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This year, the 18th Environmental Education Race (EERace) has once again chosen BSBCC as one of the pit stop for their race. The EERace is an environmental education programme held annually in the heart of Borneo districts of Sabah. It is organized by the Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC) under the Sabah Forestry Department, together with many government and private organizations. The aim of the race is to enhance and deepen teacher's knowledge and experiences on the environment.Our course, called the EERace, features 80 % outdoor activities, participant-centred learning, group effort and interesting environment-related assignments. The participants of this race are secondary school’s principals around Sabah. This race started from the 17th of July 2017and will end on the 22nd of July 2017. On the July 19th, 2017 the team has arrived at our centre. All of the participants has no idea on their next destinations and what they will be doing. At BSBCC, the partipants were given a pre assignment where they need to guess the bear’s food. After that, they were given a short talk on BSBCC’s roles and effort in sun bear conservation. Later, they also did bear’s observation on the observation platform. Their next task is where they were required to act as a bear being locked up in a cage! The purpose of this activity is to allow the participants to experience what it feels like to be badly treated by people who visits displayed animals. After this session, they were asked to share their experience to everyone. The creativity of the participants were tested by asking them to create bear’s enrichment using natural materials such as ginger leaves, ropes, fruits and honey. At the end of their activity at BSBCC, the participants were asked to answer a simple question, to test their understanding on the whole activity they went through – related to sun bear’s conservation. It was great to see all of them enjoyed their time at our centre. We look forward for more exciting activities on next EERace! See you again!  After the participants completed the pre-assignment, they will be given a card for their next task.  Ramsar Group  Guessing bear's food from the Aussie Dog Ball  Talk on BSBCC’s roles and effort in sun bear conservation by Gloria  The participants doing bears observation on the observation platform; they were asked to record the bear's behaviours in a form.  Sharon doing short briefing to the participants before 'Bear Acting' session  Participants asked to stay in small cage for them to experience what it feels like to be badly treated by people who visits displayed animals  Participants asked to stay in small cage for them to experience what it feels like to be badly treated by people who visits displayed animals  Bear enrichment session by Jeremy, assisted by our bear keepers Roger and David  Roger doing demonstration and explaination before the participants make enrichment on their own.  Hands on activity: creating bear's enrichments  Done!  Completed enrichments - all made by the participants  Jeremy gave a short briefing before the next task  Group photo before they head to the next destination. Good luck!
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Text by Chantal Jeffrey Photos by Seng Yen Wah My name is Chantal Jeffrey and I study a bachelor of animal ecology at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia for which I completed two weeks of volunteer work at the BSBCC. Now, I won’t lie, it was tiring, hot work but let me tell you why it was so fulfilling and worthwhile. Starting at the centre, I was welcomed by extremely lovely staff whose politeness and contagious happiness instantly struck me. All of the bear keepers, workers and other volunteers were informative, happy to help and answer all questions which benefited my learning experience. They were encouraging, bubbly and always smiling which really made me feel part of the BSBCC family. I was shown the hard work and skills it takes to be a bear keeper and the immense dedication I witnessed, by all staff, to caring for the sun bears was truly inspirational.  Testing out the equipment for the bears. Daily jobs included food preparation and feeding for both indoor enclosures and forest pens, enclosure maintenance and cleaning as well as creating enrichment for the bears. I took part in making several different types of enrichment such as nest balls, stick paradox and ‘proposal day’, which all had the same concept; hiding peanut butter and/or honey within leaves or sticks so the bears needed to rip it open to get to their treat. Other enrichment included placing food around and on top of the enclosures to encourage the bears to climb, providing them with termite nests and placing logs and branches in enclosures for them to rip into. It was rewarding and an absolute joy watching the bears’ reactions and seeing them enjoy their enrichment.  Whilst completing these jobs, I got to know some of the bears. They all have different personalities and characteristics, from the cheeky cubs ‘Nano’ and ‘Noah’ to the quiet ‘Kuamut’. All were beautiful and unique and working so closely with them was unreal. As well as aiding in the animal welfare side of things, I was also sent to work on the viewing platforms. There, I communicated with tourists, introducing them to bears, educating them about sun bear morphology and ecology and ultimately, promoting awareness of the importance of their conservation. It was very satisfying, knowing that I was helping to spread the word about this incredible and beautiful species. Working for the sun bears at the BSBCC was absolutely amazing and so rewarding. Despite only being two weeks, it was a truly unforgettable experience that left me with countless memories and I would go back and do it all again without hesitation.  