11/22/11

Last ditch bid to save the rhinos - Columnist - New Straits Times

Last ditch bid to save the rhinos - Columnist - New Straits Times
















It is not too late to draw lessons from the continuing decline of the Sumatran rhino


Not long after news last month of the extinction of the Javan rhino on mainland Asia last year, the extinction of the western black rhino in Africa was announced on Nov 11.


In that most recent announcement, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) experts noted that the next rhino likely to go extinct is the northern white rhino, a central African subspecies of white rhino.

How is this relevant to Malaysia? The last Javan rhino in Peninsular Malaysia was shot in 1932. Since the 1930s, Malaysia's most endangered wildlife species has been the Sumatran rhino. The Sumatran rhino still survives in Malaysia, but is now close to extinction.

In 1984, an international meeting of Sumatran rhino experts was convened in Singapore under the aegis of IUCN, and an agreement was forged for collaboration between the governments of Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, Indonesia and a number of overseas zoos to work to prevent the extinction of this species.

The agreement involved the establishment of protected areas that still contained small wild rhino populations, and a programme of captive breeding, involving rhinos to be taken from areas which at that time were under forest but allocated for conversion to plantations.

In several ways, the plans worked out. In the 1980s, Sabah established the Tabin Wildlife Reserve and Danum Valley conservation area, while Indonesia set up national parks in areas containing Sumatran rhinos.

The New Straits Times editorial of Sept 11, 1985 entitled "A survival kit for the rhino" gave a remarkably pragmatic and balanced opinion of the plan, stating that "in matters of conservation, there is little room for parochial attitudes and meaningless slogans about national heritage. Malaysia holds in trust for the whole world some of the rarest and most interesting wildlife.

Malaysia cannot take the risk of unwittingly allowing it to have the dubious distinction of being known as the last place on earth where the Sumatran rhino roamed".

Unfortunately, that sentiment went unheeded. A number of Malaysian non-governmental organisations slammed the captive breeding component, mainly over the fear that our rhinos might end up in the United States, and the Sabah government withdrew from the agreement. Peninsular Malaysia and Indonesia enjoyed some collaboration but in many respects charted their own courses for the rhinos.

A total of 40 Sumatran rhinos were captured between 1984 and 1994 in Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah. The upshot, however, was that of 18 rhinos caught in Indonesia, only one pair bred, producing three babies in Cincinnati Zoo, the oldest of which has been returned to Indonesia and is now the only breeding male in the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Lampung province.

Even though nine females and three males were caught in Peninsular Malaysia and eight males and two females in Sabah, there was no transfer of rhinos between the two regions, and none bred.

Of those 20 Malaysian rhinos, only one survives today, a female which is now too old to be able to breed, although she was fertile when captured in 1994. For wild Sumatran rhinos, it is now four years since the last evidence of a birth in Malaysia.

The fact that the Sumatran rhino is not already extinct can be viewed as luck or a miracle.

A last-ditch effort to save the species, the Borneo Rhino Sanctuary programme, is under way in Sabah, a government programme implemented by the Sabah Wildlife Department with support from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (for rhino reproduction), Borneo Rhino Alliance (operational) and Yayasan Sime Darby and World Wildlife Fund (financial).

What lessons may we draw from the tale of the continuing decline of the Sumatran rhino? The first is we are now well beyond the "usual suspects" of habitat loss, poaching and lack of awareness as the main threats. The problem now is that most remaining rhinos are old or infertile, and too few and too scattered to meet and breed.

The second is that once a species declines to such very low numbers, the only way to boost numbers and birth rate above death rate may be to bring some individuals into semi-natural fenced conditions. The idea is to maximise the prospect of every individual rhino to contribute to the species' survival.

Catching rare wild animals to breed them in captive conditions with the involvement of non-governmental organisations tends to be a "politically incorrect" concept nowadays. Yet, that is exactly how and why the African and Indian rhinos did not go extinct in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This was also one of the main reasons for the establishment of the World Wildlife Fund in 1961.

