Peter is back in Sandakan again! Peter is our returning APE volunteer who has volunteered his time at BSBCC multiple times. The team and the bears are always happy when he is around. Thank you Peter for giving your time and efforts to helping us. We will alwayys welcome you with open arms 🥰
Love, Barks and Big Bear Hugs🐻😍
Our 6 interns from University Putra Malaysia, decided to choose Linggam to do their enrichment project for. They made a buffet of puzzle feeders to keep Linggam mentally stimulated the whole day. This cleverly designed enrichment challenges Linggam to work for his food, encourage his problem solving skills and engage his senses. It also offers a delightful way to mimic natural foraging behaviours.
Thank you to Wardah, Ain, Anis, Fadlin, Nadia and Stephanie
for making this structure for our strong and handsome boy, Linggam.
Health screening program for all 43 resident bears at BSBCC! Proud of the team's hard work. Now, on to processing all the samples so we can have a thorough overview of each bears' health status.
Research plays an integral role in the conservation of the least known bear species, the Malayan and Bornean Sun bear. BSBCC is dedicated in the study of sun bears, both in-situ and ex-situ. Only with knowledge we can help saves the species from declining.
On the 26th February to 3rd March was a busy week for BSBCC
vet and bear care team. The team showed high commitment and efficiency in the
research sampling of all our 43 sun bears. The sampling procedure involved
anesthesia, blood and mucosal swab collection, physical and dental examination,
recovery monitoring, in house laboratory work, etc. We accomplished this
sampling with great success in 5 days. All bears recovered well with no
complication.
This research was done in collaboration with UPM and UNIMAS
for the health screening of the captive sun bears. A big shout out to Dr.
Nabila Sarkawi ( Sabah Wildlife Department), Dr Azalea Hani, Muhammad Farris
and Azman Asmat (UPM), and Mr. Lim (Axir Medical) to lend us a hand in the
sampling and laboratory procedures. We are grateful to Axir Medical that
brought us the hematoanalyzer machine, to facilitate with immediate hematology
analysis of the sun bears.
The sampling has been completed but the laboratory analysis
of the diseases and blood profile have just begun. There is a lot of work to be
done, but all this is worthwhile as this research can give a comprehensive
overview of the health status, and hence impact on the health management of the
captive sun bears.
Thank you also to all of BSBCC's donors for supporting our
work here at BSBCC that has enabled us to provide the best health care for all
our 43 bears:
Yayasan Hasanah
Kementerian Kewangan
Yayasan Sime Darby
On the 4th to 6th of April 2024, BSBCC organized a Community Field Trip from Community Tungku, Lahad Datu to Sepilok Sandakan. We already reached out to this community before to give them some exposure to wildlife conservation, about 16 participants joined in this field trip. They were brought to visit the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre, Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, and Rainforest Discovery Centre. The purpose of this field trip is to enhance their understanding of the groundwork of governmental organisations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in protecting wildlife species and their habitat.
Special thanks to WWF-Malaysia for their sponsorship of this
programme. Also, to Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre and Rainforest
Discovery Centre for the guided tour throughout the visit. Not to forget the
community of Tungku, Lahad Datu for their involvement and making this trip a
success.
Happy World Wildlife Day 2024!
On this day, 3rd of March, we are celebrating the World
Wildlife Day 2024 with the theme, "Connecting People and Planet: Exploring
Digital Innovation in Wildlife Conservation".
Let's hear the words form Dr. Wong Siew Te, on how we apply
digital innovation in conserving and rehabilitating the world's smallest bear
species, the sun bear.
"We hope through the material and equipment we have in
this digital world, we can help the wildlife even faster, effective and finally
conserve them and ensure their survival in our forest for long term", Dr.
Wong Siew Te, CEO and Founder of Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre.
As the sun sets on a decade of dedication, we gather to bid farewell to a man who has been the backbone of BSBCC, our senior keeper, David. For over 10 years, David has been a guardian of our grounds, a mentor to our team, and a father figure to all our Sun bears.
As you embark on your new journey, remember that your BSBCC
family is forever grateful for the years of memories, the lessons taught, and
the laughter shared. We wish you all the best, David!! 🥰🐻
On 22 Feb 2024, the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre and Noichi Zoological Park Association of Kochi Prefecture, Japan, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to establish a close relationship to work together for in-situ and ex-situ on sun bear conservation. Dr Wong Siew Te, the Founder and CEO of @bsbcc and Mr Yukio Hotta, General Chairman of the @noichizoo.1 have representing both parties to sign this MOU. We are please to have Mr Honda, co-Director of Noichi Zoo and Mr Motofumi Tai to be the witnesses for the signing. We hope the signing of this MOU will strengthen the relationship for @bsbcc and @noichizoo.1 to conserve sun bears in many ways. Thank you for being on board to save sun bears! Noichi Zoo does what they do best to help sun bear!
On the 21st to 23rd of February 2024, BSBCC organised a Community Field Trip from Kg. Dagat Kinabatangan to Sepilok Sandakan. We already reached out to this community in January 2023 to give them some exposure to wildlife conservation. About 20 participants, including 2 students of SK Tidung joined in this field trip. They were brought to visit the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre, Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, and Rainforest Discovery Centre. The purpose of this field trip is to enhance their understanding of the groundwork of governmental organisations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in protecting wildlife species and their habitat.
