Cannot Have the Sweet Without the Bitter

19/08/2017

Text by Nur Athirah Binti Asrif
Photos by Batrisya Binti Teepol, Seng Yen Wah & Chiew Lin May



Formerly, our rescued sun bears need to undergo some bit of challenges in order for them to endure the bliss of life in the forest. After saving them from captivity or just pure cruel cases, there are some assessments that will be done in order to cultivate their lives for the better. One of the tests includes fence training. Fence training is a prominent test for the bears in order for them to be released inside the forest enclosures. This procedure is conducted as to both teach and test the bears with the existence of the hot wires. This is due to the fact that the forest enclosures in the centre are completely surrounded by hot wires to prevent the bears from escaping, getting into fights with other bears and so forth.
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This time around, two of our young bears, Noah and Nano had their turn to be tested in the training pen. Before that, a quick sharing of some back stories of these two valiant cubs.

Noah, 'The Pretender', is a  1-year-old male sun bear. It was re-named as "Noah" by the bear care team which brought the meaning of being rescued. Noah was surrendered at Nabawan, an area which is located in the southern part of Sabah. He was mistakenly thought by the villager as a dog and was found in an orchard. The villager, however, took Noah and kept it as a pet, bearing the thought that Noah is a dog. She kept Noah as a pet but then surrendered him to Sabah Wildlife Department. He was rescued on the 19th of August 2016 and was sent to Lok Kawi Zoo. Only on the 10th of October 2016 did Noah come to BSBCC. The first time he came to the centre, he has signs that show dehydration and only weight 8.6kg. Furthermore, four of his milk teeth was found to be crushed off which affected his teeth structure and arrangement.

Next, is our petite spy, Nano. Nano is a 2 years old male sun bear. He was named Nano which brought the meaning of small and tiny in the Latin language. Before he was rescued, Nano was found being kept in a small chicken mesh cage. A lady saw Nano in such condition decided to end his unfortunate life and decided to spend RM 1,500 to rescue him from the seller in Kota Marudu, north of Sabah. Nano was then surrendered by the lady to the Sabah Wildlife Department and was sent to BSBCC on the 20th of November, 2016. 

The fence training was started with Noah alone, followed by Nano. A bit change of plan after a day of individual training brought them both together into the training pen. The food that was scattered inside the training pen includes bananas, papayas and watermelon. A stronger element was used which was the honey in order to attract these young bears to the training pen. 

Nano is trying to get inside the training pen but making sure his lower body still clings on the sliding door

Noah is licking the honey trail near the hot wire.

​​​During their first fence training together, Noah seems to be really active and adventurous. Once the sliding door is opened, Noah went out to the training pen from the buffer cage with no hesitation. He forages for the food and the strong scent of honey carefully on the ground of the training pen. Nano, on the other hand, is cautious and prefer to stay inside the buffer cage and did not engage himself to rummage for food. Nano occupied himself exploring the buffer cage alone. The first zap was endured by our brave Noah during their first day of fence training. Noah tried to climb the fence and got zapped directly on his snout. His reaction towards his first zap was only followed by a bark and no other aggressive acts.

Noah is exploring the enrichment (log) in the training pen.

 

​The following days of observation, Noah has the constant momentum and positive behaviour whenever the sliding door is opened. Noah is always the first to enter the training pen and ate most of the food in the training pen. Noah got zapped even more as the observation continues. However, Noah still has a very little acknowledgement of the existence of the hot wires. Noah is a very brave and is indeed a lucky bear! Most of the time, it is a close shave for Noah with the strings of hot wires. Although he is still unaware of the hot wires, he did not stop to enter and ventures the training pen. On the other side of the training pen, stood Nano, that watches Noah by the sliding door.

​As days passed, Nano managed to bring himself little by little to the training pen. Nano is a very courage bear too and always show improvement day by day by bringing bit by bit of his body parts into the training pen. The first gesture was that he licked the honey trail on the sliding door. Next, was that he brought most his upper body parts to the training pen while his under body parts is still remain clung on the sliding door. The pile of tempting fruits positioned inside the training pen has shown its capability in encouraging Nano to be fearless. Nano sometimes managed to take the bananas from the training pen and brought it back to the buffer cage and eat it. Once, Nano was in full of curiosity and tried to pull one of the log enrichment from the training pen into the buffer cage. However, things had gotten better for Nano as he finally received a full courage to step inside the training pen after 14 days of assessment. His entrance was rather brief and cautious but nevertheless, it was a really an excellent improvement. As the fruit trail was positioned farther from the sliding door, Nano was not able to reach the fruit which forced him to step inside the training pen himself.

