My internship experience at BSBCC
Text by Muhammad Faiz b Mohd Fikri
Photos by Seng Yen Wah
Hello, the name’s Muhammad Faiz Bin Mohd. Fikri or just Faiz and I am a vet student. My groupmates and I just finished our 2-week internship at BSBCC during our semester break in March. Along the course of our internship, we learned a lot of things and for the first time we were able to practice certain veterinary skills on field. We had the opportunity to conduct several procedures upon Kina (a suspected pregnant female bear) such as X-ray, ultrasound, health check, teeth scaling and we also recorded her body measurements. Dr Boon our resident vet also taught us how to do an internal parasite diagnostic test which is the faecal floatation procedure using fresh faeces we collected and also thin blood smear procedure. Luckily all the test results turns out to be negative!!! This is an indicator of how good the animal husbandry practice here.
All the activities we did were an eye-opening experience for me and it ignited my interest to become a wildlife veterinarian. All these are possible with the help of what I can call 'BSBCC family' where every member helps, nurture and educate each other in putting everything they can do in the best interest of the Bornean sun bear. Among the activities we did was preparing different types of enrichment for the sun bears which varies from food base enrichment to structural enrichment. We also did routine cleaning and feeding, fence checking, health assessment and so on. Interestingly, the diet of the bears here was luxurious with a vast variety of fruits and vegetables for the purpose of providing a wholesome diet.
Besides those activities, the other things that was done perfectly was the learning process or information transfer among the BSBCC team and also to the visitors and the volunteers like us. The information transfer process here really drew my attention as it made me realize the urgency of educating the public regarding the Bornean sun bear or any other wildlife. The most important resource you can employ to bring about change in this world is education. At the time being, it is very shocking for me that the Bornean sun bear is one of those least studied bear species. In short, what I can say is we need more of these establishments and more people with determination, passion, perseverance, and knowledge for a better world for both animals and humans.
The Greatest Gift of Life is A Friendship
Text By Seng Yen Wah
Photos By Jude Ailton George, Julamih bin Jainuddin & Seng Yen Wah
Our little Luna is growing up! Luna is a captive-born sun bear cub born on 20th May 2021 in BSBCC. Her mother, Bintang, is a seven year old adult female bear. On day 8, we noticed that Luna was less active than had previously been observed. After a quick check, we found Luna had a low body temperature, severe ear injuries and a skin infection. Due to this, we decided to separate Luna from her mother. We started to hand raise her and she only weighed 0.353kg at this time. After eleven months of day and night care, she had finally grown to weigh 18.85kg !
Luna has come a long way. We take Luna for a walk in the forest every day, where she learns and acquires skills. Luna shows her bear instinct and great potential like a wild sun bear. At the same time, Luna also has a deep bond with her surrogate mothers (cub keepers). And hence, we started introducing Kipaku, Itam, Betung, and Kukuton to Luna, as they could be her companions later. In the wild, sun bears are mainly solitary. However, integration can encourage positive behaviour in bears as they learn from each other.
It was not easy for Luna because that was the first time Luna had met other bears. Kipaku, Itam and Betung are sub adult bears. But three of them have different personalities. As a result, their friendship turned into a different outcome.
Kipaku is the youngest male sun bear in BSBCC. He is a playful and cheeky bear. He likes to wrestle with others, and he always wins with his size and weight.
When Kipaku first saw Luna, he was full of curiosity and chased after Luna. But his excess passion makes Luna feel he is rough which Luna does not like. When Kipaku plays with her and she will continue growling and huffing. Kipaku would initiate a play fight with her by sniffing, chasing, soft biting her but she cannot stand any of them. So there is always a chase and a run happens every time they meet.
Itam is the largest but friendliest bear in the group. When we first started integrating Luna and Itam, Itam showed her interest in getting to know little Luna and was always looking for and sniffing her. She approached Luna tenderly.
However, Luna began to greet Itam, pawing at Itam's face several times. But Itam remained patient and tried to get close to her. But Luna is too shy and ran around to avoid Itam.
Betung is a curious and observant bear. She likes to observe what is happening around her. But Betung is not keen on playing with others. So when she met Luna, she just came over and sniffed her, then she started to explore the environment and enrichment.