Thirdly, the lack of success of the 1984 IUCN-brokered collaboration agreement to save the species went off the rails largely because of a lack of close collaboration between all the parties involved.

So, the third lesson is: the need for open and whole-hearted collaboration, collaboration and collaboration, so that all parties are armed with all the latest information and thinking, so as to be able to choose the best way forward through the maze of opinions, partial information, assumptions, egos and government policies.

This time, a generation after a most sensible public statement was published in the NST on how to save the Sumatran rhino, let's get it right. Otherwise, Malaysia will be able to announce the extinction of the species in just another generation from now.

11/21/11

Now the French speaking folks are learning about sun bears and the works of BSBCC – Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre

Now the French speaking folks are learning about sun bears and the works of BSBCC – Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre



On Jan 2010, I received an email from Genevieve Hamelin from France saying that she would like to write a book about bears. This is one of her email to me:


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Hello Wong

Thank you very much for your quick answer. I have to explain to you exactly what I am doing. I am a French librarian in a school and I live in the west of France. I love bears and I yet made a website about them that you can see here :

http://www.surlespasdesours.fr/?lng=en

I wanted to write a book about bears for youth and people who like them.
My book will be published in april and if I want to add an article I have to do quickly to send it to the publisher before the end of the next week.

The title is “On the steps of bears” . The first part is on the imaginary of bears and the second one about the eight species of bears we can find through the world.
A friend of mine made the drawings and some associations of protection send me pictures of bears in their biotope and a text to explain their action.

For the sun bears , I found your address on the jeanett mc Dermott’s blog and it’s the reason why I wrote to you. I wrote a part of my book on the description of the sun bears, their reproduction and also their geographical repartition but in France we have not a lot of information about their conservation.

The book will be in French so I will have to translate your text into French before to send it to my publisher. Of course when the book will be published I will send you one specimen. It’s with pleasure.

Thanks a lot Wong
I am waiting for your answer

Cordially
Geneviève


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On October 2011, Genevieve’s “On the steps bears” finally published. My copy that she sent me reached me few days ago! It was a well written book. Now the French speaking folks are learning about sun bears and the works of BSBCC!


Thank you Genevieve! Congratulation on your job well done!


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You can read more about the book written in a French’s news at:


http://www.angersmag.info/Genevieve-Hamelin-se-mobiliser-pour-la-sauvegarde-des-ours_a3591.html



Livres


Geneviève Hamelin : se mobiliser pour la sauvegarde des ours



Par Catherine Nedelec – le 27 Octobre 2011 à 11:54


Geneviève Hamelin, documentaliste dans un collège d’Angers, s’intéresse depuis des années à la sauvegarde des animaux sauvages, notamment de l’ours, son animal fétiche. « Sur les pas de l’ours » vient de paraitre ; avec ce livre magnifiquement illustré, elle souhaite sensibiliser le plus grande nombre à la condition de ces plantigrades et au risque de leur disparition.


Geneviève Hamelin est très sollicitée par les associations de sauvegarde des animaux sauvages.

Geneviève Hamelin est très sollicitée par les associations de sauvegarde des animaux sauvages.


Figure emblématique de l’Arctique, l’ours polaire est désormais le symbole d’un monde qui subit durablement les effets du réchauffement climatique. Le bien nommé ours blanc est ainsi le plus connu. Il existe pourtant sept autres espèces, tout aussi menacées d’extinction à cause d’un environnement qui se transforme à leur désavantage, de chasseurs de trophées ou de braconniers, agissant à des fins alimentaires si ce n’est pour la médecine chinoise traditionnelle.


