24/6/2013
New Sabah Times, 2013-June-21, Page13
Another session with Wong at BSBCC's viewing platform.
6/24/13
Sun bears target of demand in Traditional Medicine
24/6/2013
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/features/article/sun-bears-target-of-demand-in-traditional-medicine/
June 21, 2013
Hunted for generations in the jungles of Borneo for the bile from its gall bladder and for food, the Malayan Sun Bear (pic) continues to be a target for the ever present global demand in traditional medicine and exotic meat, threatening the world’s smallest bear which is said to have dwindled in numbers by 30 per cent in the last three decades.
Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) founder and chief executive officer Wong Siew Te said natives, particularly in Borneo, traditionally believe that the Sun Bear’s bile ejects itself out of the gall bladder and spreads inside a bear’s body, healing injuries in a fall.
Sun Bears can climb high up on trees and normally climb down slowly from the tree.
However when they encounter human encroachment in the forest when they are on a tree, they tend to slide down quickly or even drop themselves from the tree.
They then recover quickly and go about their day.
This has erroneously made people believe that the phenomenon is due to the power of the Sun Bear bile that spreads within the body and heals the bears, allowing them to recover instantly.
"This is why Sun Bears are traditionally hunted in the wild for their bile, apart from their meat," Wong said.
He said in some parts of the world, Asiatic Black Bears are kept in unimaginably cruel conditions in small metal cages and their bile extracted for up to 20 years, and then killed once they are unable to produce the liquid.
While there are no bear bile farms in Malaysia, bear bile is consumed locally.
Bear gall bladder, bear bile capsules and other bile products are sold illegally in traditional medicine stores.
"With this demand, Sun Bears continue to be at risk of getting hunted in the wild," he said in a statement here today, to create awareness on the plight of Sun Bears.
While the actual number of Sun Bears in the wild is unknown, its status as a 'Totally Protected' species under the Sabah Wildlife Conservation Enactment and its listing as “Vulnerable” on The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List is not keeping those after its bile away from the risk of prosecution.
Under the Enactment, those found in possession of a Sun Bear or its product could face a fine of up to RM50,000 or a jail term of five years, or both.
Wong said Sun Bears are still hunted in Borneo for their purported medicinal properties, and he cited a recent news report on bear meat and parts being sold at a market in Kapit, Sarawak.
Other threats that Sun Bears face include habitat loss and demand for the exotic pet trade.
Sun Bear cubs are cute and there is demand for such a pet.
To get a cub, the mother is killed to prevent hunters from getting harmed.
Once these cubs grow, they become aggressive and it becomes dangerous to keep them as pets.
"This is when they are surrendered to the authorities. They lose survival skills when kept as pets, as this is something they learn from their mothers," he said.
Bears surrendered to or confiscated by the Sabah Wildlife Department are sent to the BSBCC adjacent to the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre.
It is currently home to 28 Sun Bears.
Awareness activities will be stepped up once the BSBCC is officially opened to the public, tentatively by early next year.
The BSBCC held a fund raiser on July 20 in Sandakan to meet the ever increasing costs of caring for Sun Bears in captivity and for awareness work.
The fundraising dinner with the theme “Big Dreams, Little Bears” saw Wong sharing with guests updates on Sun Bears and an exclusive photographic art auction by Jonathan Tan as well as performances by Jaclyn Victor, Gary Chow, Pink Tan and Amir Yussof and friends.
A free documentary screening is scheduled today at the Sabah Hotel for 500 students, teachers and representatives of local associations.
The BSBCC is a non-governmental organisation set up in 2008 through collaboration of the Sabah Wildlife Department, Sabah Forestry Department and Land Empowerment Animals People (LEAP).
Major funders for BSBCC include Yayasan Sime Darby, the federal Tourism Ministry, Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry, the Sabah State Government and other foreign and local organisations. - Bernama, June 21, 2013.
June 21, 2013
Hunted for generations in the jungles of Borneo for the bile from its gall bladder and for food, the Malayan Sun Bear (pic) continues to be a target for the ever present global demand in traditional medicine and exotic meat, threatening the world’s smallest bear which is said to have dwindled in numbers by 30 per cent in the last three decades.
Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) founder and chief executive officer Wong Siew Te said natives, particularly in Borneo, traditionally believe that the Sun Bear’s bile ejects itself out of the gall bladder and spreads inside a bear’s body, healing injuries in a fall.
Sun Bears can climb high up on trees and normally climb down slowly from the tree.
However when they encounter human encroachment in the forest when they are on a tree, they tend to slide down quickly or even drop themselves from the tree.
They then recover quickly and go about their day.
This has erroneously made people believe that the phenomenon is due to the power of the Sun Bear bile that spreads within the body and heals the bears, allowing them to recover instantly.
"This is why Sun Bears are traditionally hunted in the wild for their bile, apart from their meat," Wong said.
He said in some parts of the world, Asiatic Black Bears are kept in unimaginably cruel conditions in small metal cages and their bile extracted for up to 20 years, and then killed once they are unable to produce the liquid.
While there are no bear bile farms in Malaysia, bear bile is consumed locally.
Bear gall bladder, bear bile capsules and other bile products are sold illegally in traditional medicine stores.
"With this demand, Sun Bears continue to be at risk of getting hunted in the wild," he said in a statement here today, to create awareness on the plight of Sun Bears.
While the actual number of Sun Bears in the wild is unknown, its status as a 'Totally Protected' species under the Sabah Wildlife Conservation Enactment and its listing as “Vulnerable” on The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List is not keeping those after its bile away from the risk of prosecution.
Under the Enactment, those found in possession of a Sun Bear or its product could face a fine of up to RM50,000 or a jail term of five years, or both.
Wong said Sun Bears are still hunted in Borneo for their purported medicinal properties, and he cited a recent news report on bear meat and parts being sold at a market in Kapit, Sarawak.
Other threats that Sun Bears face include habitat loss and demand for the exotic pet trade.
Sun Bear cubs are cute and there is demand for such a pet.
To get a cub, the mother is killed to prevent hunters from getting harmed.
Once these cubs grow, they become aggressive and it becomes dangerous to keep them as pets.
"This is when they are surrendered to the authorities. They lose survival skills when kept as pets, as this is something they learn from their mothers," he said.
Bears surrendered to or confiscated by the Sabah Wildlife Department are sent to the BSBCC adjacent to the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre.
It is currently home to 28 Sun Bears.
Awareness activities will be stepped up once the BSBCC is officially opened to the public, tentatively by early next year.
The BSBCC held a fund raiser on July 20 in Sandakan to meet the ever increasing costs of caring for Sun Bears in captivity and for awareness work.
The fundraising dinner with the theme “Big Dreams, Little Bears” saw Wong sharing with guests updates on Sun Bears and an exclusive photographic art auction by Jonathan Tan as well as performances by Jaclyn Victor, Gary Chow, Pink Tan and Amir Yussof and friends.
A free documentary screening is scheduled today at the Sabah Hotel for 500 students, teachers and representatives of local associations.
The BSBCC is a non-governmental organisation set up in 2008 through collaboration of the Sabah Wildlife Department, Sabah Forestry Department and Land Empowerment Animals People (LEAP).
Major funders for BSBCC include Yayasan Sime Darby, the federal Tourism Ministry, Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry, the Sabah State Government and other foreign and local organisations. - Bernama, June 21, 2013.
6/23/13
Visit from Miami University
23/06/2013
Text by Gloria Ganang & photo by Tee Thye Lim
Students from Miami Dragonfly Classes, Miami University recently visited BSBCC. The students were divided into 2 groups:
Borneo I: 18 students & 2 instructors came on 10th June 2013
Borneo II: 19 students & 2 instructors came on 21st June 2013.
Wong, BSBCC's CEO & Founder gave the students an exclusive tour. He also gave an outstanding talk on sun ans shared his personal experiences in doing research on sun bears.
Students from Miami Dragonfly Classes, Miami University recently visited BSBCC. The students were divided into 2 groups:
Borneo I: 18 students & 2 instructors came on 10th June 2013
Borneo II: 19 students & 2 instructors came on 21st June 2013.
