Damai, Sun Bear Cub Diary - Explore in Forest Part III

Text and Photos by Chiew Lin May
The mysterious and world's smallest bear of the jungle !!
Below are variety of pictures of Damai, female sun bear cub which spend each day foraging, climbing and resting in the tropical forest. Some pictures just tell a story better than words ever can. Please help us spread the words of our forgotten species - Sun bear.

Sun bear, the world smallest bear, is also the most arboreal bear.

Damai is busy foraging for search of termites on dead stump until the wood dust also stick on her hand.

She is roaming at the grassland of forest.

Damai found her favorite dead wood for digging.

Damai is enjoy playing the stick on forest floor.

Eye see you !!

Damai is use her long and powerful canines to break the branches.

Using her keen sense of smell, Damai is very focused on digging in search for invertebrates.

...Thinking of want to climb this tree or not.

Damai was slept by biting the branch of tree.

Volunteering - Open Arms of BSBCC

By Amanda Shia, BSBCC volunteer: Feb 18-March 31, 2013
April 9, 2013
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One of the question laid in my volunteer’s application form was, “What do you expect to learn by the end of the program?”
That was two months ago. Frankly speaking, I knew nothing of managing, ecology or morphology of neither sun bears nor anything about them except for a general fact they are the smallest species of bears in the world. I went on volunteering for experience, for knowledge, to simply drop that barricade bricks of limited knowledge and take in information in, to discover more through volunteering under 6 weeks.
Welcomed by Gloria and Dawn on the first day! To be introduced to Thye Lim that gave induction on routines in the bear house and safety procedures to follow. In the bear house, formally introduced to David, Beyri, Lin May, Julian, Tommy and Azzry. Everything and everyone was new to me, and astonishing to know out of all the volunteers, I was the second volunteer from Sandakan to be volunteering there.
Daily tasks that revolve around the sun bears are food preparation, cleaning cages, feeding and making enrichments. With routines, practice to be efficient in those tasks gets easier. Trust me when I say that cleaning the cages were not difficult. It was built equipped with water basin and a basket for the bears to sleep. With their diet that consists dominantly by fruits, their faeces are not that smelly, amusingly the faeces are colour-coordinated sometimes.
It was a privilege, to be in very close proximity with the fluffies and cuties. It was a great opportunity to know more about the sun bears more than books can offer from the staffs. Throughout the period I was lucky to observed and be there for ‘little miracles’. The moment when Rungus stepped outside of fenced forest enclosure in Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) for the first time, followed by her group mate Natalie, Julaini and Ah Lun. Integration between Bongkud with other sun bears such as Rungus, Natalie and Julaini as well as Fulung. The youngest sun bear, 8 month-old Damai climbing tall trees and got used to sleeping on trees. These little ephemeral joys are so important for the sun bears as well as the centre, because  these are phases that prepare them and nurture their natural skills to survive in the wild by climbing trees, foraging and digging into soil and logs;  a chance for each of them to ‘be a sun bear’.
It was challenging and entertaining making enrichments for the bears. It was challenging by training up muscles I never thought I have by carrying heavy stuffs, unbolting and bolting, carrying bamboos, walking up a long distance around the forest enclosures and so on. It was one of those days I can proudly said “Yes people, I cut tyres.” The staffs and we volunteers made so many enrichments ranging from 2 different swinging tyres, 2 hammocks, swinging log, bamboos stuffed with fruits, a big water basin and more. The entertaining part was where sun bears played with them. It was enjoyable; having Fulung do a Cirque du Soleil stunt while swinging on the rope of the tyre swing. Mamatai is one of our favourite sun bears in the centre. With her cute stumpy figure, she tried to climb on the swinging log and to rest there is just pure adorable, even hopped inside the tyre swing!

Volunteers Ann and Amanda bolting the hammock swing.

Dawn and Ann also tried to make another hammock for the bears.

Tommy and volunteer Jeo Soon had to replace blunted saw blade 3 times to be able to cut the tyre into half!

I had the fair share of cutting tyre too, with Louise (right).