Arctophile, Geneviève Hamelin a franchi depuis longtemps la simple passion de l’ours en peluche. Elle a voulu en savoir plus sur l’animal, le vrai, qui a servi de modèle à ces adorables peluches. Opposé à l’image du jouet proche et docile, l’ours, animal sauvage, plutôt agressif, a passionné Geneviève Hamelin par son authenticité. Ce livre est pour elle une manière pédagogique d’expliquer la souffrance de cet animal et la diminution inexorable du nombre déjà restreint de ces plantigrades.
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Bien qu’enrichi de photos expressives et de très beaux dessins de Laurence Saunois, ce livre n’est pas qu’un livre d’illustrations, en témoigne un texte nourri par une recherche documentaire efficace et une sensibilité due aux moments intenses vécus auprès des ours. La passion et la curiosité ont entrainée Geneviève Hamelin au parc national de Katmaï, en Alaska, il y a un peu plus d’an, sur les pas de l’ours brun.


Durant ce voyage au confort rudimentaire et entièrement consacré à l’observation des grizzlis au moment de la remontée des saumons, elle a appris à reconnaitre leur pelage, leurs cicatrices, à les respecter – ne pas s’approcher de plus de 50 mètres d’un mâle et de 100 mètres d’une femelle accompagnée de ses petits -, à étudier leur vie sociale, l’attitude d’ « une mère qui sait être attentive, ayant toujours une regard protecteur sur sa progéniture veillant à ce qu’un mâle n’approche pas ses oursons ».


Ce « spectacle inoubliable » a renforcé sa conviction qu’il faut agir et éduquer. Soutenue par l’IFAW ( International Fund for Animal Welfare), Geneviève Hamelin a recueilli de nombreux témoignages d’autres fondations et associations, « souvent méconnues et pourtant très actives », qui œuvrent quotidiennement à la sauvegarde des ours, autant qu’ à leur réintroduction dans leur milieu naturel. Entre autres scientifiques, Siew Te Wong en Malaisie, Denis Alexander Torres au Venezuela, Jill Robinson en Asie, Lynn Rogers dans le Minnesota, Valentin Pazhetnov en Russie, ont apporté leur témoignage à ce que ce dernier nomme « un immense défi », visant « la préservation de notre seul et unique habitat : la planète Terre ».
Sur les pas de l’ours contient de multiples références utiles pour se documenter encore davantage sur le sujet.


En librairie – 18 €


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I know most of you did not read French so I “google translate” the news article. Please do not blame me for the bad translation.



Geneviève Hamelin: mobilizing to save the bears


Geneviève Hamelin, librarian at a college of Angers, looks for years to the preservation of wildlife, including bears, the animal fetish. “In the Footsteps of the Bear” comes to seem, with this beautifully illustrated book, she wants to educate the largest number on the condition of the plantigrade and the risk of their disappearance.


Emblematic figure of the Arctic, the polar bear has become the symbol of a world undergoing long-term effects of global warming. The polar bear is aptly named as the best known. But there are seven other species also endangered because of environmental changes to their disadvantage, trophy hunters or poachers, acting for food except for traditional Chinese medicine.


Arctophila, Geneviève Hamelin has taken a long time passion for the simple teddy bear. She wanted to know more about the animal, the real, which served as a model for these adorable stuffed animals. Opposed to the image of the toy closer and docile, bear, wild animal, not aggressive, a passionate Geneviève Hamelin with its authenticity. This book is a pedagogical way for her to explain the suffering of the animal and the inexorable decline of the already limited number of plantigrade.


Although expressive images than enriched and beautiful drawings by Laurence Saunois, this book is not a book of illustrations, text fed evidenced by an effective retrieval and sensitivity due to the intense moments lived with bear. The passion and curiosity have entrained Geneviève Hamelin Katmai National Park, Alaska, there is a little over a year, in the footsteps of the brown bear.


During this trip to the comfort and rudimentary entirely devoted to the observation of grizzly bears during the salmon, she learned to recognize their coats, their scars, to respect them – stay away from over 50 meters of male and 100 meters of a female accompanied by her young – to study their social life, the attitude of “a mother who knows how to be attentive, always a watchful eye on his offspring ensuring that a male does not approach her cubs.”


