day out and help us protect this beautiful species. For more information on Sun Bears and the work carried out by the Sun Bear Conservation Trust and the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation, please visit: http://sunbears.wildlifedirect.org/ 

Or contact Fiona McInally on 07872919152, Fiona.mcinally@gmail.com

Or Julie Trump on 07950611970 or at julie.trump@btinternet.com 

For more information on the Rare Species Conservation Centre, please visit www.rarespeciesconservationcentre.org  

The Rare Species Conservation Centre is situated on the A256 Dover Road Roundabout, just outside of Sandwich, Kent. 

The centre is open 10 am - 6 pm (last admission is 5 pm) 

Entry fees: Adults £8

Tags: Rare, SBCT, sun bear

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Category: SBCT UK | Date: May 08 2009 | By: Siew Te Wong

Sunday 24th May & Monday 25th May 2009

Come to Rare Species Conservation Centre located at Kent, UK and learn more about the plight of the Sun Bear, we will have talks by Wai-Ming Wong (our soon to be in the field Sun Bear researcher) who will be undertaking an RSCC sponsored Sun Bear study in the jungles of Sumatra. Sun Bear cookie icing, Sun Bear Masks, Sun Bear face-painting and enrichment sponsorship. Funds raised will go to the Sun Bear Conservation Trust, which is helping to raise funds to protect and preserve Sun Bears in South East Asia.

Tags: Rare Species Conservation Centre, sun bear, Sun Bear Conservation Trust

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Category: SBCT UK, captivity, conservation, sanctuary | Date: Apr 17 2009 | By: Siew Te Wong

Over Easter I was lucky enough to see the two beautiful Cambodian Sun Bears at the Rare Species Conservation Centre (RSCC), home to a unique collection of some of the world’s lesser known rare and endangered species of animal. As my husband Maurice and I arrived, ironically, the sun came out and Todd Dalton, ( Rare Species Conservation Trust) introduced us to his beloved Srey-Ya and Jo-Jo, playing happily in the sunshine (Read more about Srey-Ya and Jo-Jo at http://sunbears.wildlifedirect.org/2008/11/11/brit-saves-rare-bears-from-being-eaten/). Jo-Jo was busy working on his ‘bear ice-lolly’ trying to claw out the tasty treats of fruits and coconut hidden inside and Srey-Ya was roaming about around the spacious outdoor enclosure, climbing logs and splashing in the pool! The centre is set over 2 acres and landscaped with lush sub-tropical plants and houses a wonderful array of unusual animals in very natural, spacious enclosures with indigenous plants and noticeably planned enrichment. Apart from the beautiful sun bears we marvelled at Malayan tapirs, Binturong, Asian Bearcats, White Cheeked Gibbons and a pair of Snow Leopard to name a few. The majority of the animals kept at RSCC are part of EEP and ESP breeding programs (European endangered species programmes) and they support many In-situ conservation projects (see below for contact/w.. The sun stayed out and we spent the afternoon watching the bears and observing other rare species like the glorious,brightly-coloured Cuban flamingoes and strikingly powerful Madagascan Fossa and very vocal, active Smooth Coated Otters!

The Sun Bear Conservation Trust is honoured to have the support, here in the U.K, of Todd Dalton and the centre and is to hold a ‘Sun Bear Weekend’ over the May Bank Holiday (24th & 25th May), an event celebrating and raising awareness and money for sun bears (funds to go to BSBCC in Sabah). There will be an array of stalls, manned by SBCT members, selling merchandise, arts and crafts, home-made cakes and, for the children, face-painting and ‘ice your own’ gingerbread sun bears! Wai-Ming Wong PhD student, based at Kent University (researching Sumatran sun bears) and SBCT member will kindly be providing an information stand answering visitor’s questions.

More news on the upcoming event will be posted here soon!  

RSCC is owned by Rare Species Conservation Trust.

UK Registered charity no. 1119230

info@rarespeciesconservationcentre.org

www.rarespeciesconservationcentre.org  

Julie Trump - Chairman - Sun Bear Conservation Trust

E-mail: julie.trump@btinternet.com

Srey-Ya was roaming in his enclosure.

Jo-Jo like to climb high to have a good view of the conservation centre.

 This is the size of the cage where people kelp bears in bear farm Asia. Imagine anyone being kept in this kind of environment for the rest of their life and to have their bile milk. Help us free the bears from cages!

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Category: Fund raising, SBCT UK | Date: Apr 15 2009 | By: Siew Te Wong

 by Julie Trump, Chairman of Sun Bear Conservation Trust

As Spring arrived in the UK, the Sun Bear Conservation Trust celebrated the end of the long winter with a day of fund-raising events over the UK. In London (as previous posting) Fiona McInally had a very successful cake sale near a local street market and sold delicious home-made cakes that would have tempted the most avid dieters - even Victoria Beckham would have thrown her lettuce leaves to one side! Further north-east in Boston, Lincolnshire, Lindsey Hahn held a wonderful indoor sale and coffee morning - she had planned to hold it outside but had to change venue and run indoors with her cakes and bric-a-brac when April showers started (sorry no photo available)!

I, in Newbury Park, Essex held a bring n buy cake sale at my Mum’s house and garden and was overwhelmed by the generosity of local friends and neighbours donating gifts and buying others as well as tucking into cakes and gingerbread bears and buying tickets for my prize raffle.

Anna Cocker, all the way up in Bolton, had signed up for a sponsored 5 mile run when disaster struck; she fractured her arm at karate a few days before (but you should have seen the other guy)! Despite this, her Dad and sister still kindly gave Anna their pledged money - maybe they were a little afraid with her being a brown-belt!

So, the day was a great success and raised  £395 for the sun bears so a big thanks to everyone involved. Hoping to do another in the summer when temperature rises - can maybe sell ice-cream too!!! 

If you are interested in helping us in the UK and supporting the work of  BSBCC and sun bears everywhere, please contact us at the Sun Bear Conservation Trust by e-mailing me at : julie.trump@btinternet.com              

Follow all our news and upcoming events on this blog and please send us any comments and suggestions you have to help us help the sun bears!

Big thanks, Julie

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Category: Fund raising, SBCT UK | Date: Apr 13 2009 | By: Siew Te Wong

Two weekends ago Fiona McInally from Sun Bear Conservation Trust UK, took one day off from work and spent the whole day baking delicious homemade cakes and biscuits. The next day, she and her friend set up a stall in London and spent all day talking to passers  by about sun bear and selling these homemade cakes and cookies to raise money for the sun bears! After a long day of talking and busy selling these yummy home baked cakes, they had raised £174.50 for the bears!I am so touch with the efforts of Fiona, Julie and many others who have work so hard to help. These are heroes behind the scene to help and save sun bears. Slowly, bits by bits, we can achieved our goals by working together.

Thanks Fiona!

Yummy homemade cakes and cookies!

If you are interested in helping us in the UK and supporting the work of  BSBCC and sun bears everywhere, please contact us at the Sun Bear Conservation Trust by e-mailing Julie Trump at : julie.trump@btinternet.com              

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