How To Use Enrichment
It all begins with an idea.
Text by Yu Endo
Photos by Yu Endo & Sumira Muis@APE Malaysia
My name is Yu Endo and I’m from Japan.
I volunteered at BSBCC for 4 weeks and learned many things about sun bears. I learnt alot about environmental enrichment, this is an account of what I learnt and how we thought of and ultimately used the enrichment at BSBCC.
I was surprised at how often we came up with new ideas for enrichment; we brainstormed different ideas for enrichment every single day. I was interested in using enrichment not only to reduce stress but also to enhance the sun bear’s natural behavior. For example in the photo the enrichment was designed so that the bear will rip apart the logs looking for peanut butter, this mimics behavior that the bear would have in the wild.
I also noticed how we used the enrichment differed depending on the individual. After observing the individuals behavior we tailor made the enrichment to suit its personal needs. After the enrichment was introduced we evaluated how effective it was by observing how the individuals interacted with it, this helped us to ensure that the enrichment was effective in achieving the desired behavior.
In addition to enrichment, I experienced a variety of things, talking with Mr. Wong, helping training the sun bears to return to the forest and so on. I really enjoyed observing the sun bears; they are very interesting and fun animals!
I’ m not good at English, but staffs at BSBCC helped me many time. Thank you very much! It was a very good experience for me. I hope to visit BSBCC again in the future.
Brave little Logan
It all begins with an idea.
Text by Seng Yen Wah
Photos by Chiew Lin May & Seng Yen Wah
Great news!
Logan has just finished his 30 days in quarantine and will be five months old in this June.
He was found at Lokan River, Kulu-Kulu Village, Sandakan, Sabah. His owner reported that he had seen Logan and his mother in an estate and claimed that Logan was left behind when he was following his mother crossing a river. He seemed tiny and his left front paw showed an injury which was covered in maggots and all hair was gone. The owner said he took Logan home and kept him in a small metal cage for around three months and fed him milk and porridge mixed with chicken.
On 19th of May 2018, Logan’s owner surrendered him to the Sabah Wildlife Department and he was assessed by their veterinarian, Dr.Nabila Sarkawi at the BSBCC. It was diagnosed that his left paw is malformed due to the injury which caused him the loss of the first phalange (bone section) of his thumb.
Logan has grown up a lot since his arrival and his body weighs now is 12.4kg. He enjoys every food that is introduced to him. So far his favourite food is honeydew, banana and milk.
Due to his left paw being malformed Logan has difficulty climbing. He very much enjoys every time he gets to climb but getting down is a challenge. He loves to explore his environment and the keepers always can find him in different spots such as on his hammock, the hanging platform, the big platform or resting on the log. Getting into the basket is a big challenge for him since he is still small and the basket is high. However, he likes to climb into the basket for resting or playing with the towel while his keepers are busy cleaning his den.
Logan is showing up on the hammock!
Logan is sitting on the big platform hugging a log. It is so cute!
The best resting spot!
The towel is one of Logan’s favourite toys and it makes him feel warm on a rainy day.
“Good Night, World!” - Logan
In the wild, a bear cub will stay with its mother between two and three years. But Logan has no mother beside him and feels insecure at times. He cries, howls and makes ‘Guk-Guk’ sounds to seek comfort and attention. The keepers spend time to play fight with him and teach him some of the pertinent skills such as defence skills. Logan loves spending time with the keepers as he is a playful and active bear. In fact, he is the one who initiates the play fight most of the time.
“Play with me! I am LITTLE but I am STRONG! See my canine. Roar! ” - Logan
Apart from that, keepers offer him lots of enrichment and different types of food. He loves digging and does not mind getting dirty. His body appears amongst many small pieces of wood and he loves to sit in the water container to look outside. He is a curious little bear.
This is a Gunny Hammock made by the keepers.
Logan is playing with banana skin on the Gunny Hammock.
He does not mind getting dirty!
Logan loves to explore.
Keepers introduce him to natural based enrichment.
He seems to like it a lot!