The “unforgettable” reinforced his belief that we must act and educate. Supported by IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare), Geneviève Hamelin has documented numerous other foundations and associations, “often overlooked yet very active,” working every day to safeguard the bear, so far as their reintroduction into the wild. Among other scientists, Siew Te Wong in Malaysia, Denis Alexander Torres Venezuela, Asia Jill Robinson, Lynn Rogers, Minnesota, Valentin Pazhetnov in Russia, have testified that it calls “a huge challenge,” aimed ” the preservation of our single habitat: Planet Earth. “
In the footsteps of Bear contains many useful references to further documentation on the subject.

SPM English test reference book tells the story of sun bear and Wong Siew Te – Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre

SPM English test reference book tells the story of sun bear and Wong Siew Te – Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre

Few weeks ago a friend who is an English teacher told me that my work on sun bear was mentioned in an essay inside a SPM English test reference book. SPM is the acronym for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia or Malaysian Certificate of Education, a compulsory government examination for all high school students in Malaysian government school system. It is a short essay where students are required to answer series of questions generated from the essay.


This essay may seem ordinary like other essays in an English reference book. However, this short exercise means a lot to the conservation of sun bear for few reasons. Sun bears still remain as the least known bear species and least studied. Even majority of the general public in Malaysia do not know about sun bear. Although short and brief, it is probably the first article on sun bear ecology and conservation ever published in Malaysian education curriculum. Students who read this essay most probably heard about the sun bears for the first time in their life! This article featured me as a local researcher and my works on sun bear. It helps to inspire them that wildlife biologist and conservationist can be Malaysian too and not necessary westerners as featured in TV or other mass media. If they have the interest, they can also be a biologist and conservationist whose job is to safeguard and conserve our wildlife and national natural treasures.


I sincerely hope that educators and publishers in Malaysia can write and publish more stories and facts not only on our own sun bear but also other less known wildlife species and forests. I can assure that these stories are very interesting, fascinating, amazing and will catch a lot of interest among our students who someday will be the hope for these wildlife and natural treasures from this country. This essay on sun bear and me is the beginning.


~ Siew Te Wong


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Sun bear’s voice heard in Lahad Datu Middle School – Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre

Sun bear’s voice heard in Lahad Datu Middle School – Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre


Last Wednesday I made my 14th presentations in 2011 at Lahad Datu Middle School. Wai Pak, Li (our volunteer from West Malaysia) and me left BSBCC around 9 am and arrived Lahad Datu almost at noon to deliver the 2 hours lecture on sun bears.


Lahad Datu is a small township with a population of about 180,000. I used to call this town a cowboy town because of the abundant 4×4 pickup trucks running around the town. This is the town that I am most familiar within Sabah because it is the gateway town to Danum Valley Conservation Area, the place where I spent many years studying wild sun bears and other wildlife and forest ecology in the tropical rainforest.


The entire school of Lahad Datu Middle School attended the talk on sun bear ecology and conservation.

The entire school of Lahad Datu Middle School attended the talk on sun bear ecology and conservation.


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The principal of Lahad Datu Middle School, Mr Chee Ah Lek called me two weeks ago asking me if I can deliver a talk on sun bear at their school. Without a second thought, I said yes. The talk was well received and attended by more than 300 students and teachers from the entire school. The title of the talk was “Sun Bear, status, ecology, and conservation in a changing landscape in Malaysia”. This talk was the second talk I delivered in Chinese this year. I always have a lot of fun talking to local school students. At the beginning of the talk I asked the students to raise their hand if they have seen a live sun bear in zoos or other circumstances. Out of more than 300 audiences, I saw about five hands. I asked them again if they have heard about sun bears. I saw about 10 hands. I am not surprise if majority of the audience have not heard about sun bear. However, I was quite concerned by knowing only 3% of the audience, especially high school students, knew about sun bear which is the only bear species and a large carnivore in this country. In the Malaysian education system, topics on our own wildlife species, forest, and other natural resources are rarely incorporate in the school curriculum. Take me as an example, I never heard the word “Dipterocarp” until I was 25 year old when I worked with Malaysian Nature Society, a local conservation NGO, in 1994. “Dipterocarp” or “Dipterocarp forest” is the proper name of our forest in Malaysia where the dominant tree species in this forest are from the tree family Dipterocarpaceae. We still have a long way to go to educate our younger generation on our wildlife and forest resources.