A stumpy figure of Mamatai. That won’t stop Mamatai from climbing high swinging tyre! – Photo courtesy of BSBCC

Fellow volunteers at BSBCC: (left to right) Steve, Ann, Thomas, Amanda, Louise, and me :)

Have a photo together with the other volunteers on my last day – Jeo Soon, me, Amanda and Thomas

Have a photo together with the other volunteers on my last day – Jeo Soon, me, Amanda and Thomas.
It was a blessing, to meet incredible staffs. Right from Wong, to staffs Gloria, Wai Pak, Dawn, Thye Lim, Lin May, bear keepers David and Beyri, general workers Julian, Azzry and Tommy as well as volunteers who walked in to help the centre. They have been the backbone of the centre; taking responsibilities to care the welfare for the bears, and they have been a great help in guiding me throughout the volunteering period. They made volunteering so much enjoyable rather than a burden. They are dedicated staffs, as well as lovely friends.
It was like a mini travel pocket, getting to know volunteers who came from around the world in one similar aim like mine. Both Steve (UK) and Ann (Belgium) carried young spirits, never dimmed or hesitated in getting their hands down and dirty making hammocks and swinging logs. Amanda Pauli (US) and Thomas (UK) are wonderful people who dedicated their career helping out children, utilising their break by volunteering around.  Lee Jeo Soon (Korea), a to-be vet doctor; does not mind breaking a sweat making enrichments under the hot scorching sun. Louise, a great company to be for everyone and surprisingly enjoyed cutting tyres the most. I had fun with everyone; get to know them more from their respected countries.

Figure 2 from Top (Clockwise): Dawn, Amanda Pauli, Thomas, Louise, Lin May, Thye Lim, Wong, Jeo Soon, Me and Gloria. – Photo Courtesy of BSBCC.

The last day:Everyone! Except Wong who left for Singapore and Thye Lim (the photographer)

Until the very last day, I left the centre knowing so much and learnt a lot about how conservation works and needs more work and awareness to come by before opening for public to visit. It is kind of sad to miss out more of the sun bears’ development like Damai and progress of stepping out into the enclosure for the first time, as well as being steps away from being candidates for release. These achievements I will miss, but I will come back to visit to catch up soon.
These respected staffs are dedicated to their work to bring this developed centre a safe haven for the rescued sun bears. Not only for saving their population an endangered species, but a second chance to live. They top that off with tasks creating a global awareness of the little known bears. What they do need aside from funds and donations are the local volunteers. At first I thought it was a privilege and unique to be one of the first locals to volunteer. Now that I think about it, local people should take part by volunteering to not only aware the existence of this species in our beautiful Borneo land, but to acknowledge them, protect them by being against poaching or body parts trade, and be in any way of help to tell, share, spread word. By being hands on and practical to conserve at the centre, locals will be more impacted and realize that one man’s action could do so much to help.

Damai, Sun Bear Cub Diary -

How do Damai react when encounter with "stranger" ?

Text, Photo and Video by Chiew Lin May

A mother sun bear will defend and takes good care to protect her cubs from every disaster. Sun bear cubs depends and stay with their mum for about two years. Damai, the recently born 9 months old sun bear cub was rescued by Sabah Wildlife Department and sent to Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC), which became an orphan sun bear cub without her mother’s care. Hence, our BSBCC staffs provide her amount of care. Damai is doing well and had learnt how to survive in these wildlife surroundings. It is difficult to justify how a sun bear will react to sustain survival of its life when encounterring predators. Predators of the sun bears include clouded leopards, reticulated pythons, other bears and humans.
During a walk with Damai in the Kabili – Sepilok Forest Reserve, Sabah, she encounter many “strangers”. Example, macaques, infant orang utan, dog, and various sound from the forest (branches fall sound, birds sound, Bornean Gibbon long call sound, macaques jumping between tree or call sound, another sun bear’s barking sound from BSBCC's bear house etc.)
What will Damai do and react when encounter with the “strangers”?
Damai will be alert to know where is the sound come from. Then, Damai will stand on hind legs to treaten “strangers” by looking bigger than the “strangers”. Aside from that, Damai will create barking and huffing sound which will frighten the “strangers". She also will show her sharp claws to their “strangers” to scare them away. Moreover, Damai will climb on trees to escape and continue barking, using barking as weapons. This definitely is a sign of aggressiveness and display a strong warning to the “strangers”!! If the animals do not harm and disturb Damai, she will just let them be there and occupy herself with her digging or foraging.
However, her real mother would have jumped in front of her to protect her from any sorts of danger or harm. This also serves as an important reminder that although sun bear cubs are adorable and cute but they need to face many challenges to survive. Please DO NOT kills their mother and keeps sun bear cubs as your PETS!!
Find out more by watching this short video and please help us spread the words and share this video.

