Sun bear conservation blog

Work Hard, Play Hard

30/5/2015

Text and Photos by Garnette Nawin

Hello everyone! My name is Garnette Nawin. I’m a 20 year old Sarawakian from East Malaysia. I am from Miri, Sarawak and I’m currently doing my second year of Diploma in Animal Health and Production. It was funny at first when I got lost searching for the BSBCC here in Sepilok, Sandakan, because everything that I had imagined was not as expected. Gladly my supervisor, Thye Lim, never got tired of me asking questions, and just by describing the entrance of BSBCC through the phone, he had successfully showed me the way to the visitors centre. I was so anxious and nervous as it was truly my first experience to be so far away from my hometown doing an internship about the Sun Bears. I was greeted by two very friendly staffs from BSBCC, Rahim (also my housemate) and Fairo, upon my arrival. They showed me around the visitors centre and the staffs’ office and had made me feel like home already. At that time Wong, the CEO and Founder of BSBCC, was not around so the other intern students and I got a short and interesting briefing by Tee Thye Lim, our supervisor in doing the internship programme. He introduced about the background of the centre and also showed us around the Bear Houses.

I got more excited when I got to meet two of the international volunteers which were Tom and Rica, the lovely couple that always warmed my heart with their sweet smiles and guidance. Although I only had the chance to work with them for a few days, they had already made me excited as I’d never had the feeling of working together with adults as a team. What more to say when they are from the other side of the world. Silly me! Haha!

Then, the most exciting part was when I got to see the bears at the observation platform. I have no idea that they existed in Borneo. All I knew was mostly about the Orang Utans and Monkeys. Yes, that’s all I knew. As it was the first time seeing the bears it made me ask multiple questions to Thye Lim and he kindly explained almost everything about them to me. Knowing that I would get the chance to work with the bears the next day had got me more excited. Haha!

Same goes to Lin May as the Researcher and the Reintroduction Officer. As far as I know, she would always be there when I have to consult her with questions and information. To sum it up, all of the staffs here at BSBCC act as a big family and would always be there first when you have any problems. Also, of course safety and healthy are always the “top” ranking being applied when we carried out our work. Work hard, play hard!

Working at the Bear House with the keepers and also workers that were under the bear care unit taught me a lot of unexpected knowledge. I got to know the behaviours and especially the personalities of each bears. Although there are only 35 rescued bears at the moment, I still had difficulty recognizing certain bears from a distance when I was at the observation platform as they have similar body size. Besides that, unlimited enrichment activities are given to the bears, whether it is in the form of food or the opposite way. The centres mission is to let the bears learn by themselves and our job is to provide them with as many things as possible. Each and every bear also have their own proportions of porridge and supplement. This is needed for the particular bears that have a health problem or injuries or wounds.

Working with the supervisor and the other staffs has taught me about punctuality and being disciplined in carry out every day work, even from other aspects. Of course, excuses are totally not allowed! Being here at BSBCC helped me so much in improving my communication and language skills, especially in English. Not just in the form of meeting other international volunteers and countless visitors every day, but in the form of how to approach them and greet them with a warm and sincere smile.

Being here as one of the intern students taught me countless of amazing experiences and not to forget that the challenges were more than I had expected. But for me, that was the fun part. The longer I have stayed here, the more that I have taught myself that there is much more to learn and to learn despite the activities and work being conducted are almost the same every day. Lucky me having got the chance to discover the BSBCC’s website on the internet where it is just one click away! Gaining the precious experiences here has made me wonder that the period of only 10 weeks is not close to enough.

Before saying goodbye, let’s share with you guys some photos I’ve taken during my time at BSBCC!

The mixed group consisted of the PERHILITAN, Volunteer (Kate), Intern students (Me, Maryam, Husna And Adlina), Staff (Roger) and Bear Keeper (David).

This is one of my favourite moments where I got the chance to celebrate the mini surprise birthday celebration of our CEO And Founder of BSBCC, MR. WONG SIEW TE. P.s He is making a wish. Awhh.

That is me (from the left) with the secondary students during the outreach programme in SMK GUM GUM with the Environmental Education Executive, Gloria Ganang and Rebecca (ticketing staff). It was fun meeting them and raising awareness about the Sun Bears to them!

This is me being one of the Sun Bear Crew at the observation platform where I got to meet countless international tourists and local visitors to tell them the info about the Sun Bears!

This is during our lecturer, Dr Kamil’s, visitation on observing our internship programme in BSBCC in the 6th week. From the back, Thye Lim (our supervisor), Dr.Kamil (our lecturer).

From the left, Kim (from Sweden), Adlina, Julia (from Sweden), Maryam, Me! This is during Kim and Julia’s visitation and 5 days doing volunteering programme!