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I tried my best to deliver an interesting and attractive talk on the topic to the students. Actually it was not a difficult task for me to do so during this talk. There were a lot of “Waa” “Yee” “Ooh” and giggles throughout the talk every time I showed photos of sun bears: sun bear with long tongue, sun bear on top of a tall tree, cute sun bear baby, or a decapitated sun bear. At the very end of the talk I showed a video clip that I made few weeks ago “Big tree, little bear, and tiny termites” and explain the relationship among them. Tiny termites feed on trees, trees provide food and shelters for the sun bears, and in return sun bears feed on termites and keep the termite colonies in healthy level. The second video I showed was the promo video of Beartrek. Filmed on 2007, Beartrek featured several bear stories across the world including my story with sun bear in the forest. At that time I was still on a lonely crusade to study sun bear and to help conserving them.


Pricipal Chee presented me a momento for the lecture in his school. Thank you Mr Principal!

Pricipal Chee presented me a momento for the lecture in his school. Thank you Mr Principal!


I am grateful to Principal Chee to give me this opportunity to talk about sun bear to the students. I am sure the students learn a lot and have a lot of good time during this talk. One thing that I learned from this talk is that we need to do more similar talks on sun bear and other education outreach programs to other schools. These education programs aim to raise awareness among the younger generations in this country to value our sun bear, other wildlife and forest resources. They need to know the fact that “what is good for bears is good for us too!”



~Siew Te Wong, BSBCC, Nov 13, 2011


Photos: Ng Wai Pak

Thank you Nikon! You rock! – Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre

Thank you Nikon! You rock! – Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre



It all started three months ago when I was invited to be one of the speakers of the Bornean Eco Film Festival (BEFF) in Sandakan. Among the speakers who gave presentations during BEFF was Wong Kok Jen, also known as KJ. KJ is the Technical Support Executive from Nikon Malaysia. He is an energetic young man who can speak about Nikon cameras for hours if not days when he has the chance to do so. Nikon was one of the sponsors of the festival and also a very generous one. There were always all kind of gifts for lucky audience and participants including cameras at different events! Unfortunately the fortune for me, BSBCC or the sun bear was always the unlucky audience. I really wish that we could win a camera from Nikon or ask Nikon to sponsor us with a good camera so that can take high quality photos of sun bear. After all, BSBCC is the only place in the world where you can take photos or video of sun bears in their natural environment and their natural behavior.


We invited KJ and the Nikon representative from Sandakan, Ms Irene to our centre after the film festival. They were impressed by our work to conserve sun bear and see a lot potential where they can help us. After months of communication, KJ visited us again last weekend, not empty handed this time but with two cameras in a big Nikon bag. Through KJ, Nikon Malaysia is very generous to donate two cameras, a Nikon D5000 Digital SLR and Nikon 1 J1 to BSBCC!


KJ (left) delivered the camera to me witnessed by project manager Wai Pak and volunteers.

KJ (left) delivered the camera to me witnessed by project manager Wai Pak and volunteers.


Thank you KJ and Nikon Malaysia! I hope the sponsorship continues. Besides donating cameras there are many items that Nikon as a big international corporate can help us. This is another good example of “do what you do best to help sun bears”!


Yesterday I tried the new D5000 when I walked Mary the sun bear in the forest. These are some of the photos taken. It really tells a different!


Thank you Nikon! You rock!


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Photos of Mary taken by the new Nikon D5000 camera.

