11/23/22

A ‘Paws’ For Thought - 2 Weeks at the BSBCC

Text by Laura and Daniel Bowtell

Photos by Jacquelyn Jill Jepiuh & Jude Ailton George


We are Laura and Dan, a couple of 12 years, on a 3-month trip exploring South East Asia. We have been fortunate enough to travel all over the world, and have had the opportunity to see animals in the wild. As part of our trip we wanted to visit Borneo and felt a volunteering project with the wildlife would be an incredible experience.


We came to BSBCC with no knowledge of the Sun Bear, other than this was the world’s smallest bear and it was classified as vulnerable under the IUCN. We had no experience in animal management or conservation and only a perceived idea of what is possible to achieve with an animal in captivity. However, we were open minded, willing to work hard and excited to learn.  

We were greeted by a team of keepers who were engaging, informative and so passionate and caring to each of the bears. We were each assigned a bear keeper as a buddy, who we shadowed daily in all duties. This gave us real insight into the day to day role of a bear keeper.


The bears have unique, rich and quirky personalities. When interacting with them via feeding, building enrichment and providing medical care; we were able to experience these rare, precious and endangered animals in a way that is not possible anywhere else in the world.

Additionally, we were privileged to spend time with Dr Wong, the CEO and Founder of the BSBCC and Pradeep Aggi Gunasegaran, the Bear Care Operations Executive. These sessions gave us a fuller understanding of sun bears, as well as the wider mission and project to preserve these incredible animals.
As part of your time as a volunteer, you are able to build a larger enrichment for a bear or a group of bears of your choosing. One bear, Ronnie Boy, loved to sleep up high therefore we repurposed a structure to create a platform for him to sleep on. It was exciting to see him using this and gave us a true sense of achievement which is a lasting memory. 


Spending time with these bears was an amazing experience however we hadn’t anticipated how inspiring it would be working with local people employed at the centre. Eating, and socializing with the team gave us an insight into Malay culture, as well as the ability to learn some of the language. By the end of the 2 weeks we felt part of the team and part of the BSBCC family. 

Whether studying the topic of animal management or conservation, looking to make a difference in todays challenging world or simply want to try something engaging and new… volunteering at the BSBCC is for you! It has certainly changed us both personally and professionally for the better!!

Opportunity of a Life Time

Text by Tzea Sawchuk

Photos by Jacquelyn Jill Jepiuh & Jude Ailton George


Hi I’m Tzea from Canada. I’m 56 years old, and when I had the opportunity to travel and volunteer, I was excited to be accepted for the Sun Bear Conservation Centre. Don’t let an amazing chance to help and learn about these magnificent Bears pass you by.

When volunteering here you will be paired with a Bear Keeper, Oliver was my Bear Keeper Buddy. I assisted him with daily tasks as assigned, like cleaning the bear enclosures, meal prep, perimeter checks, enrichment items and varies sundry duties. The work is very full filling since it is all for the bears. Each day I learned something new about the bears and the staff are always willing to answer any questions I had. 



After seeing the bears each day, you can see the different personalities come through. The Bears are so endearing to watch. I was excited to assemble my enrichment idea with Oliver which was given to Itam. I was so excited to watch Itam climb on the log and find the hidden treats. It felt good to know that I was able to leave something to entertain her. 



For me, my volunteer time was very satisfying and I’ve learned a new appreciation for these vulnerable little bears. I look forward to returning home to share the story of the Sun Bears and bring awareness and importance of protecting them. I want to share how people can help out even when they live far away.

For your volunteering choice, I highly recommend coming to Borneo to enrich the lives of the Sun Bears and yourself.

Successful Dental Treatment for 8 Sun Bears!

Text by Dr Yeoh Boon Nie

Photos by Jacquelyn Jill Jepiuh


We are extremely grateful to the Veterinary Dentist Dr. Cedric Tutt (Cape Animal Dentistry Services), Dr. Serena Oh (Wildlife Asia Veterinary Services), Dr. Reza Tarmizi (Danau Girang Field Centre), and Dr. Nabila Sarkawi (Sabah Wildlife Department) for their kind assistance in the dental treatment provided to 8 sun bears from 10 to 12 November 2022. Together with our dedicated bear keepers, we are proud as a strong veterinary team for this operation. Each of us plays our role in anesthesia, dental surgery, dental radiography, recording and recovery monitoring.

