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It has been quite busy the last few months for BSBCC. We received visits from lots of schools and organizations, and some of them even fell on the same day! The groups were usually given presentations and talks about the centre and our efforts in conserving Sun Bears, with detailed Sun Bear introductions, briefings on Do's and Don‟ts during their visits, and mini activities to reinforce the information, especially for younger school children. The visit usually ends with a tour to the platform to observe the rescued bears in their natural forest enclosures. We hope they had a great time here and gained new knowledge about Sun Bears, and will help us to spread awareness while sharing their experiences with friends and family. Thanks goes out to all of the school and organization groups for their visits, support, and donations to BSBCC. Above are the photos of one of the visiting group; American International School of Hong Kong. And cheeky cute children from Kg. Paris (Yes, there is a village in Sabah called Kg. Paris). UMS Sandakan (or UMS Pertanian Lestari) Visit to BSBCC. Below is the list of visiting group to BSBCC in November and December of 2018: 
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Video by Chiew Lin May "Who does not love ice-cream?!" During the hot day, one way to keep the sun bear stay cool is with the tasty fruits ice block treats! A perfect gift to rescued sun bear will support the ongoing care, treatment and tasty fruits. Check out on our website at www.bsbcc.org.my Public Mutual Magazine ‘Feng’, Page 36-39. December 2018. Text and Photos by Chiew Lin May  On the 2nd of March 2017, a sun bear cub was handed over to the Sabah Wildlife Department named BJ. He was found after being purchased in Sonsogon village, Pitas, and was sold for the price of RM 300 and then was kept as a pet. He arrived at BSBCC on the 22nd of November, 2018. He is a two year old, sub adult male bear weighing 32.20kg. After living alone in a cage, BJ was finally free from trauma and now has made some friends for the first time in his life. On the 14th of December 2018, BJ was integrated into a larger social group of female bears – Kina, Sika, Soo and Diana, who would help him adjust to his new life and learn how to be a bear again!  Integration with Kina  Integration with Sika  Integration with Soo  Integration with Diana Here we can see how the introduction went:  Nose to nose – bear GREETING!  Approaches  Pawing  Showing canines  Fun with biting and chasing  Seem to be friends  Getting along well As soon as BJ saw his new friends, he stood up on his hind legs, began sniffing and pawing them to start play fighting! They showed their strong canines and sharp claws!  He was such a handsome and kind bear towards the group. It is good to know that he is welcomed by them and they also rely on each other for comfort, protection and love. Although sun bears are by nature solitary animals in the wild, the bond between a mother and her cub is strong during the time they are together. During the integration, sun bears can learn from each other as they communicate and play together.    BJ has proven himself to be a friendly bear. He also smiles which shows a few wrinkles on his face.  It is great that BJ has accepted this wonderful new friendship. Kina and Sika are BJ’s bear play friends.  Sometimes, BJ wants to play with Soo and Diana, but both of the female bears seem to ignore him. Once BJ started sharing the large dens with the other female bears, he immediately began exploring. He has found the simple pleasure of good friends. He is a happy go lucky bear who loves running around the dens and convinces the others to play with him by sniffing or pulling them. He is always filled with curiosity and enjoys exploring the enrichment around the dens.  They spend their days wandering around the dens, digging up the dead wood, climbing on the structural enrichment and sharing their toys. They are doing things together and seem to enjoy each other’s company.      That is a good thing, as they can learn from each other For the rest of their first week together, there was no aggression found and they were accepting of each other as it did not take too long for them to become social. Now he has four lovely female bears to keep him company. It was a delight to see him grow into a healthy and loving bear where he could truly be himself. Video by Chiew Lin May Sun bear has the longest tongue of all bear species - 20-25cm long. Tan Tan showing her exceptionally long tongue! Video by Chiew Lin May Find out what BSBCC is doing to help create a future for sun bears Even it is already getting into the half of the last month in 2018, BSBCC still accommodate a visit from a school; this time it is from hostel of SMK Badin, Tuaran, Sabah. The group which consists of 16 students and 6 teachers had been brought to have an informative tour about the sun bear and also observing the sun bear in the forest enclosures. All of the students and teachers are glad and happy to see the cute sun bears