When Mary met monkeys – Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre

When Mary met monkeys – Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre


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Few days ago Mary the sun bear and I spent the afternoon in the forest like we usually do. Suddenly we have a visitor when Mary was busy looking for termites in this spectacular liana (vine). It was a pig-tailed macaque (Macaca nemestrina). The macaque came right on top of us to feed on the fruits of kunau-kunau (local name) (Baccaurea tetandra, Family Euphobiaceae)


Few minutes later, more macaques came to check us out. We were literally surrounded by them. Pig-tailed macaques are a common primate species found in the forest of SE Asia. They share their forest habitat with sun bears. At Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, pig-tailed macaques are one of the five common primate species. Other four primates are orangutans, long-tailed macaques, red leaf monkeys, and human!


Watch the interaction between Mary the sun bear and the macaques in this video.


Feel free to share it with your friends too!








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BSBCC LATEST NEWS – October 2011 – Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre

BSBCC LATEST NEWS – October 2011 – Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre


http://leapspiral.wordpress.com/2011/10/27/bsbcc-latest-news-october-2011/


STILL THEY COME…


BSBCC has become home to three more bears since July!


On 23rd July BSBCC helped Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) in the rescue of an illegally kept captive sun bear from a palm oil plantation near Lahad Datu, southeast Sabah. Named Amaco, the 18 year old male was in fairly good health apart from bad teeth and mouth condition, having been fed on a diet consisting almost solely of rice and sweetened condensed milk. Amaco has been given medical treatment and has been temporarily housed in the old bear house and is slowly relaxing and settling in.


Amaco in the barren cage where he had been kept for 18 years

Amaco in the barren cage where he had been kept for 18 years



Dr Diana Ramirez from SWD and Wai Pak checking the anaesthetized bear before transfer to BSBCC.

Dr Diana Ramirez from SWD and Wai Pak checking the anaesthetized bear before transfer to BSBCC.



The following month, Fulung, a 9 month old male cub was brought to BSBCC by SWD staff, after being surrendered to the SWD Wildlife Rescue Unit by a villager from a remote part of southwest Sabah who had had the cub for several months, after hunting dogs had apparently found it in the forest. Fulung was malnourished on arrival but is now putting on weight and is being kept temporarily in the old bear house under quarantine. Read more stories about Fulung.



Baby Fulung just after capture by the villagers. Fulung means ‘forest’ in the local language.

Baby Fulung just after capture by the villagers. Fulung means ‘forest’ in the local language.



Fulung about to begin his long journey from the village after being rescued by SWD.

Fulung about to begin his long journey from the village after being rescued by SWD.



An impressive sun bear tongue displayed by Fulung at BSBCC!

An impressive sun bear tongue displayed by Fulung at BSBCC!


A third new sun bear, Mary, arrived from Lok Kawi Wildlife Park on 12th September 2011. A female cub, possibly 6-8 months old, Mary had been kept by villagers in central Sabah since July. She shows signs of malnutrition and calcium deficiency but otherwise appears healthy, and has also been placed in quarantine in the old bear house. Read more about Mary.




Wong with Mary the night she arrived at BSBCC, drinking milk for the first time after 3 months of captivity.

Wong with Mary the night she arrived at BSBCC, drinking milk for the first time after 3 months of captivity.



Mary sucking on her right foot - a common behavior in sun bear cubs who have lost their mothers.

Mary sucking on her right foot – a common behavior in sun bear cubs who have lost their mothers.



Wai Pak feeding Mary a special treat of honey.

Wai Pak feeding Mary a special treat of honey.


CONSTRUCTION STARTS!


A contract has finally been awarded to a local company for the construction of the BSBCC Observation Platform and trails to it, access boardwalk from the car park and upgrading of roads and drainage. Construction commenced at the end of September and should be finished by March 2012. Watch this space! Read more…







The observation platform trail under construction.

The observation platform trail under construction.