Special thanks to WWF-Malaysia for their sponsorship of this
programme. Also, to Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre and Rainforest
Discovery Centre, Sepilok for the guided tour throughout the visit. Not to
forget the community of Kg. Dagat Kinabatangan for their involvement and making
this trip a success.
Another day in the forest with Tenom 😍
What an eventful day today! Tenom experienced many different
things today - climbed almost 5 metres up a tree, found ants at the base of a
dead tree and had a cool down in the tiniest pool of water.
We love seeing her explore and learn in her natural
environment.
Again, we are grateful to all of Tenom's supporters for
allowing her to do so 😊
Yayasan Hasanah
Kementerian Kewangan
Yayasan Sime Darby
Bask Bear Coffee
Planet Wild
Today is the day our team has all been looking forward to! After countless tiring nights, meticulous planning, and unwavering effort, we have finally arrived at this pivotal moment: walking Tenom through the forest for the very first time.
Tenom, now approximately 11 months old, has grown into a
feisty and independent sun bear since her arrival. From the outset, she has
shown a strong preference for forest foods, particularly termites and other
insects. Her love for climbing knows no bounds, and she spends a significant
portion of her time exploring the heights of her night den independently.
Earlier this month, Tenom was transferred to the Tabin Sun
Bear Project base camp, where she became the candidate for a soft release
project that has been in development for quite some time. After several weeks
of careful observation, she has acclimated to her new surroundings. And today,
her dedicated caretakers took her out to explore the surrounding forest—an
event that filled the team with both excitement and apprehension.
Given Tenom’s curious nature and previous trial walks at BSBCC, we knew she wouldn’t respond to her name being called like some of the other cubs we’ve worked with. Our concern was that she might venture deep into the forest reserve, never to be seen again.
But we are thrilled to share with all our supporters that
the first exploration session with Tenom was a resounding success! As soon as
she stepped out, she immediately explored the area, wasting no time in scaling
the nearest tree. With her caretakers watching closely, she climbed every
available tree and even stumbled upon a log teeming with termites on her own—a
delightful find for a sun bear! Remarkably, she fearlessly attempted to conquer
a tree twice her size.
During the observation period, her caretakers allowed her
some space to exhibit her behavior. To our delight, even in her excitement,
Tenom would occasionally glance back at them, ensuring she stayed within a
reasonable distance. This behavior reaffirmed the strong bond she has formed
with the team.
As the day drew to a close, Tenom returned to her night den
following her caretakers, leaving us with a sense of pride and accomplishment.
Our little sun bear is indeed “born to be wild,” and we eagerly await more
adventures as she continues her journey in the forest.
Moving forward, our plan is to continue bringing her out so
she becomes accustomed to the forest environment around her. Eventually, we’ll
take her further to explore and develop the survival skills necessary for life
in the forest reserve. Our goal is to ensure she becomes confident and
independent. This is just the beginning of Tenom’s journey, and we are fully
committed to the success of this project.
A heartfelt thank you to each and every one of our
supporters for giving us the opportunity to dedicate our best efforts to
rehabilitating our sweet baby Tenom:
Yayasan Hasanah
Kementerian Kewangan
Yayasan Sime Darby
Bask Bear Coffee
Planet Wild
Thank you CLC Ladang Luboh for visiting us today! We hope they learned a lot from the visit and will help spread awareness to save the sun bears.
Ready to plan your school trip? Email us at
info.bsbcc@gmail.com
Sun bears in the wild are opportunistic omnivores that live in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. They use their long claws and tongues to find and eat a variety of foods, such as fruits, insects, honey, and small animals. Sun bears are especially fond of figs and stingless bees, which they can smell from far away.
Here at BSBCC, we provide a variety of fruits and vegetables
in their diet. We also provide them with enrichment items like termites, dead
logs with ants and seasonal fruits. Feeding times and spots are randomised to
allow the bears to forage for their own food naturally.
As always, a big thank you to Yayasan Hasanah , Kementerian
Kewangan and Yayasan Sime Darby for supporting BSBCC, allowing us to ensure
the best lives for our 44 rescued bears.
Thank you, SK Ladang Bode Kretam, for visiting us today! They managed to see seven sun bears roaming in our forest enclosures. We hope they had a great time here and gained some knowledge about sun bears. Together, we spread the word to save the smallest species of bear in the world! See you guys again!
Today, we welcome an official visit from the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture (MOTAC). The visit was part of a visit to development projects funded by MOTAC. Dr. Wong Siew Te was excited to give a brief introduction about BSBCC and share the past, current, and future development plans of BSBCC with the delegates. A tour to the observation platforms was done after the briefing, and they managed to see a few sun bears roaming around the forest enclosure.
We would like to extend our gratitude to the Kementerian
Pelancongan, Seni dan Budaya Malaysia (Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture)
for their support and funding of our centre. Together, we help promote
ecotourism and wildlife conservation.