The log hose is bigger than him!
His favourite enrichment – Aussie Dog Ball!
He is curious about everything!
“I am so agile!” - Logan
Logan has a long way to go. He is brave and we hope he will gain more courage, confidence and strength. We believe he can make it! The forest is his home and he will be back in the wild sooner rather than later. His doughty spirit keeps him going on his journey to becoming a real bear!
“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” – e.e.cummings
BBC Wildlife UK presenter charmed by Sandakan wildlife scene
It all begins with an idea.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Tourism and Malaysia Airlines are jointly hosting international wildlife BBC UK presenter, Kate Humble who is currently on a nine-day wildlife adventure tour to Sandakan, Kinabatangan and Deramakot.
Humble’s trip to Sabah is a special initiative by travel consultants Wildlife Worldwide UK to feature Sabah as an off-the-beaten wildlife expedition package for UK travelers. The package is expected to take off later this year.
The highlight of the wildlife expedition will be the presenter’s mission to see and learn about the elusive clouded leopard which can only be found deep in the rainforests of Sabah.
Sabah Tourism had met Humble at the Sepilok and the Borneo Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) where she had the chance to meet and share insights with Dr Wong Siew Te, founder of the BSBCC.
“This place (Sepilok) is extraordinarily well set-up for travelers like me,” said Humble who was also pleased to see locals visit the centre.
“To be able to see 6-7 species of mammals within the hour half during the night walk at Rainforest Discovery Centre is really special!” she added.
Humble will also be writing her experiences for the Daily Telegraph UK.
Montom – beams with a lovely smile!!
It all begins with an idea.
Text by Chiew Lin May
Photos by Seng Yen Wah & Chiew Lin May
Montom arrived safely at the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC), after a long trip from the Kampung Melankap, Kota Marudu on January 21st, 2015.
The story reported to the Wildlife Rescue Unit was that their dog chased away his mother and she left Montom behind. He was taken and kept as a pet for a year inside a chicken wire mesh cage and was fed with the wrong diet. The owner was willing to surrender Montom to the Sabah Wildlife Department’s Wildlife Rescue Unit. During the arrival, he was stressed and weighed 26.8kg.
The rehabilitation process is long as it takes time for them to learn the vital skills they need to survive in the wild. This step begins with a period of quarantine to recover mentally from their traumatic years in the illegal pet trade, gain back trust and commence rehabilitation at BSBCC. With care and love from our bear team, he slowly recovers from the pain and trauma of being separated from his mother. His appetite is great and he is an active bear. He is quickly settling into his new environment and is getting a taste of the sweet life at the BSBCC.
Thank you to the Sabah Wildlife Department who rescued Montom so that he can have a second chance at living a happy wild bear life.
Since his arrival at the BSBCC, Montom has thrived. He made his first friend, Susie2 and enjoys the social play very much!
In Malay language, the sun bear is known as “beruang madu” (honey madu) since it likes consuming honey. The sun bear has an extremely acute sense of smell. He will become incredibly excited if he finds honey! The availability of tasty beetles, pill millipedes, termites, ants and invertebrates has caused Montom to love spending more time on feeding and staying in the forest. This is EXCELLENT for him! He can always be seen sitting and eating his food between his fore paws.
Chatting with bear friends
Having a good roll in the soil
Growling together!
Montom is quite playful and he enjoys play wrestling with Kala
He is one of the peacemakers and is a very gentle bear
He will normally find a nice shaded place to have a nap
On rainy days, he loves staying high up in the trees to cool off and avoid leeches!
Sun bears are very expressive! He loves beaming his big bear SMILE and thoroughly enjoys himself!
He has embraced everything about his new life
Way to go Montom! He is on his way to learn more skills that will help him return to the forest one day!
Meet Logan
Video by Chiew Lin May
Days 30: Logan successfully passed through quarantine and now experience as a wild bear
Orphaned sun bear cubs require extensive round-the-clock care with a balanced diet and forest exercise to help them grow strong and build confidence.