Wong, BSBCC's CEO & Founder gave the students an exclusive tour. He also gave an outstanding talk on sun ans shared his personal experiences in doing research on sun bears.
Borneo I students: Watching one of the sun bears climbing a tree
Wong giving a talk about sun bears at the platform
Borneo II group session with Wong
Group photo with Borneo II !
Gathering tour operators in preparation for next year’s opening to the public
23/6/2013
Text & photo by Gloria Ganang
On the 10th June 2013, a group of tour operators gathered at Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre (SOURC) for a meeting session to promote the upcoming places to visit in Sandakan. The occasion was organized by both SOURC & BSBCC. A total of 30 tour operators turned up and joined the session.
The objectives of the session was to expose about the meaning of rehabilitation & conservation among tour operators, and also how government & non government organizations can work together in wildlife conservation works.
Tour operators also got the opportunity to visit BSBCC’s new observation platform where visitors can see sun bears in their natural habitat in future as well as SOURC’s new outdoor nursery where visitors can observe young orang utan under training in such a unique way that the visitors are not visible to the orang utans. Both places will be open to the public by next year (2014).
Officer in Charge of SOURC, Mdm Sylvia Alsisto giving a welcoming speech to the tour operators.
BSBCC's CEO & Founder, Wong Siew Te introducing BSBCC to the tour operators
Tour operators viewing sun bears at BSBCC's forest enclosure
Text & photo by Gloria Ganang
On the 10th June 2013, a group of tour operators gathered at Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre (SOURC) for a meeting session to promote the upcoming places to visit in Sandakan. The occasion was organized by both SOURC & BSBCC. A total of 30 tour operators turned up and joined the session.
The objectives of the session was to expose about the meaning of rehabilitation & conservation among tour operators, and also how government & non government organizations can work together in wildlife conservation works.
Tour operators also got the opportunity to visit BSBCC’s new observation platform where visitors can see sun bears in their natural habitat in future as well as SOURC’s new outdoor nursery where visitors can observe young orang utan under training in such a unique way that the visitors are not visible to the orang utans. Both places will be open to the public by next year (2014).
Officer in Charge of SOURC, Mdm Sylvia Alsisto giving a welcoming speech to the tour operators.
BSBCC's CEO & Founder, Wong Siew Te introducing BSBCC to the tour operators
Tour operators viewing sun bears at BSBCC's forest enclosure
6/22/13
Damai, Sun Bear Cub Diary – Explore in Forest Part VIII
22/6/2013
Text and Photos by Chiew Lin May
She belongs in the forest, not in a cage or as a pet.
She looked at you all as if to say, 'please help me !! '
Damai was famous with "Mystery of the sun bear at car porch ". Damai was ended up at a car porch of a housing area in Damai, Kota Kinabalu and until now she is likely to remain a mystery. Damai has been sent to Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre ( BSBCC) on last year November 5th. We named this female sun bear cub “Damai”, after the place where she was found. Damai means “peace” in Malay. Now she is 11 months old with her weight is 19.3kg.
" I share this earth with you. "
Sun bears need diverse and healthy rainforest to survive.
Nobody knows how many sun bears remain in the wild. Sun bear is classified as "Vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List.
Please DO NOT poaching for bear parts and capture of sun bear as pet !!
While we are unsure of the exact details of Damai past, we know for certain sun bear cubs were illegally kept as pets. As is the case with so many orphaned sun bear at our Center, their mothers were most likely killed by poachers as the rainforests around them were cut and cleared for palm oil or other agriculture. This is really sad our rainforest lost every year. The only habitat on Earth where sun bears, orangutans, clouded leopards and elephants all are roam together!! Please help save sun bears and their rainforest home. Together we make the difference !!
Please always help us spread the words for sun bears !!
Fallacy And Absurdity
22/6/2013
June, 20, 2013 - 7:11 pm
Fallacy And AbsurdityWith the demand of traditional medicine seekers, Sun Bears continue to be at risk of getting hunted in the wild – BSBCC Wong
By Jaswinder Kler
SANDAKAN: Hunted for generations in the jungles of Borneo for the bile from its gall bladder and for food, the Malayan Sun Bear continues to be a target for the ever present global demand in traditional medicine and exotic meat.
