InsightSabah : Sun Bear conservation is a community effort

BSBCC founder and chief executive officer Wong Siew Te with a Sun Bear cub. - Photo courtesy of BSBCC

Nature and wildlife conservation works are not the sole concern of the government, non-governmental organizations (NGO) and researchers. The whole society has an active role to play too.

Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) founder and chief executive officer, Wong Siew Te said as both humans and wildlife are part of the ecosystem, there must be willingness on the part of the people to get involved whenever they can to save the threatened species.

Citing the recent 'Big Dreams, Little Bears' event which was held Sandakan on July 20th, Wong said that BSBCC worked with a group of local volunteers to raise RM443,000 - covering almost a quarter of the RM2 million budget for this year to complete a second bear house, create an additional forest enclosure and other work.

“I hope the people of Sandakan will get a sense of ownership of the Centre because it is through their involvement, one way or another, that has helped the facility come this far and which will drive it further," said Wong, adding that habitat loss, poaching for parts used in traditional medicine and the pet trade are among key threats to the Sun Bear population. This has led to a decline by at least 30 per cent of the Sun Bear population in the last three decades.

Once the Centre is opened to the public by early next year, it will become an important eco-tourism attraction that would allow Sandakan to do more to promote conservation.

The Centre, which was set up in 2008 under a partnership between the Sabah Wildlife Department, Sabah Forestry Department and NGO Land Empowerment Animals People (LEAP), is currently home to 28 bears rescued from the wild and from unauthorized homes. It is also the first facility of its kind in the world for Sun Bears.

A boardwalk leading to the viewing platform at the BSBCC in Sandakan. The Centre is scheduled to be open to the public next year. - Photo courtesy of BSBCC

Located next to the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre, the Centre's main objective is to create a rehabilitation, research and education facility to help bears released from captivity to find its way back to the wild. The centre also provides habitat for those that can no loner return to the wild. - Insight Sabah

Some of the 500 students who turned up for the documentary screening on Sun Bears in a happy mood after learning more about the species. - Photo courtesy of BSBCC

- Insightsabah

Read More

Habitat loss and poaching threatens survival of Sun Bears

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

RM2.1mil support for Bornean Sun Bear conservation

BSBCC’s youngest resc ued sun bear: Damai, a seven-month-old cub, is seen chewing off decayed wood to look for termites to eat. She was found in a residential area in Damai in November 2012 by a businessman who found her wandering on his porch. Damai was then sent to the Lok Kawi Zoo before being sent to BSBCC.

WITH a distinctive pale horseshoe-shaped imprint on their chests coupled with their cute and cuddly disposition, it is easy to understand why anyone would fall in love with the Malayan sun bears.

Despite the fact that sun bears are a protected species, some unscrupulous people hunt them down for their body parts which are consumed for medicinal purposes while the cubs end up as pets. Over the years, this practice has tragically depleted the sun bear population.

Sun bears (Helarctos malayanus) are the smallest and least known members of the bear family and their population is rapidly diminishing in South-East Asia.

With the support of Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD), the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) in Sepilok, Sabah, has been working hard to right the wrongdoings of mankind. BSBCC has been rescuing sun bears which have been kept as pets and caring for them with the hope of releasing them back into the wild in the future.

BSBCC is a non-profit organisation initiated by the Sabah Forestry Department (SFD), Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) and a non-government organisation, Land Empowerment Animals People (LEAP), in 2008 to look after the plight of captive and orphaned sun bears in Sabah and to promote conservation efforts.

In 2012, YSD allocated funding of RM2.1 million for the BSBCC. A major chunk of the funding is being used to renovate an existing bear house and to construct a second bear house where the rescued sun bears will be relocated.

YSD’s sponsorship also includes the construction of a visitor information centre and opening the BSBCC to the public, which would provide financial sustenance to the BSBCC.

YSD governing council member Caroline Christine Russell said the foundation’s sponsorship would help rescued sun bears to recuperate and be rehabilitated in a safe and protected environment.

