Happy New Year everyone! I cannot believe the year 2020 has
ended and we are ushering in the New Year of 2021!
I am sure everyone agrees with me that 2020 has been the
most challenging year for all of us because of the COVID 19 pandemic. The
pandemic has affected our daily routines, travel, economy, socialising and
livelihood. Worse are those unfortunate to have contracted the virus, fallen
ill and worst, lost their precious lives.
The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre too has suffered
its’ share of detriment. We’ve been closed since March 17th after Malaysia
invariably got “locked down” by different stages of Movement Control Order to
control the spread of the SARS-CoV2 virus. Eco tourism, key to sustaining
conservation efforts of our centre had been shut down but operational expenses
remained the same.
We are ever so grateful to our benefactors from all round
the globe. By your donations, adoptions, purchase of merchandise and
fundraisers, we have pulled through a harrowing year 2020. I cannot thank you
all enough, especially both Hasanah and Sime Darby Foundations. We have still
suffered a staggering net loss of more than RM900,000 in 2020.
We hope the Sabah state government can help us financially
until tourists return. As Founder and CEO of Bornean Sun Bear Conservation
Centre, I remain optimistic and tenacious sourcing additional ringgits and
cents to run the rehabilitation initiative. Quitting is not an option.
Looking back, 2020 has not been any less successful despite
harsh setbacks. I brim with pride and am
extremely grateful to the BSBCC family for sticking it out through thick and
thin tending to 45 rescued sun bears and keeping the gears of our operations
running smoothly. During mid-2020, I was proud being able to say that BSBCC and
Sabah Wildlife Department had not rescued any sun bears in Sabah for the
preceding one and a half years largely due to the success of conservation
awareness programs that BSBCC has been carrying out for the past many years.
We had successfully educated the masses on the legality of
rearing and killing sun bears. Unfortunately, good runs are not never ending;
in July 2020, the Sabah Wildlife Department rescued three sun bear cubs:
Kipaku, Itam, and the severely malnourished Betung.
We ardently endeavoured nursing them round the clock to full
recovery; most laboriously with Betung. The new arrivals have made the total
number of sun bears sent to BSBCC 65 since inception 12 years ago. Rescue of the trio during the “lock down”
especially worried me. It pointed to the possibility of a rise in poaching as
locals had lost jobs during the pandemic.
As for sun bear rehabilitation and release, the initial plan
was to release four sun bears in 2020. Unfortunately, the pandemic denied us
that sweet story. Notwithstanding, on July 10, 2020, we successfully released
Montom, an adult male sun bear back to the wild not far from where he had been
rescued in central Sabah. We monitored his movement for several months after
the release.
Despite movement and travel restrictions, we have kept busy
with awareness campaigns and education. I delivered 11 webinars to global
audiences and 2 talks in-person at Sabah prior to the pandemic; I appeared on
15 internet, radio and television programs; BSBCC and myself were covered in 45
newspaper articles and interviews on various topics. Easily the biggest
achievement was the publication of “Saving Sun Bears - One Man’s Quest to Save
a Species”, my biography with a focus on my life-long journey in saving sun
bears. It was graciously written by Dr Sarah Pye from Australia. An
international book launch organized by Sunshine Coast Municipal Council in
Sunshine Coast, Australia took place on June 5th, 2020.
We have delivered on promises made in conjunction with the
establishment of BSBCC more than 12 years ago. If not for the pandemic, we
could have done much more. So, the challenge for 2021 considering new norms is
to keep BSBCC running; so that we can continue rehabilitating rescued sun bears
alongside conducting education and research initiatives. In the very near
future, we shall release a few more rehabilitated sun bears back into the wild.
Construction of our new ticketing and shop building completed in December 2020
and will soon be functioning.
On this New Year’s Day, I pray for world peace, for the
pandemic to end soon and for everyone’s life and tourism across the world to
adapt to new norms. If the pandemic and wanton culling of wildlife has taught
us anything, humanity across the world should now understand the importance of
sustainable co-existence with nature. We must respect nature, keep wildlife
wild and live harmoniously with nature. If not, we are just setting up for new
pandemics that will vengefully devastate humanity.
Once again, I am very thankful to all donors, sun bear
adopters, fans and followers who help spread word of conservation and make our
work possible. Please keep supporting BSBCC and our work!
I wish you a Happy New Year! May the New Year bring
happiness, joy, peace, and safety to all beings on Earth!
Best wishes,
Wong
Dr (Hon) Wong Siew Te, D.J.N.
准拿督黃修德荣誉博士
C.E.O. and Founder,
Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre
Email: wongsiew@hotmail.com
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