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Outreach to IOI Plantation Luang Manis 25th April 2019

It all begins with an idea.

On the 25th of April 2019, IOI Plantation Service Sustainable Palm Oil Department Sandakan Region organized “Sustainable Outreach Programme” at IOI Plantation Luang Manis, Beluran. BSBCC along with Sabah Wildlife Department and Rainforest Discovery Centre (under Sabah Forestry Department) have been invited to make the programme a success and off course, BSBCC will not forsake the chance to spread the awareness and educating the palm oil plantations community there. A very interactive programme among the organizers, participants and community, the programme itself started with talk from Mr. Aznandy, representative from Sabah Wildlife Department, emphasizing on the conservation of wildlife, the conservation law and also the enforcement effort. Concurrent to the talk was the wildlife masks coloring competition with explanation of each ‘involved’ animal done by the Humana School Luang Manis and also a Community Learning Centre (CLC) to provide awareness and information to the children in the plantation. In addition, the RDC team done a roleplaying game for the community; a game called Eco-Shopping, aimed to provide awareness on proper waste management. Throughout the programme, exhibition from BSBCC and the other participants were running and attracting not only the students, but also the workers and staffs working in the plantation, in which we can wrap it up as a fruitful interaction between the participants and also the community. Conclusively, we can hope more programme of this kind can be organized to continuously educate and attracting more people to achieve sustainable development and conservation for both us human and the wildlife.

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New Journey for the Trio

It all begins with an idea.

Text by Nithisha Nair (Intern student, University Putra Malaysia Bintulu Campus)
Photos by Chiew Lin May

And so, the journey begins for the three new musketeers- Joe, Romolina and Logan- into the bear house after patiently getting through their days in quarantine.

Romolina, being the oldest of the three was kept as a pet before being handed over to our centre. Whereas Joe was found alone in the forest when he was three months old. A person then sent Joe to Lok Kawi Wildlife Park. The youngest of the three, Logan, was found on a Lokan River near a village who separated from his mother as she crossed the river leaving him behind. He was taken care for a few months by the person who found him before being sent to our centre. These three musketeers, being as young as they are, are nothing short of curious, explorative and energetic.

Due to the lack of space in the bear house, this group of sun bears ended up extending their stay a little longer than expected. But with the release of Boboi, Kitud and Tan-Tan on the 14th this month, new room opened up to welcome our trio.

The week started off with enrichment preparations for the sun bears. Lengths of firehose were used to construct a ‘zig zag firehose’ as well as a wooden structure that the trio will be able to use to climb and play.

Zig Zag fire hose in the making by Umadevi, Adrian, and Adneen.

This recreational enrichment will go a long way in diverting the sun bear’s attention from the stress they might face through switching homes. Besides that, we also extended our measures and collected barks, dead wood and sacks of dry leaves to be put into their cages for a more forest-like feel. The bears will also be able to dig their claws and teeth into the barks in search for ants and termites. Termites nests were also brought from the forest for the trio to feast on.

Dead wood and broken tree barks being carried out from the forest

Arrangement and decoration of the dens by Umadevi and Nithisha with the help of Adneen and Jeniur

Arrangement and decoration of the dens by Umadevi and Nithisha with the help of Adneen and Jeniur

Two dens were transformed and decorated to the best of our abilities to give the bears as much of a natural environment as we could, dry leaves, tree barks, ginger leaves and termites nest were all placed in the dens alongside structural enrichments.

Then the long-awaited day finally comes and the cubs were ready to be brought to the bear house. Translocation cages were used to transport them from quarantine to the bear house. Prior to the transfer, they are lured into the translocation cages by quarantine keepers using diluted honey. Then they are weighed before being put on to the car to be brought down to the bear house. 

Bringing the bears out of quarantine

Putting the bears into their new temporary homes

Putting the bears into their new temporary homes

The transfer started off with Romolina, who was no trouble at all to lure into the translocation cage and was quite calm throughout the journey. After Romolina’s transfer, Logan was next. Eventhough Logan was no fuss to get into the translocation cage, he seemed pretty anxious on his way to the bear house. Honey water and bananas were provided upon arrival to eradicate any stress caused by transportation.