Animal stories to raise environmental awareness among children

Text by Gloria Ganang
Raising environmental awareness to children through storytelling about animals. A brilliant approach for kids to understand about the importance of environmental protection. Joyce Malmo, author of this book volunteered in Borneo and went through tough experiences. This has changed her perspective about the world around her and she was inspired to share the amazing environmental stories to the children.
Teachers, guardians and parents out there, check out these amazing animals stories and share them to the children. It also features the story of one of our bears, Susie!
This book is currently for sale as an “eBook” as starter to generate enough fund to publish in paper format. Joyce is very kind to donate 10% of the sale to BSBCC for our education activities.
You can purchase this book online through this link:
http://www.story4environment.org/home/

Sneak peak on the story of Susie the sun bear featured in this book

Damai, Sun Bear Cub Diary - Explore in Forest Part II

​Text and photos by Chiew Lin May

I share this earth with you !!

Just a few precious moments observed, but so much learnt and so many expressions seen!! Damai have such strength yet are adorable.
Remember that she share this earth with you !! Please spread the words for sun bears to help us keep fighting for their survival.
Keep up to date on Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre news by visiting our website www.bsbcc.org.my

Look there is a Damai’s claw mark on the tree.

She is busy searching for her favorite insects.

She found a new termite mound and keep busy on digging.

Damai have a strong canines to tear up the tree bark.

Damai feel sleepy after tired explore the forest.

Damai is a very good tree climber. She spend lot of time foraging, resting and sleeping on tree canopy of rainforest.

Damai, Sun Bear Cub Diary – Resting on Tree and Forest Floor

Text & Photos by Chiew Lin May

An 9 months old female sun bear cub, Damai is an arboreal bear. At the Kabili - Sepilok Forest Reserve,  Damai spend a lot of her time in roaming, foraging, digging and climbing trees. However, Damai will take a rest on the tree and forest floor too. Most of the animals have their daily pattern of resting and activities. Like other animals, Damai also give her brain and body a rest too. Damai will sleep on relax mode.  Sometimes if the weather is too hot, Damai prefer to take a rest on the tree rather than foraging for food.
An accomplished a good climber and a tree- dwelling, Damai has been spending most of her day on tall trees over 7 meters height above the jungle floor. Due to sun bears live in tropical temperatures, they do not hibernate like other bears do, as the warm and humid temperatures allow sun bears to find food all year long.
Sun bear cub will stay close with their mother for a long time. For a sun bear cub like Damai, she will sleep with her mother in the tree cave. It was so beautiful and awesome to watch Damai sleep. When you see her, please remember there are many orphans sun bears that have lost their mothers to poachers. Help save the sun bears!!
Here are couples of photos showed how Damai rest and sleep on the tree and forest floor with difference postures.

Damai loves to lay upon the tree tops when the weather is too hot.

Damai is an arboreal sun bear. She can climb and spend lot of time in the forest canopy.

Take a rest after spend the day in digging decayed wood and termite mound.

Sun bears do not hibernate because they live in such a warm climate.

After finish digging the dead stump, she find a comfortable place to take a nap.

It was so beautiful looking Damai sleep peacefully.

Expression after wake up from nap!! Adorable!

So tired until sitting down rest on forest floor.

Amazing!! She choose a fallen tree to take a nap.