SPREADING THE WORD


Wong participated in the 20th International Conference on Bear Research and Management in Ottawa, Canada in July 2011, presenting a jointly authored paper on ‘The effects of selective logging on sun bears in lowland dipterocarp rainforest of Borneo’, and on October 1st gave a talk on BSBCC and sun bears at the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. Over 40 people attended and the event was covered by the national press. Read more…





Wong at the MNS talk. Photo by Christopher Leo

Wong at the MNS talk. Photo by Christopher Leo



In September, BSBCC was thrilled to receive a donation of GBP500 (RM2,426.05) from International Aid for the Protection and Welfare of Animals, IAPWA, a UK based NGO, to be spent on purchasing ceiling fans for the new bear house. Read more…



KEEPING COOL!






Three wall fans and 4 ceiling fans were installed on 16th September 2011; thank you IAPWA!

Three wall fans and 4 ceiling fans were installed on 16th September 2011; thank you IAPWA!






VOLUNTEERS


Both individual and group volunteers continue to be an essential and much appreciated asset at BSBCC. Here are some of the activities some of the recent individual volunteers have been up to.



Collecting fallen branches to use for enrichment. Collecting fallen branches to use for enrichment.


Creative arrangement of foliage in Fulung’s pen. Creative arrangement of foliage in Fulung’s pen.






Preparing rice porridge for bears in the new bear house kitchen.

Preparing rice porridge for bears in the new bear house kitchen.




BEAR HEALTH


September was the time for the annual health check for most of the bears – a routine medical assessment of their overall health, potential sicknesses, internal organ function and physical condition. It was also a chance to give vitamins and de-worming injections and take blood samples and even hair samples for future DNA studies. Read more…





Dr Diana Ramirez, SWD Wildlife Rescue Unit vet, taking blood samples from an anaesthetized bear with help from SWD staff Elis, and Wong.

Dr Diana Ramirez, SWD Wildlife Rescue Unit vet, taking blood samples from an anaesthetized bear with help from SWD staff Elis, and Wong.



Wong and Wai Pak carrying out the medical check on Susie in the new bear house.

Wong and Wai Pak carrying out the medical check on Susie in the new bear house.


FILMS AND FILM STARS!


The end of July saw the first ever Borneo Eco Film Festival, held in Sandakan, Sabah. Always eager to raise local awareness, Wong gave a presentation on ‘The holistic approaches of Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre to conserve sun bears in Sabah’ and there was a showing of the 20 minute promo film “BEAR TREK” by Wildlife Media Inc. featuring Wong carrying out his research at Danum Valley in Sabah. The event was well attended and, hopefully, the first of many highlighting and showcasing Borneo! Read more…






Wong becoming something of a film star himself!

Wong becoming something of a film star himself!



Actor and avid conservation supporter Jason Scott Lee visited BSBCC on 24th September 2011 as part of an eco-travelogue being filmed throughout Malaysia for National Geographic. Jason spent a whole day filming at the Centre, enthusiastically taking part in cleaning of the bear pens, feeding the bears in the forest enclosures and walking Mary the sun bear cub in the forest. Read more…



A new sun bear supporter – Hollywood actor Jason Scott Lee!

A new sun bear supporter – Hollywood actor Jason Scott Lee!




Jason observing Wong with Mary in the forest.

Jason observing Wong with Mary in the forest.




Sun Bear Diary- Mary finally climbs! – Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre

Sun Bear Diary- Mary finally climbs! – Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre









Sun bear is an arboreal bear.


In the wild, they spend a lot of their time resting, sleeping, and foraging on tree canopy of Southeast Asian rainforest.


Like Mary, sun bear cub learns how to climb when they are young.


Their mother will bring their cubs to look for food when they are capable to move around.


At the age of 4 or 5 months old, sun bear cubs are capable of walking, running and climbing.


So what is a big deal of Mary climbing a tree at the age of 9 month?


Mary is not an ordinary sun bear cub.


Her mother was probably killed by poacher when she was about three months old.


She was then captured by the poacher and kept as a house pet.


Her owner has no knowledge of raise a sun bear cub.


They did not give Mary milk, which is the most important food for all baby mammals.


