Sun Bear Cub Confiscated and Handed Over to BSBCC.

Date: March 26th 2014

Text by Ng Bee Ying & photo by Jocelyn Stokes

On the 24th March 2014, Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) received a new sun bear cub. Mr. Wong Siew Te, Founder & CEO of BSBCC and his team awaited the cub with great excitement, wondering how the bear is and what is the story behind this orphaned cub.



BSBCC team transferring the newly arrived sun bear cub out from the Sabah Wildlife Department vehicle



Wong observing the newly arrived cub



Wong and his team carefully carrying the cub in her translocation cage to the BSBCC quarantine area



BSBCC team carefully transferring the cub to her new cage to minimize stress to the cub



Now BSBCC has 33 rescued sun bears including this newly arrived cub. The cub moved in to a cage next to Sunbearo, a male sun bear cub that just arrived 2 weeks ago.



As she stepped in to her new cage, the new cub was pacing tensely in her quarantine cage, ignoring the warm milk, rice porridge and bananas that were prepared for her.



It took some time for her to finally calm down and exploring the dried leaves, climbing wood structures and food that was prepared by the staff in her cage.



When the cub was safely transferred to her new cage, everyone gathered and discussed about where this little cub came from

Like some of our confiscated bears, she was rear illegally by her previous owner, who bought the cub from a friend, in Ranau (West coast part of Sabah). Indeed, she was kept at the backyard of an inn for about 5 months.

Again, this is another case of a sun bear being captured and raised illegally by irresponsible people. Hopefully with the care and love that we offer to this cub would help to keep her healthy and ready to be released back to the wild one day.

We sincerely hope that people can stop having sun bear as pets. Sun bears are cute in the way they are and no one should take them away from their natural habitat. This will only be subsidiary to the interests of their owners, however it is cruel to keep any wild animal as pet and make them behave against their natural behavior.