The fallacy of the benefits of bile and the idiocy of humans is threatening the world’s smallest bear which is said to have dwindled in numbers by 30 per cent in the last three decades.
Asiatic Black Bears, for example, are kept in unimaginably cruel conditions in small metal cages and their bile extracted for up to 20 years, and then killed once they are unable to produce the liquid.
While there are no bear bile farms in Malaysia, bear bile is consumed locally. Bear gall bladder, bear bile capsules and other bile products are sold illegally in traditional medicine stores.
Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) founder and chief executive officer Wong Siew Te said natives, particularly in Borneo, traditionally believe that the Sun Bear’s bile ejects itself out of the gall bladder and spreads inside a bear’s body, healing injuries in a fall.
“Sun Bears can climb high up on trees and normally climb down slowly from the tree. However when they encounter human encroachment in the forest when they are on a tree, they tend to slide down quickly or even drop themselves from the tree. They then recover quickly and go about their day.
“This has erroneously made people believe that the phenomenon is due to the power of the Sun Bear bile that spreads within the body and heals the bears, allowing them to recover instantly.
“This is why Sun Bears are traditionally hunted in the wild for their bile, apart from their meat,” Wong said.
With this demand, Sun Bears continue to be at risk of getting hunted in the wild, Wong said in a statement to create awareness on the plight of Sun Bears.
While the actual number of Sun Bears in the wild is unknown, its status as a Totally Protected species under the Sabah Wildlife Conservation Enactment and its listing as “Vulnerable” on The IUCN Red List are not keeping those after its bile away from the risk of prosecution.
BSBCC founder and CEO Wong Siew Te with rescued Sun Bear, Natalie. As cubs, bears are cute but the law does not allow anyone to keep them as pets. – Picture courtesy of BSBCC.
Under the Enactment, those found in possession of a Sun Bear or its product could face a fine of up to RM50,000 or a jail term of five years, or both.
Wong said Sun Bears are still hunted in Borneo for their purported medicinal properties, and cited a recent news report on bear meat and parts being sold at a market in Kapit, Sarawak.
Other threats that Sun Bears face include habitat loss and demand for the exotic pet trade.
“Sun Bear cubs are cute and there is demand for such a pet. To get a cub, the mother is killed to prevent hunters from getting harmed. Once these cubs grow, they become aggressive and it becomes dangerous to keep them as pets.
“This is when they are surrendered to the authorities. They lose survival skills when kept as pets, as this is something they learn from their mothers,” he said.
Bears surrendered to or confiscated by the Sabah Wildlife Department are sent to the BSBCC adjacent to the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre. It is currently home to 28 Sun Bears.
Awareness activities will be stepped up once the BSBCC is officially opened to the public, tentatively by early next year.
The BSBCC is planning to hold a fund raiser on July 20 in Sandakan to meet the ever increasing costs of caring for Sun Bears in captivity and for awareness work.
Sun Bears are also sought after for the pet trade, but problems emerge once the bears grow older and become aggressive. – Picture courtesy of BSBCC.
The fundraising dinner with the theme “Big Dreams, Little Bears” will see Wong sharing with guests updates on Sun Bears, apart from an exclusive photographic art auction by Jonathan Tan and performances by Jaclyn Victor, Gary Chow, Pink Tan and Amir Yussof and friends.
A free documentary screening is scheduled for July 21 at the Sabah Hotel for 500 students, teachers and representatives of local associations.
The BSBCC is a non-governmental organisation set up in 2008 through collaboration of the Sabah Wildlife Department, Sabah Forestry Department and Land Empowerment Animals People (LEAP).
Major funders for BSBCC include Yayasan Sime Darby, the federal Tourism Ministry, Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry, the Sabah State Government and other foreign and local organisations.
To learn more about Sun Bears, visit www.bsbcc.org.my and Facebook page www.facebook.com/ sunbear.bsbcc.