Noah and are playing in the training pen while Nano explores the enrichment.

Clock is ticking and our lovely duo, Noah and Nano are almost ready to step outside and play in the forest! 

One Small Step for the Sun Bear Center, One Giant Leap for Sigalung!

16/08/2017

Text by Alex O’Keefe (Oregon State University Student)
​Photos by Sumira Muis & Chiew Lin May



Completing an internship at the Borneo Sun Bear Conservation Center (BSBCC) under Ape Malaysia has been a phenomenal and breathtaking journey. As I progressed through my internship I was able to complete and partake in a number of activities that have benefited sun bears and their conservation. Some of these activities include creating enrichments, structure for maintenance and the bears, partaking in feeding, helping educate the public about sun bears and their conservation needs and conducting observations of sun bears. My specific observations were done every day for two weeks to evaluate the readiness of a male bear named Sigalung to be released into first a training pen (an outside pen connected to the inside doors of the bear house) and eventually an outside enclosure based in the forest.  Having the honor to observe this bear’s progression from training pen to outside enclosure was for me exciting and something new. By the end of my observations, I would come to be attached and intrigued by the sun bear known as Sigalung. 

First before describing the progress of Sigalung, here’s a little background on his journey to and time at the BSBCC.  Sigalung along with a bear named Phin were rescued from a logging camp in Sipitang district, Southwest of Sabah. Likely orphaned by poachers, Sigalung with Phin were alone and would likely have been subjected to a cruel and painful life in inadequate captive conditions. Luckily Dr.Wong and the Sun Bear Conservation team found out about the bears and rescued them when they were (9 years old).  Two years ago (2015) Sigalung started training pen integration. It took him more than a year to actually come out of his inside pen and explore the training pen due to fear. Often bears rescued are scared and hesitant to explore anything outside of an inside enclosure as that’s the only environment they’ve ever been exposed to pre-rescue. After more than a year of trying every single day,Sigalung climbed down the ladder connecting to the floor of the training pen and explored around.  Following this moment, his confidence grew and his visits to the training pen became more consistent. Nearly a year after his landmark stride I started my internship at the BSBCC.

Two weeks in I began to observe him and his actions in the training pen. By the end of a week I had noticed a very predictable pattern for Sigalung. Immediately when his pen doors would open, he would climb down to the training pen walk in a clockwise circle and eat the food placed in the pen; all the while sniffing and exploring. By the end of two weeks I had concluded that he had comfortably and fully integrated himself into the training pen. It was now time to test our luck with the outside pen.
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Before our first attempt at getting Sigalung to commit to entering the outside enclosure, I put fruit and honey outside to entice Siglung into the forest. 



Here you can see me bring a bin of food to the outside entrance. Following this picture I spread fruit (bananas, papaya, watermelon) and honey near the entrance of the forest enclosure.


​​Once everything was set up we left the area and opened Sigalung’s inside and training pen doors connecting him to the outside enclosure.



Sigalung climbing down a ladder to explore the training pen.

Sigalung conducted his normal routine of climbing down and exploring the training pen. He would look at the open door leading to the forest then quickly move past it with haste signaling anxiety. This pattern of circling past the open door continued until we gave up and decided to try again the next day. The second day offered the same results as Sigalung displayed repetitive behavior comparable to the first day.The third day however, provided different and unexpected results.

The third day stared out similar to the first two days.  The doors opened, Sigalung approached the doors but never went outside.  He would occasionally army crawl up to the doors stick his head out and grab the food then come back inside to eat. Little progress was being made until a female adult bear named Mamatai in the neighboring outside pen appeared. She came directly face to face with Sigalung then eventually walked away into the forest. Sigalung, be it enticed or aggressive, tried to follow her until he reached the door.  He like before stared out but didn’t budge. Then all of a sudden he bolted out of the door and into the forest enclosure! Continuing to sprint, he for the first time stepped on the natural forest floor.   



Day 3 of outside integration: Sigalung’s first time in the outside enclosure. Here he is running around the corner away from the entrance and farther into the forest!

​His outside reconnoitering lasted for only five minutes as by that time he quickly ran back into the training pen then into his inside enclosure. Though only for five minutes, Sigalung had taken his first steps in becoming a real sun bear and thriving in the forest.  The next two days Sigalung went into the outside pen but only for a similar duration of time. Day six would prove different. Sigalung decided on the sixth day he would not only stay out longer in the forest but also explore farther than he previously had done. Sigalung ended up walking around the entire outside enclosure area!