All the other bears seemed very alert and peculiar to the arrival of these cubs but did not cause a commotion of any sort, which was great as any vocalization would’ve rendered the cubs more stressed. After the two bears settled down, they enjoyed exploring in their dens and was nothing short of curious and adventurous, sniffing every corner and climbing every angle. They also foraged through the dry leaves for bananas and tore through tree barks in search of insects to feast on.

Romolina and Logan exploring their dens

Romolina and Logan exploring their dens

After ensuring the two cubs were okay, we proceeded with a health check for the last cub, Joe. The health check was done in quarantine with a hand injected anaesthesia by Dr. Boon whilst being distracted with honey. After Joe was unconscious, a full health check was carried out to ensure that the sunbear is well and healthy. Joe was then brought into the bear house and put into a separate den until he was fully conscious and able to join in on the fun. 

Joe’s medical health check up

Joe’s medical health check up

Once Joe was concious, the three cubs didn’t waste any of their time before exploring all three dens together. They foraged through dry leaves and dead wood, climbed ladders hung on the den basket as well as on the gates of the den, and rolled around the dry leaves goofily with one another. 

Romolina, Logan and Joe exploring their dens in the bear house together

Romolina, Logan and Joe exploring their dens in the bear house together

Romolina, Logan and Joe exploring their dens in the bear house together

Romolina, Logan and Joe exploring their dens in the bear house together

Romolina, Logan and Joe exploring their dens in the bear house together

Romolina, Logan and Joe exploring their dens in the bear house together

The cubs will have to go through integration as well as fence training before their debut in the forest enclosure. The cubs can frequently be seen exploring their surroundings and playing around with one another, their playful yet explorative behaviour is one we hope they keep throughout their rehabilitation journey. Here’s wishing good luck to these cubs in their journey before being released to the wild, good luck musketeers!

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激動の2週間 The Tumultuous Two Weeks

It all begins with an idea.

Text by Shuma Noda 
Photos by Shuma Noda & Chiew Lin May

こんにちは。私は日本に住んでいる大学3年生の野田柊馬です。
Bsbccを知ったきっかけは、ぼくは、動物が大好きで特に、野生の哺乳類に興味があり、将来、自分も野生動物保全にかかわりたいと思っています。そんなときにとある先生からbsbccのボランティアを紹介してもらいここを知りました。そして2週間のプログラムに参加しました。
ここでの仕事はクマの餌の準備から餌やり、ケージの掃除、外の囲いのメンテナンス、エンリッチメント作りなどなどいろんなことがありました。その一つ一つは地味で汚いことかもしれません。しかしその一つ一つの作業がマレーグマの保全につながるすごく大事なことだと痛感しました。
 
Hello, I am Shuma Noda. I am a university student in Japan.
I love animals, especially I have a great interest with mammals in wild. I would like to work in a job related to conserving wildlife in the future.
I knew about BSBCC because of my teacher. He introduced me that BSBCC has a volunteer program, and I joined two weeks program.
 
There were many works to do for bears at BSBCC such as preparing meals, feeding, cleaning and maintaining their enclosures, making enrichment. Each work was simple, but I realised how important those works are for conserving sun bears.

僕はこのボランティアでいろんなことを学びました。エンリッチメントという方法でクマが退屈しないように、おもちゃのようなものを毎日違う種類のもので作り、それが野生に返すための訓練にもなるということやマレーグマがボルネオ島の生態系でどんな役割をしていて、そしてどんな大事な存在なのか、またマレーグマが人間によってどれほどおどろかされているか、それがどれだけ深刻なことかいろんなことを教わりました。
 
I learnt a lot from doing volunteer at BSBCC. For example, the role of sun bears in Borneo and how important they are for their surrounding environment. However the number of bears has been decreased by human beings and how serious it is. At BSBCC, giving bears different types of enrichment every day makes them not getting bored but also those are good tools for training them to release back into the wild.