Little Logan is in good health and now weighs 11.90 kg. He has lost his mother at very young age and now has to learn by himself how to survive in the wild. He still has a long way to go through rehabilitation but he will never again live in trauma.Find out how Logan learns to experience life as a wild bear!
Please make a difference by giving Little Logan the second chance of freedom.
Little Logan Feeding on Pill Milipede
Video by Chiew Lin May
Wild food + Freedom = LOVE
Logan has developed his foraging skills in forest. He find out a pill millipede and munching on it! Crunchy!!
Mary as an Archaeologist
Video by Chiew Lin May
Sun bears serve as "forest farmers" by help mix nutrients in the soil to enhance the forest nutrient cycle.
One of our female rescued sun bears, Mary finds great joy in digging and digs like an archaeologist looking for grubs and termites!
Please protect sun bears from extinction. They serve important ecologic roles to maintain the health of our forest ecosystem!
Enrichment Gunny Nap Swing
Video by Chiew Lin May
Yay!! We have got our new gunny nap swing!
Watch how Kina and Sika are enthusiastic about exploring new enrichment together. Don't be surprised!
BSBCC urges government to combat wildlife crime more seriously
New Straits Times, 8th June 2018
by Avila Geraldine
KOTA KINABALU: Despite stringent laws in Sabah, many continue to use the social media platforms to trade endangered exotic wildlife as pets across the nation.
Raising the concern, Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) has identified Facebook and Instagram accounts offering sun bear cubs, civet cats, leaf monkeys, gibbons, leopard cats, raptors, hornbills and tapir among others.
BSBCC founder and chief executive officer Dr Wong Siew Te said the authorities would know about this and yet there are not enough action taken by them.
“I have reported my findings since last year and sadly it's business as usual for some of the people involved,” he told NSTP.
“If this continues, our wildlife will be gone soon. There are already many wildlife population affected by habitat lost over the past 50 years.
“The remaining wildlife population are barely hanging on to the highly fragmented habitat with a lot of poaching pressure,” Wong said.
Wong, a wildlife biologist, said most of the traders operate using private accounts and some have their contacts clearly stated. “They can be traced and contacted, if the authorities wants to.”
He urged the government to seriously look into this as illegal wildlife traders and buyers appear not to be afraid of the law.
“It’s time for change on how we look at wildlife conservation. The government needs to look at wildlife crime more seriously,” he stressed.
Wong noted that the BSBCC celebrated Sun Bear Day on May 16 to raise public awareness on the protection and conservation of sun bears.
But few days later, close to the end of May, he detected an advertisement that offered a sun bear cub online.
Sun bears are totally protected in Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia. It is also a protected species in Sarawak.
Wong stressed wild animals sold were national treasures, adding they play important roles in the forest ecosystem.
“They are abducted and killed. If we keep quiet and choose to do nothing, soon our forest will become an empty forest,” he added.
Some of the endangered exotic wildlife being sold online across the nation. Pic courtesy of Borneo Sun Bear Conservation Centre.
Hentikan perdagangan haiwan eksotik [METROTV]
Harian Metro, 8th June 2018 by Avila Geraldine
DI sebalik ketegasan undang-undang hidupan liar, masih ramai individu tidak bertanggungjawab yang dikesan aktif menggunakan platform media sosial untuk menjual haiwan eksotik terancam sebagai binatang peliharaan di seluruh negara.
Lebih membimbangkan, Pusat Konversasi Beruang Madu Borneo (BSBCC) turut mengenalpasti beberapa akaun Facebook dan Instagram yang dikenalpasti aktif menawarkan beruang madu, kucing civet, lotong, siamang, harimau dahan, burung pemangsa, burung enggang dan tapir.
Pengasas BSBCC yang juga Ketua Pegawai Eksekutifnya, Dr Wong Siew Te berkata, pihak berkuasa berkaitan sedar berhubung perkara itu, namun seolah-olah tidak mengambil tindakan yang secukupnya.
Katanya, perkara itu sudah dilaporkan kepada pihak berkuasa sejak tahun lalu, namun apa yang menyedihkan transaksi perniagaan membabitkan haiwan terancam itu masih berjalan seperti biasa.
