Text by Seng Yen Wah
Photos by Chiew Lin May & Seng Yen Wah
Great news!
Logan has just finished his 30 days in quarantine and will be five months old in this June.
He was found at Lokan River, Kulu-Kulu Village, Sandakan, Sabah. His owner reported that he had seen Logan and his mother in an estate and claimed that Logan was left behind when he was following his mother crossing a river. He seemed tiny and his left front paw showed an injury which was covered in maggots and all hair was gone. The owner said he took Logan home and kept him in a small metal cage for around three months and fed him milk and porridge mixed with chicken.
On 19th of May 2018, Logan’s owner surrendered him to the Sabah Wildlife Department and he was assessed by their veterinarian, Dr.Nabila Sarkawi at the BSBCC. It was diagnosed that his left paw is malformed due to the injury which caused him the loss of the first phalange (bone section) of his thumb.
Logan has grown up a lot since his arrival and his body weighs now is 12.4kg. He enjoys every food that is introduced to him. So far his favourite food is honeydew, banana and milk.
Due to his left paw being malformed Logan has difficulty climbing. He very much enjoys every time he gets to climb but getting down is a challenge. He loves to explore his environment and the keepers always can find him in different spots such as on his hammock, the hanging platform, the big platform or resting on the log. Getting into the basket is a big challenge for him since he is still small and the basket is high. However, he likes to climb into the basket for resting or playing with the towel while his keepers are busy cleaning his den.
Logan is showing up on the hammock!
Logan is sitting on the big platform hugging a log. It is so cute!
The best resting spot!
The towel is one of Logan’s favourite toys and it makes him feel warm on a rainy day.
“Good Night, World!” - Logan
In the wild, a bear cub will stay with its mother between two and three years. But Logan has no mother beside him and feels insecure at times. He cries, howls and makes ‘Guk-Guk’ sounds to seek comfort and attention. The keepers spend time to play fight with him and teach him some of the pertinent skills such as defence skills. Logan loves spending time with the keepers as he is a playful and active bear. In fact, he is the one who initiates the play fight most of the time.
“Play with me! I am LITTLE but I am STRONG! See my canine. Roar! ” - Logan
Apart from that, keepers offer him lots of enrichment and different types of food. He loves digging and does not mind getting dirty. His body appears amongst many small pieces of wood and he loves to sit in the water container to look outside. He is a curious little bear.
This is a Gunny Hammock made by the keepers.
Logan is playing with banana skin on the Gunny Hammock.
He does not mind getting dirty!
Logan loves to explore.
Keepers introduce him to natural based enrichment.
He seems to like it a lot!
The log hose is bigger than him!
His favourite enrichment – Aussie Dog Ball!
He is curious about everything!
“I am so agile!” - Logan
Logan has a long way to go. He is brave and we hope he will gain more courage, confidence and strength. We believe he can make it! The forest is his home and he will be back in the wild sooner rather than later. His doughty spirit keeps him going on his journey to becoming a real bear!
“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” – e.e.cummings
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