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SWD Wildlife Education and Awareness Programme 2019

Education is undoubtedly essential in many aspects. In wildlife conservation efforts, it is crucial to educate all parties involved to maximize the effects of the conservation effort and to ensure holistic exposure to all of them, covering various ranges of community levels. As one of the BSBCC’s main pillars, education about the sun bears and the wildlife in general is one of our main priorities. On 13th and 19th of March 2019, Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) Environmental Education (EE) Unit teamed up with Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) and HUTAN-Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Programme (HUTAN-KOCP) EE units to organized two successful outreach programmes organized by SWD to SK Tanjung Papat II, Sandakan (13th March) and SMK Simpangan, Paitan (19th March). Aimed to raise awareness among the students and teachers on the conservation of wildlife and of course, for our part, the cute sun bears. The programme itself filled with various activities such as talks, exhibitions, interactive games and video shows to enhance the effectiveness of the outreach. For sure, we hope this will become a stepping stone for our effort to continuously educate people about our wildlife and ultimately achieving our objective to save and conserve our wildlife for our future generations.

SK Tanjung Papat II, Sandakan (13th March 2019)

SMK Simpangan, Paitan (19th March 2019)

As a continuity of the previous programme, on 8th to 10th of April, once again BSBCC’s teamed up with Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) and HUTAN-Kinabatangan Orangutan Programme (HUTAN-KOCP) to reach 3 more schools, aiming for rural areas on several islands around Sandakan. Organized by SWD, the outreach was carried out at SK Pulau Libaran, SK Nunuyan Laut and SK Tanjung Aru. Activities such as talks about wildlife and legal and conservation status, coloring activities, exhibitions and quiz were carried out in the whole programme at the three schools. It has been a very exhausting straight 3 days for the participants yet a very joyful experience to see the children showing their curiousity and enthusiasm on learning about the sun bears and the wildlife in general. Big thanks to all the warm welcome from all the schools involved and to the main organizer and partners for making this programme a success!

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Tadika Harmoni Mawar Visit 21-04-2019

BSBCC has been visited by a group of kindergarten students and a group of parents from Tadika Harmoni Mawar Sandakan. This time the visit is much more special; the parents requested guided tours to know more about the sun bear, and the result is positive! We are hoping for more visit like this to come to our centre to help promoting and educating the public of our sun bear.

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Wildlife Conservation Education & Awareness Programme (April 2019)

Children are well known for their curiosity for almost everything new and unique, and love for wildlife and nature should be shaped and nurtured at starting from a very young age. Knowing these facts, from 12th - 22nd April 2019, as a part of Wildlife Conservation Education and Awareness Programme Series 1, we, BSBCC’s Environmental Education unit organizing an outreach and invited our partners, Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD), HUTAN-Kinabatangan Orangutan Programme (HUTAN-KOCP), Sandakan Borneo Bird Club and Reef Guardian to continuously spreading the awareness on our wildlife to another schools in the district of Sandakan. There are six primary schools that are selected for this time. As usual, the whole programme filled with activities such as talks, interpretation, coloring activity and exhibition. The activities aimed to develop and inserting information among the children, in which become instilled in their mind, creating a wildlife-loving community in the future. Once again, we would love to express our gratitude to all the school teachers and students for the outstanding cooperation and also to our education partners for standing with us in our relentless efforts to educate our youngsters.

SJK (C) Syn Hua, Sandakan (12th April 2019)

SK Gum-Gum Kecil, Sandakan (15th April 2019)

SK Ladang Sandak, Sandakan (16th May 2019)

SK Kem Tentera, Sandakan (17th May 2019)

SJK (C) Tai Tong, Sandakan (18th May 2019)

SK ST. Mary Convent, Sandakan (22nd April 2019)

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05/03 – 20/03 2019, My 3rd year of volunteering at the BSBCC

Text by Peter Lowe
Photos by Peter Lowe & Chiew Lin May

Hi I am Peter Lowe, 68 years of age, living in Prague, Czech Republic. This is my third placement at the BSBCC and hopefully not my last🙂

Many people ask "why do I return?". The reasons are many!! I always come in March when the days in Prague are still short and mainly dull and cold, compared to the sun, heat and, mainly, blue skies of Sabah.

This is enhanced by the feeling of love, joy and dedication one gets from Dr.Wong and his team at the BSBCC. It is a joy and a privilege to be part of their team.