As a summary of the story of Luna making new friends, Luna prefers to be alone. She does not mind being around others, but it is okay to leave her alone. Her friends are getting to know her more and more, so they will give her space, and carry on with their own businesses. Sometimes they also get naughty with Luna. When Luna does not want to put up with that, she would warn them and stay away from them. Luna may need more time to make new friends. Perhaps, one day she can become good friends with them.
As well as Luna making friends with Kipaku, Itam and Betung,Kukuton also joined the group. Here is the story about Kukuton. Kukuton is a seven years old adult male bear. From 2015 to 2019, he was kept as a house pet in Kampung Taginambur, Jalan Belud, Ranau in Kota Belud. The owner claimed that she wanted to save Kukuton from being sold, and she had no intention of keeping him as a pet, but, as she was busy with her family, it took her four years to hand Kukuton over to the authorities. During that time, Kukuton was confined in a small cage. He was officially handed over to SWD on 13 September 2019. She paid the fine two years later when she admitted the offence under the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997 and was fined RM15,000 rather than be jailed for four months. Kukuton arrived at the BSBCC on 8 January 2022. Compared to his age, his body is small. He weighs just 18kg. The prolonged captivity has led to Kukuton exhibiting self-inflicted stereotypic behaviour. Integration is best for Kukuton to help reduce this negative behaviour. This is because the best enrichment of a bear is another bear.
Kukuton has shown a positive side in making new friends. He was usually timid and stayed in the corner, but he bravely took a step to get closer to others in the integration. He approached the others slowly and carefully. Kukuton can often be seen sniffing the others secretly. He usually starts to play fight with others. But the way he plays is rough, and only Kipaku could hold on. Sometimes, Itam and Betung also join the fight. As the days passed, the others slowly embraced him. And now, he seems to get along just fine with everyone else.
So lovely to see Luna and Kukuton finally have a group of companions. Luna and Kukuton can now be seen wandering around in the exercise pen with Itam, Kipaku, Betung. Their integration is fantastic. Now, they share their historical moment! We hope they will grow and learn all together. They are not too far from the next stage of the rehabilitation programme in the bear house. They are absolutely looking forward to moving to the bear house soon and seeing the forest again!
2 Weeks With The World's Smallest (And Cutest) Bear!
Text by: Sufiah Umaira' bt Noor Kamal Azlin
Photos by: Sufiah Umaira' bt Noor Kamal Azlin and Seng Yen Wah
After 2 years spending our industrial training online.. finally we’ve got the chance to do it physically. And choosing BSBCC is the best choice I must say! Two weeks being here is NOT ENOUGH. I learned a lot from all of the experienced workers & I’ve never felt any pressure from them. It was all fun and full of excitement to learn something new from them. Plus, all the staffs there were very welcoming & very friendly. I was amazed on how they took care of the sun bears’ welfare, giving the freedom for them to express their natural behaviour and Wawa (the sun bear) is now living happily in Tabin! We learned so much about the sun bears' behaviour, life cycle, current issues. I just love how the staffs introduced each of the sun bears based on their behaviour, the physical appearance while we were still struggling to recognise each of them.. but of course I recognise my favourite bear, Amaco, the legend! I really hope I can see him again soon if I get the chance to volunteer here again!
Being the buddy to Roger, together with Faiz was fun. Roger is a very well-experienced person, spent 7 years there in BSBCC. He always says, “Come on oyaa, tunjukkan wanita itu bukan lemah” while I’m struggling to saw the bolt nut. I learned a lot of survival technique from him too. We also built a “4-tyres-swing” for Joe, Logan and Romolina as a structure enrichment. Faiz was so happy when Pradeep showed him a video of Romo climbing the tyres, it was a success! It felt great to contribute something to the sun bears. The most fun part is when we made various fruit flavoured ice blocks with bananas, papayas, apples, & honeydew. It looks so yummy but unfortunately they are for the sun bears .
If I were asked what is the best part volunteering here, I would say doing the health check for Kina who was initially suspected to be pregnant. It was my first time to observe the procedure of a health check on a wildlife animal conducted by resident veterinarian Dr Boon. Dr Boon and the staffs taught us how to take the temperature, respiratory rate, heart rate and measurements of certain body parts. She also taught us how to interpret the X-ray and ultrasound images while Wawa elaborated more on the computed radiography. Other than that, we finally learned how to do simple flotation and thin blood smear (after 2 years studying it…). Never thought thin blood smear was that difficult but after a lot of practicing, finally we got the right technique!