Again, food porn! Delicious right? Oopps hahaha.

It is amazing I captured a photo of one of the bears sleeping peacefully with just my phone through the spotting scope which can show the bears from a very far distance!

Again, briefing by Mr. Wong Siew Te during the arrival of PERHILITAN.

Colourful right! This is what I called food porn for the Sun Bears. This was during my scheduled activity for that particular day. Amazing right?

Working here was not easy, challenges were much to face but I can guarantee there is super extreme fun that awaits you! Grab the precious chance to work with the staffs here in taking care of the bears then spread the news everywhere you go! If I were to tell you about all my experiences during my time here at BSBCC, I could go on for countless pages. Do it for the bears as they have the right to live in the wild again in the future.

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Natalie reintroduced to the wild, the last step towards her true home

26/5/2015

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Text By BSBCC
Photos By BSBCC & Scuba Zoo

Finally able to breathe true freedom in the wild…

Natalie, the beautiful adult female sun bear at Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) forest enclosure

Just before Christmas 2010 baby cub Natalie was rescued from illegal pet trade and sent to Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) on December 23rd. It was claimed that she was found alone and abandoned by her mother. However, we suspected that her mother was killed by poachers and she was captured and illegally kept as a pet.

A 5 year old adult female beautiful Natalie built up her survival skills, independence and learned to behave like a wild sun bear. Her improvement in her survival skills in the forest enclosure has been excellent. She became an exceptional climber and tree nest maker. After learning in BSBCC for five years Natalie is ready to be released back to where she belongs – the forest. The ultimate goal of BSBCC is to return rehabilitated sun bears back to the wild and on Sunday May 17th, 2015 it was time to follow this goal; BSBCC started the journey to release Natalie back to the protected forest. Previous to her journey she was fitted with a satellite collar to keep track of her even after her release. In order to transport the sun bear to the forest as far as possible we choose to use a helicopter. After a long discussion, Wong decided that the helicopter model Layang-Layang Aerospace Sdn Bhd (BO105) was the suitable for our purposes because it could fit transportation cage.

This is the FIRST time that a captive sun bear got reintroduced to its natural habitat in Sabah using a helicopter and is monitored post release with the help of a satellite collar. Natalie is ready to live a new life as a truly wild sun bear in the Tabin Wildlife Reserve. The experience she has gathered throughout her 5 years at the rehabilitation centre will help her explore her true home in the core area of Tabin Wildlife Reserve. The core area encompasses 120500 hectares and is a pristine rainforest with no human disturbances but lots of big trees, fig trees and a variety of wildlife.

It was a challenging day. All hopes and prayers were solely for this release activity to go as smoothly as planned. The release team’s preparations already started at 3pm on May 16th, 2015 at the bear house of BSBCC when Sabah Wildlife Department vet, Dr. Laura Benedict started the sedation process. A full physical health examination showed that Natalie was completely healthy at 45kg of weight. Dr. Laura Benedict inserted a microchip into Natalie’s body.

Health check starts with Natalie being put on anesthesia by Dr Laura Benedict, Wildlife Rescue Unit veterinarian.

After sedation, Natalie is transfered out of her cage for a medical check up

Dr. Diana Ramirez, Dr.Laura Benedict and BSBCC team perform a full health check on the bears’ health to make sure Natalie is fully ready for the reintroduction

Checking Natalie’s teeth condition

Measuring Natalie's Hind Paw

A microchip is inserted into Natalie's body by Dr.Laura Benedict

Natalie's unique chest mark

Natalie was then moved to her translocation cage. Natalie’s journey started on a WRU truck to Wildlife Department Quarter Lahad Datu in the east of Sabah, two hours from BSBCC. Natalie was kept in the translocation cage overnight close to the veterinarians, the WRU team and the team of BSBCC. She was under constant observation and fed with water, honey and banana. Natalie seemed to be stressed in the translocation cage, but freedom was just around the corner.

Wong Siew Te and BSBCC staffs move Natalie to translocation cage

Natalie loaded onto the Wildlife Rescue Unit truck

The team woke up early in the morning on May 17th 2015, and got ready at Tabin Headquarter at 6.30 am. After a full assessment, the weather was considered safe for the helicopter to land at Tabin Headquarter. Once the helicopter arrived, the operation was split into three different trips. With the first two trips the team entered the mud volcano of Tabin to evaluate and identify the most suitable release site.