RM2.1mil support for Bornean Sun Bear conservation

Saturday March 30, 2013​
http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=%2F2013%2F3%2F30%2Fsouthneast%2F12896396&sec=southneast#.UVaa_JPOw-I.facebook

BSBCC’s youngest resc ued sun bear: Damai, a seven-month-old cub, is seen chewing off decayed wood to look for termites to eat. She was found in a residential area in Damai in November 2012 by a businessman who found her wandering on his porch. Damai was then sent to the Lok Kawi Zoo before being sent to BSBCC.
WITH a distinctive pale horseshoe-shaped imprint on their chests coupled with their cute and cuddly disposition, it is easy to understand why anyone would fall in love with the Malayan sun bears.
Despite the fact that sun bears are a protected species, some unscrupulous people hunt them down for their body parts which are consumed for medicinal purposes while the cubs end up as pets. Over the years, this practice has tragically depleted the sun bear population.
Sun bears (Helarctos malayanus) are the smallest and least known members of the bear family and their population is rapidly diminishing in South-East Asia.
With the support of Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD), the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) in Sepilok, Sabah, has been working hard to right the wrongdoings of mankind. BSBCC has been rescuing sun bears which have been kept as pets and caring for them with the hope of releasing them back into the wild in the future.
BSBCC is a non-profit organisation initiated by the Sabah Forestry Department (SFD), Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) and a non-government organisation, Land Empowerment Animals People (LEAP), in 2008 to look after the plight of captive and orphaned sun bears in Sabah and to promote conservation efforts.
In 2012, YSD allocated funding of RM2.1 million for the BSBCC. A major chunk of the funding is being used to renovate an existing bear house and to construct a second bear house where the rescued sun bears will be relocated.
YSD’s sponsorship also includes the construction of a visitor information centre and opening the BSBCC to the public, which would provide financial sustenance to the BSBCC.
YSD governing council member Caroline Christine Russell said the foundation’s sponsorship would help rescued sun bears to recuperate and be rehabilitated in a safe and protected environment.
“When sun bears are kept and treated as pets, they grow into adulthood without learning the necessary skills to survive in the wild. YSD is highly supportive of BSBCC’s mission to rescue captured sun bears and promote sun bear conservation in Borneo. This will halt cruelty to these animals including the killing of sun bears for their supposed medicinal value and keeping their offspring as pets,” she said.
BSBCC chief executive officer Wong Siew Te said the process of catching a sun bear cub involved killing its mother.
“If the law allows sun bears to be kept as pets, it will only fuel demand which would lead to more poaching of sun bears,” he said.
There have also been instances where poachers left cubs to die, after killing their mothers for body parts. The demand for the sun bear’s bile and other parts especially for traditional medicine and even for delicacies is said to be among the reasons for the poaching and illegal trade of the species.
The Malayan sun bear has been classified as “vulnerable” in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red Book Listing of Endangered Species since 2007 due to its dwindling population over the past 30 years.
Sun bears do not breed well in captivity and due to their naturally slow reproductive rate, a female sun bear may only have up to three to four cubs in her lifetime. Thus, excessive hunting or capturing of cubs can easily wipe out the local population.
It is illegal to kill or hunt these bears under the 1997 Sabah Wildlife Conservation Enactment and those found guilty of rearing or possessing protected species such as the Malayan sun bear could face a mandatory jail term between one month and a year.
The BSBCC is currently home to 28 rescued sun bears.
The latest addition is a four-month old female cub that was found in a housing area in Kota Kinabalu in early November last year.
For more information on what BSBCC does and how the public can help with the sun bear’s conservation efforts, please visithttp://www.bsbcc.org.my.

Boost for sun bear conservation

http://www.selangortimes.com/index.php?section=news&permalink=20130328164457-boost-for-sun-bear-conservation
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Published: Fri, 29 Mar 2013
 
KUALA LUMPUR:  Thanks to support from Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD), the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) in Sepilok, Sabah, has been able to continue rescuing sun bears which have been kept as pets and caring for them with the hope of releasing them back into the wild in the future.

Five-year-old Kuamut walking on a fallen tree in the forest enclosure of BSBCC. The female, named after the town she was found in, was rescued in January 2009. She was found kept as a pet in a small iron-cage with two heavy metal chains with a brass lock weighing more than 2kg holding her down.