This photo of myself (left) with my fellow USC student volunteer, Brittany Lang (right) and Dr Wong, was taken after one of the sessions where we were given the chance to ask him any questions, in person, which was incredibly interesting and educational. From the 10th July 2017 to 12th July 2017, BSBCC education team visited 3 schools at Nabawan District for Wildlife Education and Awareness Programme. Nabawan district is a small town in Interior Division of Sabah (southern part) and the local communities in this area are predominantly Murut. The first school we visited for this outreach is SMK Nabawan, Nabawan. Mr. Henry Anandan, principal of SMK Nabawan was very excited with this program and he was personally wanted to have a sun bear as a conservation mascot for their school. Together with our partners from HUTAN-Kinabatangan OrangUtan Conservation Programme (KOCP) and Wildlife Rescue Unit (WRU), various activities were held for the students such as exhibitions, wildlife talks, documentary screening, environmental games and a special activity for the Wildlife Junior Rangers- sun bear oil painting. BSBCC also donated three bear sculptures to this school to be installed at their garden area.  Wildlife Junior Ranger of SMK Nabawan  Jeremy giving a brief introduction about this programme to the students.   SMK Nabawan Wildlife Junior Ranger taking photo with Sunny   Sun bear oil painting activity.  Our partners from HUTAN-KOCP and WRU helping us to install the bear sculpture.  Students showing their sun bear artworks.  Group photo with the Wildlife Junior Ranger students together with the three bear sculptures.  Sun bear painting arts from the Wildlife Junior Ranger students. On the second day of this education outreach programme, BSBCC's education team together with HUTAN-KOCP and Wildlife Rescue Unit (WRU) gathered at SMK Nabawan II, Nabawan to bring awareness on wildlife found in the forests of Sabah. We set up a booth alongside HUTAN-KOCP and WRU to share our bear stories with the students. At the same time, we gave an inspiring talk to students on our knowledge and experience about sun bears and our ongoing effort of saving them. About 50 students from the Wildlife Junior Ranger and Nature Club participated in the talk session. We had lots of fun spending time with these young students as they were very enthusiastic to learn about the wildlife in Sabah. Many thanks to SMK Nabawan II, HUTAN-KOCP and WRU for making today's activity possible.  Risnayati, our Environmental Education Officer presented a talk on sun bear  Students also spend their time to see the display at our educational booth   Ranger from Wildlife Rescue Unit explaining their work in wildlife conservation  Students watching a documentary on sun bear was played on the screen at the school   Our last school of outreach programme for this week in Nabawan distirict was SMK Sepulot which is situated almost from 47km Nabawan town. The programme started from 8.30am until 1.00pm. The Wildlife Junior Ranger and Nature Club students had lots of fun learning from all the talks, exhibition and educational activities. We had lots of fun spending time with these young students as they were very enthusiastic to learn about the wildlife in Sabah. Hope they grow to love and protect our native animals. We were grateful to partners from HUTAN-KOCP and Wildlife Rescue Unit (WRU) involved with this programme. Besides that, many thanks to Sabah Education Department for the approval given to run this programme. It was a big success.   Norhatika from Hutan-KOCP interacting with the students and teachers at their booth   Haslan from Hutan-KOCP giving a talk on orang utan to the students  Sunny was also present at the programme! Text and Photos by Chiew Lin May Students from SMK Tunku are spent two days trip to Tabin Wildlife Reserve to immerse themesleves in Borneo's unique biodiversity. They take part in a variety of activities including forest trekking, mud volcano, bird watching and meeting with difference conservation organisations from government and NGO to experience conservation first-hand. We are very grateful that BSBCC was invited to join this talk. Our staff, Thye lim have deliver a talk about all the amazing work BSBCC has done for save sun bear, addresses the needs of local people to conserve this forgotten species and his concern for our forest and the wild animals we share it with. It was a wonderful experience for everyone involved. The enthusiasm and energy from the students are great. It is very pleased to see they share and learn. Our hope is for children to understand the importance for wildlife and forests and they can be inspired to become conservationists of the future!!  Students from SMK Tunku are spent two days trip to Tabin Wildlife Reserve to immerse themesleves in Borneo's unique biodiversity. They take part in a variety of activities including forest trekking, mud volcano, bird watching and meeting with difference conservation organisations from government and NGO to experience conservation first-hand.  It was a wonderful experience for everyone involved. The enthusiasm and energy from the students are great. It is very pleased to see they share and learn. Our hope is for children to understand the importance for wildlife and forests and they can be inspired to become conservationists of the future!! Text and Photos by Chiew Lin May  When you look into the eyes of a rescued sun bear cub, the sad truth is that sun bears are in grave danger of extinction in the wild which is led by a decline in at least 30 percent of the sun bear population in the last three decades. Sun bears live in their natural habitat, they learn all of the basic skills needed to survive. Ongoing habitat loss, poaching and illegal pet trade continues to be the biggest threat to wild bear populations in Southeast Asia.  