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Text by Shelly Smith Photos by Chiew Lin May  First few moments of freedom for 10 sun bears just climbing and playing around the forest enclosure.  They are interact with the natural environment experiencing with different smells and sounds. Following up on the indoor integration of the Mary and Natalie groups, today we saw the culmination of the exercise – the whole group outside sharing one forest enclosure! By regularly allowing the indoor socializing and ‘wrestling parties’ these bears so love, the bear house team ensured the two groups remained on friendly terms. Finally the time had come to test their ‘friendliness’ outdoors, where controlling a tense situation or fight would be impossible. A few of us entered the forest enclosure to scatter loads of fruit which would serve to distract from conflict, and fill tummies, hopefully creating a contented environment. Having only fed and observed from the feeding platform into this forest enclosure, I felt a little like being in someone’s home without their permission!  The forest enclosure looked so charming for the sun bears to roaming around. Then the bear keepers opened the bear house doors while we waited expectantly at the feeding platform, anxious to see who would be the first to arrive in the pen. It took a good 5 minutes before we finally saw Fulung and another of the Mary group trundling along, calmly foraging on the scattered fruit. We had another wait until we saw any of Natalie’s cronies come to investigate the main area of the forest enclosure. Slowly Rungus, Natalie and Julaini began to familiarise themselves with the change of environment. Fresh alliances were forged and tree trunks were explored. Curiosity ruled the day.  They immediately look for insects in trees, climb trees and sleep high up in the canopy.  Sometimes they will just rest at forest floor. Late afternoon found Natalie relaxing under her new favourite tree with a new found favourite friend – Bongkud, while Ah Bui sunned her tummy as her latest cohort Rungus dug for termites. Debbie showed off her climbing skills and Fulung continued his endless search for tasty snacks.Fortunately the day passed wonderfully uneventfully.   Introduce the ten sun bears that share in one forest enclosure:  -Natalie, 3 years old sub adult female  - Rungus, 5 years old adult female  - Julaini, 5 years old adult male  - Ah Lun, 5 years old adult female  - Ah Bui, 3 years old sub-adult female  - Debbie, 2 years old sub-adult female  -Mary, 2 years old sub-adult female  -Koko, 2 years old sub-adult female  -Fulung, 2 years old sub-adult male  -Bongkud, 2 years old sub-adult female The bears all headed indoors for their much-loved evening meal; Julaini had chosen to stay indoors during this change of routine, which was probably fortunate as this young male could be a rough playmate with Fulung at times. While Natalie and Bongkud like to stay outside forest enclosure. The next day proceeded to be just as peaceful and without any incidents. This must be a world first - successfully integrating ten bears into a single forest enclosure.  They walked and looked around, choosing a tree. But when they did, they too quickly climbed to the top and rested in the height of the canopy.  Natalie was playing with enrichment made by the students of South Island School, Hong Kong.  Together have a nap in the forest.  Play fight in the forest.  Koko get a nice posture of sleeping.  Climbing tree and grooming together.  Compete in climbing tree together.  Debbie is alert and ready to forage for her food.  Natalie is enjoy roaming and climbing trees.  It was a best place that a bear would lay down and take a midday nap.  Koko is too tired after explore the forest, take a rest first!  Ah Bui climbs a tree for a better look.  Enjoying a wrestling match!!    Debbie is very active , independent and playful sun bear.  Debbie is the only bear at the Centre with a "Y" shaped chest mark and look like a wine.  Koko is using the dead log to scratch her body.  It seem like Julaini was enjoyed in the forest.  Rungus was playing with enrichment made by the students of Ape Malaysia.   Fulung is very careful and keeps its distance.  Ah Bui is explore and very curious of the various things that surround them her - from leaves to leeches.  "Let me have a rest first! "  Wonder what is Mary thinking about? Obviously this is not ideal, much more space is required. But it shows how well the competent bear staff know their bears - to manage factors like age, sex, character traits, and hierarchies within established groups - to pull this off so smoothly in the limited space available. Congrats, guys, it was a great privilege to be involved in this venture!