Brilliant way to start the day to be greeted with smiles of welcome that beat the brightest rays of sunshine. Dr. Wong's team and my fellow volunteers give me the will, energy and inspiration to return, plus of course the stars = the Bornean Sun Bears. They are absolutely adorable ☺I never leave with dry eyes and always have it in my heart to return 👍 plus each day I learn so much both from the team, my fellow volunteers = where they come from, their hobbies, cultures etc. and the bears = their habits, characters and how they have grown/changed over the years. These are just some of the many reasons why I return to this very special project ☺ I feel like I am coming home 👍☺

This year my fellow volunteers are,2 from Sweden Natalie and Milla,2 from UK = Pip and Jane, Shuma from Japan and Fang from Taiwan, an interesting mix of both ages and nationalities👍

After our initial induction with Azzry, Bear Care Co-ordinator and Sumira, Project Co-Ordinator, we went to the area outside the Bear House to meet the staff and to guess who is our respective "buddy". This year my buddy is a new member of staff, Adneen, who cares for the eldest bear,Amaco,27 years of age(this is quite a remarkable age when you consider they are the same as a dog,1 human year =7 Sun Bear years!!!) So Adneen has the eldest bear and the eldest volunteer =yours truly as his buddies.👍😊 
Afterwards I helped Adneen make an enrichment for Amaco=putting peeled bananas with peanut butter spread on them(his favourite)wrapped in ginger leaves then tied, sprinkled with curry powder(the bears find this smell irresistible)which we then put inside a plastic drum with holes drilled in it large enough for Amaco's paw/arm to fit in. We then suspended the drum in his sleeping den at his head height. He has had problems with his upper spine/neck and had become lazy to stand up. This enrichment is designed to encourage him to stand to get his treats out of the barrel. It was 100%successful as he emptied the barrel !!👍😊 

Adneen and I then designed a ladder using rope, lengths of fire hose, nuts and bolts, for Amaco with the intention to suspend some of his favourite foods at different heights, so he will use the ladder to climb and stand on his hind legs to get to them. Much to our delight his has been a complete succes.

Thank you all who make these experiences possible and the wonderful work you do, you are all so special and bring so much happiness to so many !!! I plan to join you all again in March 2020 !!! To anyone considering partaking in this APE Malaysia project DO IT !! You will not regret it. Yes it is hot, at times messy, hard work. However you will always remember the fun you will have plus this amazing, unique experience. Maybe, like me, after being part of this project you will want to return more than once !!

Induction with fellow volunteers,Azzry and Sumira

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Wild to Be - Boboi, Kitud & Tan-Tan Released back into the Wild

Video by Chiew Lin May

"It hard to say goodbye but it is their destiny!"

Three sun bears were released back into the wild in Tabin Wildlife Reserve on April 14th, 2019 after four years of rehabilitation at the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC).

Watch how Boboi, Kitud and Tan Tan have been prepared for their new life in the wild!

Orphaned sun bears who have been given a second chance of survival in the wild, thanks to your support for our work! To make a donation or find out other ways to help, visit the BSBCC website at www.bsbcc.org.my

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Wild To Be

Text by Seng Yen Wah
Photos by Chiew Lin May, Tee Thye Lim & Seng Yen Wah

One of the missions of the BSBCC is to promote sun bear conservation in Borneo through animal welfare, conservation and rehabilitation. Giving captured sun bears a better home and restoring their rights to live in the wild by enabling the rehabilitation and release of suitable orphaned and ex-captive bears back to the wild. In the past four years the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) has released four bears in the Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Natalie (16 May 2015), Lawa (24 July 2016), Debbie and Damai (7 March 2018).

The released candidates are independent, forest loving bears that are skilful in digging, foraging, climbing, and nest building (can be either tree nest or ground nest) and the most importantly they know how to avoid humans. Even though the sun bears have been made a totally protected species under the Sabah Wildlife Enactment in 1997, people are still trying their luck at hunting a sun bear in the forest. There is no acceptable reason for hunting a wild animal; however, it is crucial that sun bears must know how to avoid humans. 

We are pleased to share that we broke our record this year by releasing three bears in one go. They were released into the core area of Tabin Wildlife Reverse, in Lahad Datu, Sabah on the 14th of April, 2019. These released were Boboi, Kitud and Tan Tan and were all sub adult bears. Each bear has their own story and were rescued from different places within Sabah.