On March 24, 2014, we received a rescued female sun bear cub –Loki. BSBCC Founder & CEO, Dr. Wong Siew Te handling the new rescue cub.  Loki was emaciated and malnourished upon the arrival. Found in the backyard of an inn, where she had been illegally kept as pet. Her previous owner purchased her from a friend in Ranau, a town on the west coast of Sabah and named her “Ooi”. Instead of learning to be a sun bear, she had been caged, lonely, fed an inappropriate diet and exploited to fulfill human selfishness. Unfortunately, we do not know what happened to little Loki’s mother. This horrific life was all she had ever known. Loki was rescued by Sabah Wildlife Department and sent to Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) on March 24th, 2014. Loki is a very special sun bear cub and thanks to Steve Denim who is passionate about changing the life of captive sun bears by adopting her and named her “Loki” in memory of his cat that was struck by a car.  Loki was saved and brought to her new home at the BSBCC. She was under quarantine and is being given around the clock care by our staff. Bear care team provide different type of natural enrichment. She practices her “wild bear skills” every day. When she first arrived at BSBCC, her paws and canines appeared too big for her tiny body. Due to the emotional trauma that resulted from her being kept as a pet, she was very stressed, pacing and showing signs of malnutrition, dehydration and severe diarrhea. Raising a sun bear cub requires extensive round-the-clock care with a balanced diet which comprises of fruits and protein, and exercise to help her grow strong and build confidence! After a thorough checkup, she began the long but hopeful journey of care and rehabilitation. Without the comfort of her mother, she was still traumatized to feel safe. When she was alone, she paced a lot.  Loki was saved and brought to her new home at the BSBCC. She was under quarantine and is being given around the clock care by our staff. Bear care team provide different type of natural enrichment. She practices her “wild bear skills” every day. Little Loki is given different kinds of enrichment to improve her well-being by encouraging her to climb and exercise as much as possible. She lacked all of the basic forest skills. It did not look as if she was improving greatly over the first couple of weeks because she did not trust her care taker. However, things are going positive and Loki has grown to be happy and has become more comfortable when we introduce new bear friends to her. “The best enrichment for a bear is another bear” – Dr. Wong Siew Te (BSBCC Founder & CEO). They have built up a firm friendship that has lasted until this day! Every minute of every day, they love wrestling, play fighting and hanging out together. It was exciting to see her begin her new life with other bears!  Loki was saved and brought to her new home at the BSBCC. She was under quarantine and is being given around the clock care by our staff. Bear care team provide different type of natural enrichment. She practices her “wild bear skills” every day.  Loki was saved and brought to her new home at the BSBCC. She was under quarantine and is being given around the clock care by our staff. Bear care team provide different type of natural enrichment. She practices her “wild bear skills” every day. Loki and her friends have been moved from Quarantine to the Bear House for further rehabilitation process. We know that there will be a second chance for Loki – in large green tropical rainforests with tall trees, as she goes digging for termites, climbing trees, sniffing for bee nests, enjoying the cool breeze, running around, and wrestled from the forest floor...like a wild bear! On December 5th, 2015 Loki was nervous in taking her first brave steps into a new environment after she spent a long time inside a cage. It was hard for Loki to imagine her life could change and be a free sun bear in the wild. She made her way over to dense vegetation and straight away learnt to live in the trees.  On December 5th, 2015 Loki stepped foot into the forest for the first time! She is exciting new things that surround her.  It was pleasure to see Loki adapted quickly to her new forest. She loves to forage for wild food such as termites and invertebrates. She spent a great deal time climbing, resting, playing with branches on tree canopy and play fight with friends. Loki is learning all the skills pertinent to survival in the wild.  On April 21st, 2014 this was a special day for Loki as it was her first contact with another sun bear. Due to her emotional trauma she had when she first arrived at BSBCC, she is now a mischievous bear and loves her new companion.  On April 21st, 2014 this was a special day for Loki as it was her first contact with another sun bear. Due to her emotional trauma she had when she first arrived at BSBCC, she is now a mischievous bear and loves her new companion.  Loki was saved and brought to her new home at the BSBCC. She was under quarantine and is being given around the clock care by our staff. Bear care team provide different type of natural enrichment. She practices her “wild bear skills” every day.  It was pleasure to see Loki adapted quickly to her new forest. She loves to forage for wild food such as termites and invertebrates. She spent a great deal time climbing, resting, playing with branches on tree canopy and play fight with friends. Loki is learning all the skills pertinent to survival in the wild.  