Day 6 of outside integration: Sigalung’s last look at us before disappearing into the dense forest.



Day 6 of outside integration: Here you can see Sigalung exploring far into the forest enclosure.



He had finally conquered his fear of the unknown and is now enjoying the freedom of the outside enclosure based in the rainforests of Borneo!  Sigalung has truly come a long way from where he began. From capture to freedom, Sigalung can finally live out his days living as a sun bear should…in the forest.    

Life Enrichment for the Sun Bears and Myself

09/08/2017

Text by Syaqil Suhaimi
Photos by Chiew Lin May & Seng Yen Wah

One of the requirements of volunteering at the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre is that one would be required to write a blog entry on their experience during the program. I am tasked to write down about the numerous enrichment activities I took part in during my period of volunteering here. First of all, enrichment activities are defined as anything that would encourage the natural behaviour of sun bears which is essential for survival in the wild. Also, it is to decrease the sun bears’ stress levels and abnormal behaviour such as pacing and finally, it’s supposed to provide them with mental stimulation in the form of new challenges. On top of that, enrichment may be divided into short term and long term, whereby short-term enrichment are those that may last at maximum, up to a day, as the bear would have destroyed the structure built, or in most cases, eaten the food-related enrichment.

One of the activities I took part in was to make a ‘burger carton’ which is basically old egg cartons cut up and folded into burgers with ginger leaves spread with peanut butter/honey as the ‘patty’. This enrichment is one that is short term as it is very easy for the bear to destroy it and most importantly, it is food-related as sun bears love to munch on the ginger leaves (especially if it is smothered in honey or peanut butter!) Here, not only would the sun bears learn to hone their sense of smell, but they would need to use their claws in ripping apart the carton, which in this case is child’s play. 

 



Secondly, I got to install a hammock with the help of another volunteer, Georgia and my Buddy, Roger (he can be seen in the following picture). For your information, the hammock was made by a previous bunch of volunteers from Air Asia, out of old firehoses, so we had the pleasure of installing the structure for them. Installing it was actually challenging as we had to tie four corners of the structure at the top of the bear cage, which involved climbing up a ladder and this was an issue for me, albeit a minor one, as I have a fear of heights. Also, the fact that we had to lock each corner of the hammock with nuts and bolts from at an elevation added to the difficulty of the task as one of us would have to stand on a ledge in the cage – one wrong step and one of us could have hurt ourselves. Luckily for us though, we had an experienced Buddy in Roger who constantly monitored us so everything went smooth.
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As for this enrichment, it encourages the bears to climb and rest or even sleep on the hammock. Such a behaviour mimics wild sun bear habits as it is a norm for them to climb up trees and build their nests in forest canopies. This is considered a long term enrichment as not only would it be difficult for the sun bears to damage the structure, they would mostly likely use it for sleeping, as the structure is not too dissimilar from a sun bear nest on top of a tree.



As for the final enrichment, Roger and I decided to build a bear cot. The name is pretty self-explanatory – imagine a baby cot, but for bears. We decided to build a bear cot because it’s not an enrichment that has been thought off before and we felt that it would be comfortable and snug for the bears.
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Nonetheless, as fun as the enrichment sounds (trust me when I say that the building part was anything but fun), it does serve several important purposes in that it would allow the sun bears to mimic their natural behaviour in the wild. First and foremost, to the bear, the cot may function as a log in which the bear could take refuge in. Large hollow logs are also food sources for sun bears so what we would do is to place some dog biscuits on the cot and smother it with dry leaves so that that the bears would ‘forage’ for the food. 




Next, once placed upside down (or even sideways), the bear cot could be used as a bunk bed instead whereby one bear would be able to rest inside the ‘hollow log’ and another bear could rest on top of it – such a behaviour would enhance the integration between two or more sun bears. 



Once the bear cot was completed, we decided to place it in Chin’s cage as we felt that she’s behaved really well since I started volunteering here (besides being absolutely adorable) but mostly because she hasn’t had any enrichment in her cage. Next, as mentioned earlier, dog biscuits were placed on the bear cot before it was smothered with dry leaves, after which we filled the rest of the cage with dry leaves as well.





At first, Chin seemed apprehensive about the cage, but once she found out where the dog biscuits were she entered the cot and started foraging through the dry leaves. Roger and I were pretty nervous about her wanting to enter the cot in the first place so this sign was very promising. After about 10 minutes she started climbing around the cot instead of resting in it which I found very peculiar and adorable at the same time. Nonetheless, it did show that she was stimulated and that the cot made her active and very curious! 