“When sun bears are kept and treated as pets, they grow into adulthood without learning the necessary skills to survive in the wild. YSD is highly supportive of BSBCC’s mission to rescue captured sun bears and promote sun bear conservation in Borneo. This will halt cruelty to these animals including the killing of sun bears for their supposed medicinal value and keeping their offspring as pets,” she said.

BSBCC chief executive officer Wong Siew Te said the process of catching a sun bear cub involved killing its mother.

“If the law allows sun bears to be kept as pets, it will only fuel demand which would lead to more poaching of sun bears,” he said.

There have also been instances where poachers left cubs to die, after killing their mothers for body parts. The demand for the sun bear’s bile and other parts especially for traditional medicine and even for delicacies is said to be among the reasons for the poaching and illegal trade of the species.

The Malayan sun bear has been classified as “vulnerable” in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red Book Listing of Endangered Species since 2007 due to its dwindling population over the past 30 years.

Sun bears do not breed well in captivity and due to their naturally slow reproductive rate, a female sun bear may only have up to three to four cubs in her lifetime. Thus, excessive hunting or capturing of cubs can easily wipe out the local population.

It is illegal to kill or hunt these bears under the 1997 Sabah Wildlife Conservation Enactment and those found guilty of rearing or possessing protected species such as the Malayan sun bear could face a mandatory jail term between one month and a year.

The BSBCC is currently home to 28 rescued sun bears.

The latest addition is a four-month old female cub that was found in a housing area in Kota Kinabalu in early November last year.

For more information on what BSBCC does and how the public can help with the sun bear’s conservation efforts, please visit http://www.bsbcc.org.my.

Source: The Star

Read More

Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Center (BSBCC) - Sabah

The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) is the first of its conservation centre which rehabilitate/rescue the bornean sun bear. It is the first and only (at this moment) in south east asia region (of course in our country as well). As for now, the conservation centre will be schedule to open in due time (most likely mid of next year. We will keep you update once the conservation centre is open to public. Stay tune!).

Nevertheless , Nature Core would like to thank Eileen Chiang who have the privileged to enter this wonderful conservation center for the first hand to be reviewed and guided by the man (aka Founder) behind this Project, Mr Wong Siew Te (We also known him as "Papa Bear") and his wonderful, dedicated team behind this project. Thanks to BSBCC for giving Eileen Chiang this priviledge to be there to witness this wonderful conservation work and Eileen Chiang for sharing her experience at the centre to us. Kudos!

The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) - there are still some upgrading work to be done. Once complete, this center will provide state of the art facilities, view point/platform and center to view and photograph the sun bear. Besides, there might be information centre for the sunbear as well. 

The "WOW" factor for this centre - its the platform. Great place to view sunbears (those that BSBCC has been rescued with the help from other agencies)  and understand their behaviour in the wild. Besides that, Eileen Chiang has the priviledge to visit the rescue centre too! It's truly amazing that the BSBCC team has done a lot of great work for the sunbears. Kudos.

Based on Eileen's expeirence, this is what she would like to highlight.  Eileen Chiang mentioned that during her trip, she still remembered when Mr Wong asked "Eileen, can you spot the sunbear?" and she told us that she took a while to get her eyes adjust to search for these sunbears. This showed that they are well camouflage. 

Great news for the Sunbears and for the public: This centre will remain on this location where they can be rescue and to be given a second chance to survive back in the wild. A work which require a heavy workman and consistency with high level of discipline. Please support the BSBCC!

Below are two of the four Sun Bears can be viewed from the platform.  (A quick ones - each of the sunbears in the BSBCC has name and their name derived from their past history or where they were rescued from).

Sun Bear - sniffing and wondering. Very active.
(Photo taken by Eileen Chiang)

Sun Bear (Got this view from the observation platform)
(Photo taken by Eileen Chiang)

This trip has provided Eileen Chiang - a great knowledge about Sunbear and the love and care from the founder of BSBCC , Mr Wong Siew Te and the team.

Getting more interest and would like to know more about our Bornean Sun Bear and BSBCC, please visit : Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC). Do support this great initiative - For  the sunbear conservation. 

 

Source: http://naturecore.blogspot.com

Read More