June, 20, 2013 - 7:11 pm
Fallacy And AbsurdityWith the demand of traditional medicine seekers, Sun Bears continue to be at risk of getting hunted in the wild – BSBCC Wong
By Jaswinder Kler
SANDAKAN: Hunted for generations in the jungles of Borneo for the bile from its gall bladder and for food, the Malayan Sun Bear continues to be a target for the ever present global demand in traditional medicine and exotic meat.
The fallacy of the benefits of bile and the idiocy of humans is threatening the world’s smallest bear which is said to have dwindled in numbers by 30 per cent in the last three decades.
Asiatic Black Bears, for example, are kept in unimaginably cruel conditions in small metal cages and their bile extracted for up to 20 years, and then killed once they are unable to produce the liquid.
While there are no bear bile farms in Malaysia, bear bile is consumed locally. Bear gall bladder, bear bile capsules and other bile products are sold illegally in traditional medicine stores.
Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) founder and chief executive officer Wong Siew Te said natives, particularly in Borneo, traditionally believe that the Sun Bear’s bile ejects itself out of the gall bladder and spreads inside a bear’s body, healing injuries in a fall.
“Sun Bears can climb high up on trees and normally climb down slowly from the tree. However when they encounter human encroachment in the forest when they are on a tree, they tend to slide down quickly or even drop themselves from the tree. They then recover quickly and go about their day.
“This has erroneously made people believe that the phenomenon is due to the power of the Sun Bear bile that spreads within the body and heals the bears, allowing them to recover instantly.
“This is why Sun Bears are traditionally hunted in the wild for their bile, apart from their meat,” Wong said.
With this demand, Sun Bears continue to be at risk of getting hunted in the wild, Wong said in a statement to create awareness on the plight of Sun Bears.
While the actual number of Sun Bears in the wild is unknown, its status as a Totally Protected species under the Sabah Wildlife Conservation Enactment and its listing as “Vulnerable” on The IUCN Red List are not keeping those after its bile away from the risk of prosecution.
BSBCC founder and CEO Wong Siew Te with rescued Sun Bear, Natalie. As cubs, bears are cute but the law does not allow anyone to keep them as pets. – Picture courtesy of BSBCC.
Under the Enactment, those found in possession of a Sun Bear or its product could face a fine of up to RM50,000 or a jail term of five years, or both.
Wong said Sun Bears are still hunted in Borneo for their purported medicinal properties, and cited a recent news report on bear meat and parts being sold at a market in Kapit, Sarawak.
Other threats that Sun Bears face include habitat loss and demand for the exotic pet trade.
“Sun Bear cubs are cute and there is demand for such a pet. To get a cub, the mother is killed to prevent hunters from getting harmed. Once these cubs grow, they become aggressive and it becomes dangerous to keep them as pets.
“This is when they are surrendered to the authorities. They lose survival skills when kept as pets, as this is something they learn from their mothers,” he said.
Bears surrendered to or confiscated by the Sabah Wildlife Department are sent to the BSBCC adjacent to the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre. It is currently home to 28 Sun Bears.
Awareness activities will be stepped up once the BSBCC is officially opened to the public, tentatively by early next year.
The BSBCC is planning to hold a fund raiser on July 20 in Sandakan to meet the ever increasing costs of caring for Sun Bears in captivity and for awareness work.
Sun Bears are also sought after for the pet trade, but problems emerge once the bears grow older and become aggressive. – Picture courtesy of BSBCC.
The fundraising dinner with the theme “Big Dreams, Little Bears” will see Wong sharing with guests updates on Sun Bears, apart from an exclusive photographic art auction by Jonathan Tan and performances by Jaclyn Victor, Gary Chow, Pink Tan and Amir Yussof and friends.
A free documentary screening is scheduled for July 21 at the Sabah Hotel for 500 students, teachers and representatives of local associations.
The BSBCC is a non-governmental organisation set up in 2008 through collaboration of the Sabah Wildlife Department, Sabah Forestry Department and Land Empowerment Animals People (LEAP).
Major funders for BSBCC include Yayasan Sime Darby, the federal Tourism Ministry, Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry, the Sabah State Government and other foreign and local organisations.
To learn more about Sun Bears, visit www.bsbcc.org.my and Facebook page www.facebook.com/ sunbear.bsbcc.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)