​After about another 5 minutes, she got more confident to the point where she sat in the cot, as evident in the picture below. My heart was filled with delight to have observed this and at that point I thought that this was a job well done and that this was all worth it. 

​All in all, the experience gained from enrichment activities has helped me to build a new interest. Well, at least, it’s something I would want to upkeep in the future – carpentry. Honestly, building the bear cot was very challenging for me in that I felt lost frequently. But with the help of Roger and other Buddies such as Brandon and Nizam, especially by observing them, I gained confidence in going about with the structure to the point where I found myself working on it alone at times! Not only would it be a productive past time, I definitely consider it a life skill which I find valuable. 

Little Me, Little Bears and A Big World

08/08/2017

Text by Ng Li Shuen
Photos by Ng Li Shuen and Seng Yen Wah

Hi everybody! My name Ng Li Shuen, 21, studying Environmental Science at the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, Malaysia.

One month of volunteering at the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre has been a valuable and unforgettable experience. I was first introduced to BSBCC by my friend/course mate Darren who encouraged me to apply as a volunteer and as a companion for him during our summer break. We also attended the Wild Wildlife with Kancil and Friends event held by Malaysian Heritage and History Club (MHHC), where we got to meet and talk to Dr. Wong for the first time. Malaysia being one of the megadiverse countries in the world is losing its wildlife and biodiversity, thus learning about conservation and working with wildlife has never been a more crucial and timely task. In the hopes of uncovering how conservation work is done in our country and exploring my potential career path, I applied for BSBCC and anticipated the adventure that awaited me.
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It wasn’t long before I was working in the heart of conservation and it was a thrilling experience. Upon arriving at the Bear House, I met my buddy Brandon who briefed me thoroughly on the operations of the Bear House and guided me through all the tasks. Day by day, we worked alongside other bear keepers (collectively known as Bear Care Team) with a daily routine of cleaning cages, kitchen work (E.g. preparing porridge, fruits and vegetables, and other dietary needs), feeding the bears inside the Bear House and in the forest enclosure, fence checking and making enrichment for the bears. I also got to work under the Environmental Education unit where I’m tasked to interact with visitors at the centre’s observation platform, educate and raise awareness on sun bear ecology and the importance of not only their conservation but also of their forest habitat.

Outdoor feeding at Pen C. Once the bears have passed the electrical fence training, they are reintroduced into the forest enclosure where they have plenty of space to roam.

Feeding time

Me, Darren and peanut butter-filled fire hose.

Making egg carton enrichment!

Sawing belian wood for Nano and Noah’s bear house. It's hard work but hey, how often do we get the chance of using a saw?

Cutting banana leaves~

​As all volunteers are required to build a special enrichment for the bears, I designed a structural + food enrichment called The Heavenly Bear Tree for Phin, a 9-year old adult male sun bear’s enclosure. Enrichment functions to emulate conditions of the natural environment and bring out the bear’s wild instincts, it also helps reduce the time spent on unhealthy behaviours like pacing. Because some bears have yet to reach the criteria to be reintroduced into the forest enclosure, enrichments are important in the rehabilitation process especially for bears who spend a lot of their time in their dens. So, I thought why not make a tree in its den? This enrichment aims to encourage movement and climbing and enhance the bear’s sensory stimulus (E.g. using their tongue, claws and scent). Though I hoped Phin would climb the log, he climbed on the grills instead to get to the banana-filled fire hoses. My guess is that Phin probably doesn’t yet understand the function of the “tree” since he is still undergoing fence training (or maybe this tree is simply un-climbable XD) Nevertheless, it did make Phin climb all over the cage to get all the juicy bananas.

Here's me setting up Phin’s enrichment. Tying fire hoses filled with bananas and peanut butter through holes drilled across the log.

Climbing on top of the cage with Mizuno to secure the log. How exciting!

Darren (Bottom left), Andy (Top left) and Mizuno (Bottom right) were there to help. Ginger leaves were added to bring life to the tree (and of course, to get in the way of the bear)

Roar!

Voila, The Heavenly Bear Tree is completed~ Doesn’t it look heavenly hehe

Phin got excited when he smelled the enrichment from the adjacent cage. He finally got his treat.