In 2012, YSD allocated RM2.1 million for the BSBCC.
A major chunk of the funding is being used to renovate an existing bear house and to construct a second bear house where the rescued sun bears will be relocated.
YSD’s sponsorship also includes the construction of a visitor information centre and opening the BSBCC to the public, which would provide financial sustenance to the BSBCC.
Sun bears (Helarctos malayanus) are the smallest and least known members of the bear family and their population is rapidly diminishing in Southeast Asia.
But despite being a protected species, sun bears are killed for their body parts which are consumed for medicinal purposes while the cubs end up as pets.
Over the years, this practice has tragically depleted the sun bear population.
BSBCC is a non-profit organisation initiated by the Sabah Forestry Department (SFD), Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) and a non-government organisation, Land Empowerment Animals People (LEAP), in 2008 to look into the plight of captive and orphaned sun bears in Sabah and to promote conservation efforts.
YSD governing council member Caroline Christine Russell said the foundation’s sponsorship would help rescued sun bears to recuperate and be rehabilitated in a safe and protected environment.
“When sun bears are kept and treated as pets, they grow into adulthood without learning the necessary skills to survive in the wild. YSD is highly supportive of BSBCC’s mission to rescue captured sun bears and promote sun bear conservation in Borneo. This will halt cruelty to these animals including the killing of sun bears for their supposed medicinal value and keeping their offspring as pets,” she said.
BSBCC chief executive officer Wong Siew Te said the process of catching a sun bear cub involved killing its mother.
“If the law allows sun bears to be kept as pets, it will only fuel demand which would lead to more poaching of sun bears,” he said.
The Malayan sun bear has been classified as “vulnerable” in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red Book Listing of Endangered Species since 2007 due to its dwindling population over the past 30 years.
Sun bears do not breed well in captivity and due to their naturally slow reproductive rate, a female sun bear may only have up to three to four cubs in her lifetime.
Thus, excessive hunting or capturing of cubs can easily wipe out the local population.
It is illegal to kill or hunt these bears under the 1997 Sabah Wildlife Conservation Enactment and those found guilty of rearing or possessing protected species such as the Malayan sun bear could face a mandatory jail term of between one month and a year. For more information on what BSBCC does and how the public can help with the sun bear’s conservation efforts, visit http://www.bsbcc.org.my.
​

Damai, Sun Bear Cub Diary - Explore in Forest Part 1

Text and photos by Chiew Lin May
Damai is one of the female sun bear cub rescued by Sabah Wildlife Department that sent to Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC). She is now 9 months old. Every time walk her in forest, she is very curious and loves to sniff the around environment, which is what sun bears love to do !! She is doing really well and glad for her! Here are some pictures just tell a story better than words ever can. Please help us spread the words and spread the loves.

More bear pals moving in to the new bear house

Text by Gloria Ganang

The BSBCC is in the process of renovating it’s old office building and the attached old bear house. But before this happened, 8 bears residing in the old bear house were moved out to the new bear house. This took place on the 4th April with the help of Dr. Diana Ramirez, veterinarian  from the Sabah Wildlife Department together with the Wildlife Rescue Unit team.

After the sedation procedure, the bears are carried out from their cages

One of the bears ready to be pushed on a trolley to the new bear house

Health checks were carried out before the bears were placed in their new cages

Carrying the Ah Bui to her allocated cage once the health check process has completed

Placing the bear in the cage

The moving process took 1 and a half days and all bears were successfully moved to their allocated cages. New residents of the new bear house are still adjusting to their new environment especially having different bears in their neighboring cages.

Amaco (20-year-old male), waking up to his new environment

Existing new bear house resident checking out his new neighbour

Some are calmly waiting for their new neighbours to move in

We are very thankful that everything went smoothly with the moving process and we wouldn’t have done all of this without the help from Dr. Diana and the Wildlife Rescue Unit team. Therefore,  we would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their continuous support towards the BSBCC! Not forgetting our volunteers that worked so hard to help us run the daily operations while we were busy moving our babies! Your passion in helping us is always appreciated!