Because of that, she lacked sufficient nutrient for her growth and development, such as calcium and other minerals to build bones in her body.


Mary has a relatively small body when Sabah Wildlife Department rescued her and sent to Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre.


Her body was relatively short and small.


She cannot walk and run properly like other sun bear cub her age.


She has weak limbs and walk slowly. Clumsy, so to speak.


We believe Mary suffered from calcium deficiency.


We hope she can overcome this problem and grow well under the care of Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre.


Today she was climbing this dead tree and trying to find food in the tree.


Although she failed to find any termite or ant colony, she did well on her climbing skill.


This is a big start and a good progress for Mary the sun bear to start her new life at Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC)


Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre 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


Please visit http://sunbears.wildlifedirect.org to learn more


Please help us spread the words and spread the loves http://sunbears.wildlifedirect.org/


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Big tree little bear and tiny termites – Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre

Big tree little bear and tiny termites – Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre



Text, photos, and video by Siew Te Wong








Yesterday when I walked little Mary in the forest, she stopped at the base of this huge dipterocarp tree. The scene was just amazed me: “big tree, little bear” was what came out from my mind immediately. It was a peaceful time we spent in the forest under the big tree. Mary was busy digging the nests of termite and ant and feeding furiously on the angry insects that swamped out from their broken home. The big tree stood there like a giant with no fear. The sound of the cicadas and other unknown insects rumbled like there is no tomorrow: they have to mate now!


Big tree little bear!

Big tree little bear!


The big tree, the little sun bear, and the tiny termites all need one other to survive. Female sun bears den in the hollowed tree trunk or cavities of huge trees in the forest when they give birth and nurse helpless baby for months. These cavities are the safest den for the female sun bears because they are relatively dry in the ever wet and moist rainforest (rainforest always rain!), relative cold in the hot mid tropical day, and relatively warm at night (tropical rainforest may get cold at night because of the rain and high humidity). There is simply no other better den site that a sun bear can find in the forest then a large tree with cavities or hollowed. The trees are huge, like this one, with a diameter of at least one meter (3 feet) and a height of 30 m (100 feet) or more. They are probably very old – at least few hundred years old too! In return, sun bears are opportunistic omnivores that feed on termites, beetles and other forest insects that kill trees (forest pest, so to speak). By feeding on the termite colonies and other insects, the sun bears act as forest “doctors” that keep these insects at “healthy levels”. The tiny termites, feed on the woody materials in the forest, both alive and dead. And the cycle go on and on..


Here comes a problem for sun bear in the human altered landscape: these forest giants are getting rare in logged forest because they are targeted for timber market and sell for a lot of money. In Borneo, most of the remaining forests are being selectively logged except few totally protected forest reserves that remain as undisturbed primary forests. The lack of large trees with cavity may post a challenge for female sun bears to find suitable den sites and successfully raise cubs.


Big trees little bears and tiny termites, all need one other to survive. Are we wise enough to keep all of them in the forest? For sure the termites will survive. But I am not sure about the sun bears and the big trees. Only time will tell!


Is Mary climbing on a vertical wall?

Is Mary climbing on a vertical wall?


No, is the buttress of the big tree!

No, is the buttress of the big tree!


Mary digging out a termite colony in this fallen tree.

Mary digging out a termite colony in this fallen tree.


Still working hard...

Still working hard…


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This hollowed tree was being fell by logger but abandoned because of the hollowness and low value. The cavity has become an important den site for sun bear.

This hollowed tree was being fell by logger but abandoned because of the hollowness and low value. The cavity has become an important den site for sun bear.



Sun bear den in the lowland rainforest of Danum. There is a pile of a sun bear faces at the bottom left of the photo.

Sun bear den in the lowland rainforest of Danum. There is a pile of a sun bear faces at the bottom left of the photo.



I found one of my studied wild sun bear in this cavity of a huge standing tree.

I found one of my studied wild sun bear in this cavity of a huge standing tree.