Though some tasks were physically challenging for me at first, I felt myself grew stronger every day as the weeks passed. Believe me or not, I even have muscles (small ones la haha!) now from scrubbing cages, scooping porridges, lifting fruit baskets, sawing logs and woods, walking around the forest enclosure xP But if I were to be completely honest, doing all the physical work was so much fun and fulfilling. Challenging and proving myself wrong about my strength was what fueled me to keep going. And I must thank all the staffs, especially buddy Brandon for being so kind and understanding towards my physique and always lending a hand when I needed it!

Brandon buddy and me

During my free time, I like to walk around the bear houses to observe and admire the bears and recognize them. Brandon was always there to help me recognize special features like their chest marks, facial appearance, and behaviours. One day after work, I walked around bear house 2 to refill the water containers just to make sure the bears have enough water to drink over the night. The minute Linggam’s water container was filled, he stood up and started splashing the water onto his body and occasionally looking into my eyes and sniffed as if to acknowledge and say thank you! Something about this had me in awe that I left the water running for him as he continued to splash for a good 5 minutes. From then on, I grew fond of Linggam and so did the obligation to fill all the water containers in bear house 2! It feels good seeing the bears healthy and thriving in the centre. If it wasn’t for BSBCC, I can’t imagine countless sun bears being held captive and have lost their ability to survive in the wild.
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But what really made my whole volunteer experience worthwhile was how amazing the people here are. Everyone had been friendly, welcoming and caring since I first arrived. The staffs welcomed any questions we had and did not stinge on sharing their knowledge, experience and stories of the bears. And not forgetting my days in Bjorn Hala! From sweating through multiple power cuts to cooking and showering in the dark, feet chewed by the overly affectionate and adorable Miko, I did not even miss home. I sincerely thank the staffs for being so kind to us and treating us like family. Thank you for making Bjorn Hala such a homely place, I really felt a sense of belonging when I was here. No matter in the Bear House or Bjorn Hala, I will never forget the conversations, the jokes, laughter and stories we shared. Of course, not forgetting Darren who walked this one-month journey with me 😊

Miko in Bjorn Hala <3 span="">

And last but not least, or should I say, leaving the best for last! Thank you, Dr. Wong, for giving us this wonderful opportunity to be part of BSBCC. It has been an honour and privilege serving the bears and working alongside an amazing crew in a Bornean rainforest and engaging in meaningful discussions with you during our Q&A sessions! Despite being so busy, you never neglected us and took pride in having volunteers as part of your centre’s conservation efforts! The story of your journey and endeavor is truly inspirational and will always remind me that it takes not only passion but also determination and hard work to make your dreams become your vision and mission. 

Picture with the incredible founder Dr. Wong Siew Te aka Papa Bear, Wira Negaraku (My country’s hero), CNN Hero 2017

I was also luckily enough to be interviewed by CNN

Only after volunteering at BSBCC had I known the existence of this beautiful bear species in our country, only after volunteering in BSBCC had I known that world’s only conservation centre for the world’s smallest bear species is proudly situated here in Sabah, Malaysia. Only after volunteering in BSBCC had I met the most genuine, passionate and dedicated people that go out of their way to care for the bears and rehabilitate them back into the wild. Only after volunteering in BSBCC that I realized.. I really need to improve my Malay speaking.
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The main ingredients of successful conservation work, I’d say? A passionate founder and leader like Dr. Wong, a dedicated crew and a handful of curious and inspired volunteers/interns. Thank you again for opening my eyes to the world of conservation, for exposing me to the Sabahan slang and culture, for generously sharing your stories and experiences, for introducing the knowledge and insights on what it takes to conserve our Malaysian Biodiversity.

With them crew

You wanna work for the bear, you gotta be the bear! Top row: Chee Yoong (Left), Athira (Middle), Batrisyia (Right). Bottom row: Syaqil (Right), Me (Middle), Darren (Right)

Azzry rewarding me Linggam’s tag :D

Sun bears are currently facing the threats of deforestation, poaching and illegal pet trade. They are deemed the least studied bear but BSBCC is slowly changing that. I hope more and more people start to cherish our biodiversity and become part of what protects them. I strongly encourage anyone to volunteer at BSBCC because why not for an experience of a lifetime for a good cause!

Ending my story with a flashback and a quote that is now engraved in my heart.. In one of my last sessions with Dr. Wong, to answer a question asked by one of the volunteers he turned around to his magnificent bookshelf where he stores his treasured sea of knowledge, picked a book- Jane Goodall: 40 Years at Gombe, and recited:
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“Only if we understand, can we care. Only if we care, will we help. Only if we help, shall they be saved.”

It has been an incredible journey. Until then BSBCC <3 span="">

Love,
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Li Shuen