In summary, we learned a lot here in BSBCC. I will miss working here with the very sporting staffs David (commando), Roger, Oliver, Pradeep, Logan, Mizuno, Ivan and others. Also, listening to Dr Wong’s story on how he open this centre (adore how passionate Dr Wong is not only towards the sun bears, but all animals generally), feeding the sun bears while listening to the history of the place and to make food-based enrichment while having a sharing session. I am very thankful for this opportunity. Thank you so much, BSBCC.
A Beary Good Time With BSBCC
Text by: Fairuz Hafizah bt Md Yusoff
Photos by: Seng Yen Wah & Fairuz Hafizah bt Md Yusof
Growing up, I have always found myself fascinated with wild animals. Something about them just strikes me as out of this world yet still very much grounds me to the absolute beauty of nature. Fast forward and I'm setting foot into my degree years in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, ecstatic to finally get the chance to work with these magnificent creatures. I didn't have a plan per se, but I did have a rough picture; essentially of me gliding through the semesters and then skipping to the part where it's all rose-coloured, Steve-Irwin-like scenes. Alas, Covid barged in and said otherwise. Online studies had me dissociating from the idea of actually becoming a veterinarian, much less one practicing in the wild. That being said, I was looking forward to finally going for my first internship, wildlife at that, and getting as much exposure as possible.
Choosing an industry was more nerve-wrecking than I thought. I had concerns of regrets, but upon landing in Sandakan, I knew, applying to BSBCC would not be one of them. My friends and I were treated with such warmth and camaraderie throughout the times we were in their hands. Everybody was such a delight. Being so driven too, I could actually feel the love and passion they have for their work; they inspire me so. One of my favourite revelations there was that in loving animals, these wild creatures especially, there is so much more to it than just pats and kisses. Sometimes the best we could do for them is what we do from afar. The serotonin may not come from hugging sun bears, but seeing them thrive in the wild, living their best life definitely does the trick and is more than enough. You're doing amazing, BSBCC! I can't thank you enough for those two weeks. All the times we spent together will be cherished dearly. Rest assured, I will be waiting for our next encounter in the future. See you again!
Joe, The Amiable
Text & photos by Seng Yen Wah
The story begins from...
One day, a person found a bear cub alone in the forest at Kg. Kipaku, Tambunan. He was just three months old. The person sent him to Lok Kawi Wildlife Park on the 12th of April, 2018 and he arrived at BSBCC on the 22nd of January, 2019. This cub was named Joe. When he arrived he was in a healthy condition. He is four years old now.
Due to the long periods of being kept in captivity, Joe appeared tame and attached to humans. He suckles his hind paws when he requires attention and does it more frequently when he sees humans. When kept in captivity, wild animals cannot behave as they do in the wild, leading them to develop negative stereotype behaviour.
Fortunately, Joe meet Logan and Romolina and they grew up together. This has been important for Joe to help him recover from trauma, put his past behind him and reduce his stereotype behaviour. From the beginning, Joe was a shy bear. Logan is the playful bear who always takes the initiative to play fight with Joe. Once they start to play, they can be playing non-stop! Compared with Logan, Romolina seems less interested in joining their play. Sometimes she will play too, and it is entirely up to Romolina. Integrating with Logan and Romolina enriched Joe’s life. He is no longer alone and now has friends! Joe has become open and clear. He knows how to make friends with others. Now he takes the initiative to play fight with his playmates. Joe has a good personality bear and is always tolerant of others.
On the 30th of April, 2019, Joe took his first step into the forest with Logan and Romolina. It was the first time Joe saw the forest outside. He was hesitant and afraid to go out. After the keepers encouraged him with treats he slowly explored the forest. He has adapted well to his forest home and has made good progress slowly learning and developing the skills needed for survival in the wild. Joe seems to know how to enjoy the forest’s life. He spends most of his day foraging. He searches every corner of the forest so that he never misses out on any food. After being busy foraging, he will choose a place to rest and sunbathe! Any place will become his favourite place to sunbathe. He likes to cover up his face when he rests. Even though he is covering his face you still can easily spot him!!
It is heartwarming to see Joe is improving every day. He is always bright and alert. With his kind character and innocent eyes, Joe can easily grab your heart. We hope Joe will gain more skills in the forest and become like a wild bear.