"Jika ini berterusan, hidupan liar kita akan hilang tidak lama lagi. Terdapat banyak lagi populasi hidupan liar yang terkesan disebabkan kehilangan habitat sejak 50 tahun lalu.
"Baki populasi hidupan liar lain turut terancam akibat aktiviti pemburuan haram," katanya kepada NSTP.
Menurut ahli biologi itu, walaupun kebanyakan peniaga beroperasi menggunakan akaun peribadi secara tertutup, tetapi ada juga yang meletakkan identiti mereka dengan jelas dan akan memudahkan mereka dikesan dan dihubungi oleh pihak berkuasa.
ANTARA haiwan eksotik yang diperdagangkan di sosial media. FOTO Ihsan Pusat Konversasi Beruang Madu Borneo (BSBCC)
Katanya, pihak berkuasa digesa memperketatkan usaha pemuliharaan hidupan liar itu memandangkan penjual dan pembeli hidupan liar haram kelihatan seperti tidak takut kepada undang-undang.
"Sudah tiba masanya untuk memperkukuhkan lagi usaha pemuliharaan hidupan liar. Urusniaga ini (hidupan liar) tidak boleh diteruskan seperti biasa. Kerajaan perlu melihat jenayah hidupan liar ini dengan lebih serius," katanya.
Sementara itu, Siew Te berkata, BSBCC menyambut Hari Beruang Madu, setiap 16 Mei untuk meningkatkan kesedaran orang ramai terhadap perlindungan dan pemuliharaan haiwan itu.
Bagaimanapun katanya, penghujung Mei pula, beliau mengesan masih ada iklan yang menawarkan anak beruang madu dalam talian.
Beruang madu dilindungi sepenuhnya di Sabah dan Semenanjung. Ia juga spesies yang dilindungi di Sarawak.
Tegasnya hidupan liar memainkan peranan penting dalam ekosistem hutan.
"Jika aktiviti sedemikian dibiarkan, hutan kita akan menjadi kosong tidak lama lagi," tambah beliau.
BSBCC gesa kerajaan banteras jenayah hidupan liar
Berita Harian Online, 8th June 2018
by Avila Geraldine
KOTA KINABALU: Di sebalik ketegasan undang-undang hidupan liar, masih ramai individu tidak bertanggungjawab yang dikesan menggunakan media sosial untuk menjual haiwan eksotik terancam sebagai binatang peliharaan di seluruh negara.
Lebih membimbangkan, Pusat Konservasi Beruang Madu Borneo (BSBCC) turut mengenalpasti beberapa akaun Facebook dan Instagram yang dikenal pasti giat menawarkan beruang madu, musang, kucing batu, lotong, siamang, harimau dahan, burung pemangsa, burung enggang dan tapir.
Pengasas BSBCC yang juga Ketua Pegawai Eksekutifnya, Dr Wong Siew Te, berkata pihak berkuasa berkaitan menyedari perkara itu, namun tidak mengambil tindakan yang secukupnya.
Apa yang lebih menyedihkan, katanya, perkara itu sudah dilaporkan kepada pihak berkuasa sejak tahun lalu, namun transaksi perniagaan membabitkan haiwan terancam itu masih berjalan seperti biasa.
"Jika ini berterusan, hidupan liar kita akan hilang tidak lama lagi, terdapat banyak lagi hidupan liar yang terkesan disebabkan kehilangan habitat sejak 50 tahun lalu.
"Baki hidupan liar lain turut terancam akibat kegiatan pemburuan haram," katanya kepada NSTP.
Menurut ahli biologi itu, walaupun kebanyakan peniaga beroperasi menggunakan akaun peribadi secara tertutup, ada juga yang meletakkan identiti mereka dengan jelas dan akan memudahkan mereka dikesan serta dihubungi oleh pihak berkuasa.