This marathon of dental treatment was no doubt exhausting, but it is all worthwhile seeing the benefited bears recovering well and devouring good food as the chronic dental pain was treated. Each procedure took an average of 1 to 3 hours including intraoral radiography, dental charting, dental extraction, and root canal treatment if indicated. Sun bears that are aged more than 10 years old often have bad dentition including fractures and worn teeth with pulp exposure, which causes chronic pain and potential infection. A thorough examination with intraoral radiography is essential to access the tooth root condition. Root canal treatment is indicated to salvage the broken tooth and therefore maintain the dentition integrity. Teeth especially canine teeth are very important for sun bears in defense and food prehension.

This collaboration is significant, and we are thankful to the Hasanah Foundation for its continuous contribution to our Sun Bear Welfare Project including veterinary care. We will continue our effort to provide the best care to our captive Bornean sun bears. 





11/15/22

Fundraising from Yu Yuan Secondary School, Sandakan

Thank you Yu Yuan Secondary School!


We are very thankful for the teachers and students of Yu Yuan Secondary School, Sandakan for their fundraising efforts to support sun bear conservation work. A total of 40 students and 4 teachers visited our Centre yesterday to hand in their donations to us. The visit was welcomed by Dr. Wong Siew Te himself who gave an encouraging speech to the students to continue supporting environmental conservation.

We hope you had a meaningful visit and wish you all the best in your studies!











SK. St. Monica, Sandakan visit

We would like to say thank you to SK St. Monica, Sandakan for the visit today! As usual, the group was given Sun Bear talk and Quiz by Environmental Education Officer before going to the observation platform to observe our rescued bears.

They were happy to see the rescued bears around the forest enclosures. We hope they had a great time here and gained some new knowledge about Sun Bears, while helping us to spread awareness by sharing experiences with their friends and family! Once again, thanks for coming to visit us, and your kind donation and souvenir!




















11/8/22

15th International Conference of Asian Society of Conservation Medicine (Chiang Mai University)

Dr. Yeoh Boon Nie has attended the 15th International Conference of Asian Society of Conservation Medicine, held in Chiang Mai University from 25 to 28 October 2022. 

She also presented her research work on semen cryopreservation in Bornean Sun Bear during Wildlife Reproductive Session on 27th October. 

This conference meeting is a great opportunity to meet up colleagues and make new friends from the same field for knowledge and experience sharing.

Dr. Yeoh Boon Nie is presenting her master research entitled semen cryopreservation in Bornean Sun Bear. This research marks the first attempt of Assisted Reproductive Technologies in this species for conservation breeding.


The Malaysian participants in ASCM conference. Such a great occasion to meet many wildlife veterinarians, sharing of  experiences and knowledge. Good luck to all the 6 final year vet students, hope you guys can keep up the passions in wildlife conservation!


It is amazing to learn that Thailand has been doing so many Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) works in many endangered wildlife. Hoping for more collaboration in our wildlife conservation.


11/3/22

Group visits from Girl Guides, SK Simpangan and SMK Telupid

It’s been a busy week for us this week as we have received big group visits 2 days in a row after our outreach programme to SK. Nunuyan last Monday. These group visits are Girl Guides group, SK. Simpangan group and SMK Telupid group.

The Girl Guides group consisted of 223 pax that were not only from Malaysia but also from Philipines, Sri Langka, Singapore, Cambodia and Maldives. SK. Simpangan and SMK Telupid groups consisted of 53 and 34 pax of students and teachers, respectively.

The groups are given a short briefing about our Centre, followed by a guided tour to the observation platform to observe the rescued sun bears in their natural forest enclosures.

We are honoured to receive these group visits as they travelled from distant locations just to experience the nature and wildlife. We are also glad that we can spread the word about our efforts to save sunbears and raise their awareness about nature and wildlife conservation. We hope they had a great time here and gained new knowledge about sun bears and their habitat. Thank you!