Helicopter provided by Layang-Layang Aerospace Sdn Bhd arrives in Tabin Headquarter

Final discussion on Natalie release operation

Wong Siew Te is feeding Natalie with water

First team will evaluate the release area and identify the proper release point

Wong Siew Te - the CEO & Founder BSBCC

First team will evaluate the release area and identify the proper release point

Tabin rangers, WRU team and BSBCC team are assist uploded the translocation cage into helicopter

Tabin rangers, WRU team and BSBCC team are assist uploaded the translocation cage into helicopter

At 10.17 am, it was Natalie’s turn to be flown to Tabin mud volcano

Once Natalie arrived, the team set up the translocation cage in the correct direction for release. Dr. Laura Benedict conducted a final check, to ensure that Natalie was ready to enter her new home!

The BO 105 Helicopter carrying Natalie in her translocation cage landed safely on the Tabin mud volcano

The largest protected wildlife area in Sabah, Tabin Wildlife Reserve which rich diversity of plants and animals

The BO 105 Helicopter carrying Natalie in her translocation cage landed safely on the Tabin mud volcano

Natalie is unloaded from helicopter

Natalie is carried to the release point

A 20 m rope was tied to the sliding gate of the cage. The team stood 15 m away from the translocation cage.

Preparation before the Natalie release

Natalie awaiting her release

As soon as the door of her cage was opened, Natalie straight headed into the forest. She explored everything, sniffed the air of Tabin and assessed her new environment before disappearing into the tall tree canopy of the forest. Tabin Wildlife Reserve has welcomed her into a new protected home. The emotions running through the forest while watching Natalie enjoying her newfound freedom are un-describable. A heart-warming moment filled with tears of joy.

Once the cage door opened, Natalie quickly steps out from the translocation cage and slowly discover her new home

All of sudden she realized she was free !

Look at this precious Natalie, how can we not want to give her a second chance of freedom?

Making her way over tall trees displaying natural bear behavior. Natalie finally got her first taste of freedom in the wild

Wildlife Rescue Unit team, Tabin Rangers, BSBCC team and Scuba Zoo Filming Crews in Tabin Headquarter. Thanks for all your support in helping sun bear and release work.

Natalie! Stay healthy, happy and keep growing gracefully!
You will always be in our hearts!

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Montom (Rescue 42) - Move Into A Larger Exercise Den

21/5/2015

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Text and Photos by Chiew Lin May

Montom, is a three years old male sun bear. The name “Montom” means black in Dusun language and his personality matches his name. He arrived at BSBCC on January 21st, 2015. He was surrendered by his owner who had been keeping Montom as a pet at Kampung Melangkap, Kota Marudu. Montom’s owner reported to the Wildlife Rescue Unit that their dog chased away his mother and abandoned Montom. He was then taken and kept as a pet for a year. Just like a human, this behavior is very unlikely as a sun bear mother is very protective of their offspring and would not leave her infant alone at such a young age. Montom has lost the important time he needs to learn from his mother so he can become an independent wild sun bear.

During the quarantine period Montom was so alert with his surroundings and he would stay high up on the enrichment platform. He also would bark when he saw our staff around. He enjoys his quiet time and does not like any disturbances. Despite his young age, Montom showed amazing courage as he overcame his fear and quickly adapted to his new environment over the last three months. Montom has a big appetite and his favorites are banana, papaya, watermelon and honey. With his nutritious diet, he is getting physically stronger.

After a few minutes of curious, Montom takes brave steps to exploring this big exercise den.

After Montom finished his quarantine period, he was moved to a larger exercise den which is equipped with enrichment tools such as dry leaves, green leaves, and old logs to learn all the necessary survival skills such as digging, natural food selection and climbing.

Montom is a highly inquisitive young sun bear. Once he stepped into the exercise den he climbed up a climbing structure right away and was very curious about it.

Montom keeps on trying to climb this climbing structure

Little by little he ventured around the exercise den. Enrichment is vital for sun bears in our centre. This enrichment helps to provide positive wild behaviour and avoid stress. Montom is very happy here and every day he will get involved with the various enrichment activities. He particularly likes the Aussie dog ball, where he will try to explore how to access the food and honey!

Discover basket time!

Montom climb as high as he can, taking turns being “king" at the top of the hammock.

Montom keep busy by digging and excavating dead wood in search of insects.

Adventurous bear

Meeting new friend!

He has spent a great deal of time in the exercise den. Montom’s survival skills have been developing rapidly. Montom continues to do well and has developed new skills during his rehabilitation.

This year, BSBCC has received two orphaned sun bears. Montom is one of them. A victim of sun bear pet trade which has also caused him the loss of his mother. We will continue to help Montom develop the skills needed for his return to the wild. The next step for him is he will be introduced to Susie, a female sub-adult sun bear and will slowly join a big group of bears, then step into the forest enclosure. So stay turned!

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