Katanya, pihak berkuasa digesa memperketatkan usaha pemuliharaan hidupan liar memandangkan penjual dan pembeli hidupan liar haram kelihatan seperti tidak takut kepada undang-undang.
"Sudah tiba masanya untuk memperkukuhkan lagi usaha pemuliharaan hidupan liar. Urus niaga ini (hidupan liar) tidak boleh diteruskan seperti biasa, kerajaan perlu melihat jenayah hidupan liar ini dengan lebih serius," katanya.
Sementara itu, Siew Te berkata BSBCC menyambut Hari Beruang Madu setiap 16
Mei untuk meningkatkan kesedaran orang ramai terhadap perlindungan dan pemuliharaan haiwan itu.
Bagaimanapun, katanya, penghujung Mei lalu beliau mengesan masih ada iklan yang menawarkan anak beruang madu untuk jualan dalam talian meskipun spesies itu dilindungi sepenuhnya di Sabah, Sarawak dan Semenanjung.
Tegas Siew Te, hidupan liar memainkan peranan penting dalam ekosistem hutan dan jika kegiatan mengeksploitasi hidupan liat terus dibiarkan, hutan negara akan menjadi kosong tidak lama lagi.
Beruang madu borneo
Live in Each Other’s Pocket - Cerah and Jelita
Text by Seng Yen Wah
Photos by Chiew Lin May & Seng Yen Wah
Cerah and Jelita are best bear friends. They always spend time together. They came to BSBCC from Lok Kawi Wildlife Zoo in June 2007. Since they are inseparable people are always confused, who is Cerah and who is Jelita?
Cerah is an 11 year old adult female bear. Cerah means bright in Malay. She was just 8 months old when she arrived. Cerah has a fierce face due to her wrinkles. But just because she looks aggressive doesn’t mean she is. She is intelligent, cool, and curious. She is very cautious about strangers and prefers to keep her distance. She is happy in nature, preferring to spend time in the trees than on the ground.
Jelita is a 12 year old adult female bear. Jelita means beautiful in Malay and she is really beautiful. People will fall in love with her lovely eyes. She is the dominant one in the friendship, Cerah will follow her around whilst they roam, forage and climb. Jelita has a beautiful chest mark which splits like a wishbone on her right side.
In 2010, Cerah and Jelita moved from old bear house (now quarantine) to bear house 1. In the same year, they were reintroduced to a forest enclosure named Pen D. Before they could be released back to the forest, they had to pass the fence training. Fence training is for the bears to know that if they get too close to the hot wire or they try to climb on the fence they could get zapped by the electric fence. This is used to prevent them escaping from the forest enclosure.
In August 2015, Cerah and Jelita moved again from bear house 1 to bear house 2 and they were introduced to a new forest enclosure, Pen K. In order to encourage them going out from the bear den, their favourite foods such as banana, watermelon, honeydew, and of course HONEY will be scattered around the ramp and on the forest floor. Once the guillotine door opened, they get attracted by the delicious foods but they are hesitant about the new environment. So, they will try to stretch as much as their body out to the ramp and try to grab the fruits but still keeping their hind legs in the den so that they feel safer. After nearly a week, Cerah finally stepped out to the forest. And, Cerah was the first bear to step out in the forest.
Cerah and Jelita display their wild behaviour. They love spending time in the forest enclosure. Sometimes they like to stay in the forest overnight as well. They are excellent climbers and can always be found in a tree engaging in their favourite activities such as sunbathing and resting. After years of rehabilitation in BSBCC, they have learnt pertinent survival skills such as nest building. Both of them are outstanding at building nests using tree branches and leaves providing them a comfy resting place.
Sun bears are solitary animals in the wild. However, the limited space in BSBCC is one of the biggest challenges that we have ever met. Therefore, we integrate the bears. Integration is part of the rehabilitation processes. Other than to solve the problem of limited space, integration can let the bear learn survival skills from each other. Cerah and Jelita are one of the examples that show the advantage of integration. They depend on each other. If they were having a fight with other bears, they will back each other up and chase the bears away. Their inseparability is the signature of them. They love to stay with each other.