Now Bermuda can have his turn out in the forest:-)
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Text by Shelly Smith Photos by Chiew Lin May  Good thing this is just play- fighting! As the BSBCC presently only has 3 outdoor pens large enough to accommodate several bears at the same time, some seriously strategic ‘bear shuffling’ has to occur in the bearhouse in order to get the right bears into the right cages for the outdoor exit ramps. There are 2 existing groups that need to be integrated so they can occupy one outdoor pen instead of two, freeing up the second outdoor pen for Bermuda, a large mature male who is eagerly awaiting his outdoor sessions. The two groups are ‘matriarchal’. The’’ Mary’’ group consists of 6 sub adult bears – little Mary, Ah Bui, Debbie, Koko, Bongkud and young male Fulung. 2nd group is Natalie’s group of four, with Natalie, Ah Lun, Runggus and young male Julaini. Bear etiquette dictates that a polite introduction is by way of curiously sniffing through an interconnecting gateway - if no sign of aggression is seen, then the gateway is opened cautiously by the bear keeper, and one bear may proceed into the adjoining cage where the sniffing procedure progresses to a stage of playful paw inductions. Hereafter it is quite permissible to raucously cavort around the cage and wrestle in the hammock (or other enrichment provided) until one or both bears are completely exhausted. Suckling on a bear’s ears is a privilege for best friends only. Integration started on the 9th September by daily introducing one bear from Mary’s group to the Natalie group bears, one bear at a time over an hour or so. These introductions over the week went amazingly well with no hint of aggression as each bear learnt the smells, stature and behaviour of the others, in spite of two females being on heat during the process.  Come get me!  OK, I give up! However, there came a turning point when the two young males were introduced. All went smoothly at the beginning of the session with 7 of the bears occupying 3 interlinking cages, playing and rough-housing with great abandon. Fulung, the young male from Mary’s group, has a wound that he continuously scratches at and thus it cannot heal. Julaini, the young male from Natalie’s group, curious to see if this could be meat, took a bite, with the ensuing fracas becoming quite violent, and intervention needed. Lesson learnt! - since then Fulung’s would is treated with medication so he no longer smells like a meal, and all bears taking part in integration sessions are fed copious amounts of fruity treats, so tummies are full and everyone’s content beforehand.  Boys can get quite rough.  Come play in this cage.  Sizing each other up!  After tired of play, taking a break in the basket.  Checking out the new scenery.  Hammocks are also made for wrestling.  I got you!  Bear-pinned.  End result of any good bear wrestling.  Girls just chill and chat. All 10 bears will continue to mingle for a period every day under the watchful eyes of the bear team until they are deemed ‘’suitably merged’’ to enter the outdoor pen together. Bermuda can then finally be moved up the chain of linked cages to the outdoor exit of forest enclosure, and experience the freedom of the natural forest again!
Text by Chiew Lin May Photos by Chiew Lin May and Tee Thye Lim  Here are some photos of our sub – adult sun bears, out in the forest enclosure. They love to be by trees and will find activities to occupy their time that will keep them close to the canopy. These include looking for termites, other forest invertebrates, climbing trees, playing together and taking naps. They get on really well, and enjoy playing together. These six sun bears at the forest enclosure is buzzing with cheer and joy. Look what they are doing in the forest enclosure!!                                          Text and Photos by Chiew Lin May It is happy sight to see Mary, Debbie, Ah Bui, Koko, Fulung and Bongkud knew what to do when they went out into the enclosure with all of the trees. Here are some photos of our sub-adult sun bears, out in their forest enclosure. They are very awesome!! Look what Debbie doing in the forest enclosure!!          Debbie is enjoy eating the Durian (King of Fruits).   Look what Koko doing in the forest enclosure!!     Koko was tried to break the coconut.       Look what Ah Bui doing in the forest enclosure!!       Look what Mary doing in the forest enclosure!!    Look what Fulung doing in the forest enclosure!!      Look what Bongkud doing in the forest enclosure!!   Bongkud climb high up the liana.       For more information about BSBCC and the sun bears, have a look at website (http://www.bsbcc.org.my/) and facebook (https://www.facebook.com/sunbear.bsbcc)
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