Boboi is a four year old sub adult male bear. He is the only male bear in the release group and the first male bear that we released in the wild. Boboi has a best bear friend, Kitud, she is a four year  old sub adult female bear. Boboi and Kitud were kept together in Singgaron Village, Ranau district. However, they originally were from Pitas, Sabah. Both of them were handed over to the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) and arrived at BSBCC on 30th of October, 2015. Boboi loves to spend his time with Kitud and he always feels comfort and security when Kitud is around. Boboi has a wide and bright chest mark. However, Kitud has a thin and incomplete “U” shaped chest mark. Besides, her chest marking another discernable feature is that she has brown coloured ears. Kitud is a curious and adventurous sun bear. She likes to stay up high and enjoys playing with the tree branches. Her daily activities are filled with climbing, digging and foraging in the forest. 

​Tan Tan is another four year old sub adult female bear. She came to the centre slightly earlier than Boboi and Kitud, on the 5th of August, 2015. Tan Tan was rescued from the remote region of Paitan. The person bought Tan Tan with the intention of saving her life. After that, he/she informed the SWD and the Wildlife Rescue Unit (WRU) who sent her to BSBCC. Boboi, Kitud and Tan Tan stayed together in quarantine. Tan Tan is a great climber, she broke the record at BSBCC for which bear has climbed the highest and she knew how to build a nest from just six months old.  

A day before departure, the veterinarian from BSBCC, Dr.Yeoh Boon Nie, sedated Boboi, Kitud and Tan Tan for a final check-up and the keepers assisted to transfer them to the translocation cages. The team cared for them well through close monitoring. On the 14th of April 2019, at 3 am, the sky still dark, but the bear release team and the bears are getting ready for the long journey of the day. 

Our founder & CEO, Dr.Wong, BSBCC Vet, Dr. Boon and BSBCC team perform a simple check up on the bears’ condition to ensure they are ready for the reintroduction.

The bears are transferred to the translocation cage.

Dr.Wong was checking the bear.

The bears are loaded on a truck and everyone including the bears is ready for the long journey of the day!

After the three hours’ drive, the team and the bears reached the Tabin Wildlife Reserve. However, the core area of the forest could not be reached by road. Therefore, the helicopter, model Sabah Air Aviation Sdn Bhd (Bell 206) Longranger Underslung took us the rest of the way there. A group of team members went on the first trip for the preparation and site inspection of the location. The site inspection is used to evaluate and identify the suitability of the release site. Then, the second and following trips included one group of the team member with the bears. 

The Tabin Wildlife Reserves

Everyone waited for Boboi, Kitud and Tan Tan to arrive at the core area. The first bears to be brought over were Kitud and Tan Tan together, then Boboi. To all be released together.  The team carried them with heavy footsteps. It is no easy job to release three bears at once. Everyone was getting tired and sweating a lot. Nevertheless, no one was complaining, because they know that it is totally worth it for the bears and this is what they want. 

The helicopter is carrying two bears in one trip!

Kitud and Tan Tan reached the core area of the Tabin Wildlife Reserves

Boboi was carried alone!

The team is carrying the translocation cage.

There were noises coming from every direction; clicking, rustling, bird song, and mammalian call. The rainforest smells earthy and the scent fills the air. It is a new home for them! After the four years of rehabilitation process at the BSBCC, now a new adventure and new chapter of their lives are just beginning. Once the door opened, Tan Tan and Boboi ran straight to the forest. On the other hand, Kitud was exploring her new environment. After few minutes, all of them disappeared in front of our eyes, into the forest. The feeling is complicated for us. But, we are so glad that they finally get the happiness they deserve! Their movement will be monitored via satellite collar. Be brave and strong Boboi, Kitud and Tan Tan! 

One of the pleasant smells for the sun bears is the scent of a forest. The taste of the true freedom!

Thanks for giving sun bears a better future! Your continuous support and contribution is greatly appreciated. We cannot do it without you!

The BSBCC truly appreciate efforts and assistance from all parties to our success. It was challenging but you all made it easier. You can help us by spreading the word or by donating at http://www.bsbcc.org.my/donate.html. Your kindness will help to give the sun bears a better future!

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