doing their things in their natural habitat. Thanks to SMK Badin’s students and teachers for their visit to BSBCC. Text by Susantie Saliman (Intern Student from UNIMAS) Photos by BSBCC  If Jelita is the so called the Princess of BSBCC, then Linggam is the prince of the Sun bears here at BSBCC. Linggam is one of the most well-behaved bears in the Bear House. With his princely behavior, aging 14 years old, his name “Linggam” came from one of the God’s name in Hindu. Other than being noticeably handsome, Linggam can be identified by looking at his narrow muzzle, shiny coat and slender stature. A little bit about his history; Linngam arrived in August 2004, weighing only 3.5kg as a cub after found at a logging camp at Kampung Pinangah. According to the loggers, Linggam was found alone. He was taken into the care of Mr. Awang who then gave him to the Sabah Wildlife Department. He was sent to Sepilok and was later transferred to the Lok Kawi Zoo near Kota Kinabalu. He returned to BSBCC Sepilok in July 2010.   Linggam is best known as the handsome and prince bear in our Centre. He is a very attractive bear with big brown eyes and a gentle face. Often found chilling inside his basket - rarely found being fractious. Though, he is a bit picky when it comes to food. Linggam favors bananas over corn and he does not like pumpkins and coconuts. When eating bananas, he will put it on his left hand, peel it with his right claws then take out the banana out from the skin using his long pinky tongue. Like any other bears, Linggam loves playing with his enrichments. However it depends on what type of enrichment given. He is a picky prince after all. Linggam also loves playing with water and often found splashing water from his water bowl especially in the evening.  Toward the end of this year, BSBCC still continue to be visited by schools as a part of post-UPSR program for the Primary 6 students. This time, the visit is from SK Tibabar, Ranau. The group was given a brief talk about sun bear and also seizing the chance to see the sun bears inside natural forest enclosures. BSBCC would love to express gratitude for the visit from SK Tibabar. Text & Photos by Seng Yen Wah Soo is a four year old female, sub adult bear. She was purchased with the price of RM350 when she was still a cub in Karamatoi Village in Sook Keningau market. After that, she was kept as a house pet in Nambayan village in Tambunan for two years. She was rescued by the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) and transferred to BSBCC on the 8th of September, 2017. Soo is very alert with her surroundings. She easily gets stressed and starts to pace aggressively when she hears loud, machine noises. This stereotypic behaviour is the consequence of her past life of living as a caged pet. She took a long time to adapt herself. There must be a way to help her more. Maybe it is time for her to have bear friends! Let’s introduce you Soo’s friends, Diana (12 years old female adult bear), Kina (three years old female sub adult bear), and Sika (two years old female sub adult bear). Kina and Sika integrated on the 19th of November 2017. After that, Diana joined Kina and Sika on 13th of April 2018. And on the 2nd of September 2018, Soo meet them all for the first time. Soo is curious about the appearance of a new bear beside her cage. She sniffed on the sliding door. The sliding door opens slowly and Sika is waiting for her at another side. This is the first time Soo met a bear. Soo is anxious. She vocalized with Sika when Sika came close. She would like to play with Sika but she doesn’t know how to do it. She shows defensive behaviour which Sika does not like. Therefore the first time is not pleasant.  Soo is sniffing on the sliding door because Sika just at another side of the door.  First met with Sika is not pleasant.  Soo is standing higher to defend herself. The second day of integration is Kina’s turn. Kina shows more curiosity about Soo. She tried to initiate play fight with Soo, who is still nervous about her first friendship. Soo demonstrates a big response to Kina’s approach, but this did not stop Kina and still tried getting close to her. If Soo is being stressed at the moment, Kina will not disturb her.  “This is not the bear that I met yesterday!” – Soo  Kina and Soo is having almost the same size! Soo took her time and she tried her best to become friends with Diana, Kina and Sika. They are getting along well now! Only sometimes, Diana is on her temper and shows her aggression to Sika and Soo by vocalizing. But, there would never be a problem for them to stay together. They play fight with whoever they want. They share their food and also rest together. It is so good to see Soo’s improvement since her first arrival. We really hope Soo can live in a better life with her bear friends and we hope to see her grow into a strong and brave bear!  Never getting bored in playing fight!  They are having a good time!  Every bear have an Aussie Dog Ball. This is fair enough!  Eat together and share later! |
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