It was pleasure to see Loki adapted quickly to her new forest. She loves to forage for wild food such as termites and invertebrates. She spent a great deal time climbing, resting, playing with branches on tree canopy and play fight with friends. Loki is learning all the skills pertinent to survival in the wild.  It was pleasure to see Loki adapted quickly to her new forest. She loves to forage for wild food such as termites and invertebrates. She spent a great deal time climbing, resting, playing with branches on tree canopy and play fight with friends. Loki is learning all the skills pertinent to survival in the wild.  Loki using her long, curved claws and strong canines to pulling, biting and breaking off branches to builds a comfortable small tree nest.  Loki using her long, curved claws and strong canines to pulling, biting and breaking off branches to builds a comfortable small tree nest.  She start to put her past trauma behind her, free to fell the forest floor under her paws! For a three year old, sub adult female bear, Loki has made tremendous progress during her rehabilitation time at BSBCC. She is always enthusiastic about exploring new things around the forest and she proved to us that she is an exceptional tree climber and can build arboreal nests. She adores her forest and spends most of the time learning vital skills in the forest canopy with her playmates. She has acquired many of the survival skills that she needs in order to survive in the wild!  It was pleasure to see Loki adapted quickly to her new forest. She loves to forage for wild food such as termites and invertebrates. She spent a great deal time climbing, resting, playing with branches on tree canopy and play fight with friends. Loki is learning all the skills pertinent to survival in the wild.  It was pleasure to see Loki adapted quickly to her new forest. She loves to forage for wild food such as termites and invertebrates. She spent a great deal time climbing, resting, playing with branches on tree canopy and play fight with friends. Loki is learning all the skills pertinent to survival in the wild.  It was pleasure to see Loki adapted quickly to her new forest. She loves to forage for wild food such as termites and invertebrates. She spent a great deal time climbing, resting, playing with branches on tree canopy and play fight with friends. Loki is learning all the skills pertinent to survival in the wild.  It was pleasure to see Loki adapted quickly to her new forest. She loves to forage for wild food such as termites and invertebrates. She spent a great deal time climbing, resting, playing with branches on tree canopy and play fight with friends. Loki is learning all the skills pertinent to survival in the wild.  It was pleasure to see Loki adapted quickly to her new forest. She loves to forage for wild food such as termites and invertebrates. She spent a great deal time climbing, resting, playing with branches on tree canopy and play fight with friends. Loki is learning all the skills pertinent to survival in the wild.  It was pleasure to see Loki adapted quickly to her new forest. She loves to forage for wild food such as termites and invertebrates. She spent a great deal time climbing, resting, playing with branches on tree canopy and play fight with friends. Loki is learning all the skills pertinent to survival in the wild.  It was pleasure to see Loki adapted quickly to her new forest. She loves to forage for wild food such as termites and invertebrates. She spent a great deal time climbing, resting, playing with branches on tree canopy and play fight with friends. Loki is learning all the skills pertinent to survival in the wild.  It was pleasure to see Loki adapted quickly to her new forest. She loves to forage for wild food such as termites and invertebrates. She spent a great deal time climbing, resting, playing with branches on tree canopy and play fight with friends. Loki is learning all the skills pertinent to survival in the wild.  It was pleasure to see Loki adapted quickly to her new forest. She loves to forage for wild food such as termites and invertebrates. She spent a great deal time climbing, resting, playing with branches on tree canopy and play fight with friends. Loki is learning all the skills pertinent to survival in the wild.  It was pleasure to see Loki adapted quickly to her new forest. She loves to forage for wild food such as termites and invertebrates. She spent a great deal time climbing, resting, playing with branches on tree canopy and play fight with friends. Loki is learning all the skills pertinent to survival in the wild.  It was pleasure to see Loki adapted quickly to her new forest. She loves to forage for wild food such as termites and invertebrates. She spent a great deal time climbing, resting, playing with branches on tree canopy and play fight with friends. Loki is learning all the skills pertinent to survival in the wild.  It was pleasure to see Loki adapted quickly to her new forest. She loves to forage for wild food such as termites and invertebrates. She spent a great deal time climbing, resting, playing with branches on tree canopy and play fight with friends. Loki is learning all the skills pertinent to survival in the wild. We are so thrilled that little Loki is growing in confidence, active and an independent female bear. She was never able to experience learning survival skills with her mother, but at least she finds absolute delight with the good things in life. She is starting to put her past behind her and is learning to be a wild bear again. We hope Loki will one day be released back into the rainforest of Borneo where she belongs.            |
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