Community Outreach on Wildlife Conservation Awareness and Education Programme to Kg. Litang21/2/2023 On the 16th of February 2023, BSBCC EE Unit organised another community outreach to Kampung Litang Kinabatangan. Invited together were Sabah Wildlife Department (Kinabatangan District) and Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre (SORC). Although facing several issues before the execution of the programme (the village was hit by flood a week before), the programme was successfully carried out and attracted a number of villagers. Focusing on the wildlife conflict and legal issues, the programme was intended to initiate joint cooperation between the villagers, and state department, and related NGOs in wildlife conservation. Feedbacks from some of the villagers were positive and encouraging, and we are looking forward to seeing more engagement among them to promote wildlife conservation and living harmoniously with them. Special thanks to: Hap Seng Plantation Sdn Bhd (Sungai Segama Group) – for granting us entry to the village and providing free accommodation to the organiser and participants Teachers of SK Litang – for facilitating the communication between the organiser and the village community (special acknowledgement to Mr. Gusmit Hj Ning and Mr. Asri) Sabah Wildlife Department (Kinabatangan) – for joining the programme and enabling us to engage the community (special acknowledgement to Mdm Sylvia Alsisto) Sabah Wildlife Department (SORC) – for involving in the prior planning for the outreach programme.
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BSBCC EE Unit was invited by KLK Sawit Nusantara Bhd to carry out an educational outreach programme to SJK (C) Yuk Choi, Sandakan yesterday on the 14th February 2023. Tagged along with us throughout the programme was HUTAN-Kinabatangan Orangutan Program (HUTAN-KOCP). Activities such as exhibitions, interactive talks and coloring the wildlife mask were included to attract students of different age groups, suiting their comprehension level. The presence of Sunny the Sun Bear also livened up the programme as the kids expressed their excitement on him. We strongly believe education on wildlife conservation must start from our youngsters, so they can be the next generation continuing our job in the future. They will become the voice of the voiceless: nurturing them to love the wildlife will be the first step of all. On the 19th October 2022, BSBCC organised a Wildlife Conservation Awareness and Education Programme to Kampung Bambangan, Sandakan, which lies at the vicinity of Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve. This is the first programme of such organised by BSBCC targeting the community, and more will be coming soon. The programme aimed to reach the community living near to forest reserve to raise the awareness on conservation and providing a platform for state departments, NGOs and related agencies to exchange information on relevent issues. The programme was preceded by a school outreach programme in SK Bambangan, targeting the school students and teachers in the morning. A total of 187 students and 17 teachers reached in this programme. At the same time, community members and students were visiting the exhibition booths prepared by BSBCC, Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD), HUTAN-Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Programme (HUTAN-KOCP), Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre (SORC), Orangutan Appeal UK, Tropical Rainforest Conservation and Research Centre (TRCRC). This was followed with mini sports games to foster good relationship between the community and the organiser. At night, the community attended talks given by Sabah Wildlife Department, TRCRC, HUTAN-KOCP and BSBCC. An estimated number of around 150 community members attended the talks (exceeding the expected number!) with several issues related to wildlife conflict and legals were discussed. With this, it is hoped that the issues were clarified for suitable future actions and will lead to a better environment for human, wildlife and nature. BSBCC would love to extend the biggest gratitude to Ministry of Finance (MOF) for the funding of this programme and all the participations from state department, agencies, NGOs, Kampung Bambangan's Development and Safety Committee and SK Bambangan in making this programme a success. Thank you! Today, we continued our outreach programme for Wildlife Conservation Awareness and Education Programme to SMK Elopura, Sandakan together with our loyal conservation partners, Sabah Wildlife Department, HUTAN - Kinabatangan Orang Utan Conservation Programme (KOCP), Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre, Orang Utan UK Appeal and Seratu Aatai. Many educational and awareness activities were conducted to raise students’ awareness of nature and wildlife conservation. Wildlife Conservation Awareness and Education Programme (SJK(C) Min Chung Sepilok, Sandakan)12/10/2022 Today, we continued our outreach programme about Wildlife Conservation Awareness and Education Programme to SJK(C) Min Chung, Sepilok, Sandakan. Educational booths were set up, and activities such as presentations, colouring activity and mini-games were conducted to spread awareness about nature and wildlife conservation to the pupils. We also introduced Sunny the Sun Bear to the pupils through an interactive talk about sun bears. Many thanks to our conservation partners: Sabah Wildlife Department, HUTAN – Kinabatangan Orang Utan Conservation Programme (KOCP), Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre, Orang Utan UK Appeal, and Seratu Aatai for your involvement in this programme. See you at our next outreach! #bsbcc #environment #wildlife #conservation #awareness #sunbear On the 8th September 2022, Sabah Wildlife Department invited BSBCC and HUTAN-KOCP to an education outreach programme to Kim Loong Resources Plantation, Lung Manis, Beluran. The programme was started with opening speech from the plantation managements, followed by talk about Wildlife Law and Penalties from Sabah Wildlife Department, Changing Landscape from HUTAN-KOCP, and Introduction to Sun Bear Conservation from BSBCC. The programme was attended by staffs, school children and parents. We truly appreciate the hospitality of Kim Loong Resources Plantation management and staffs that provided us a chance to spread the words on behalf of our sun bears. Thank you! On the 29th of August 2022, BSBCC was invited by Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) to a joint outreach programme at Sabah Group Plantation, IOI Group, Luang Manis, Beluran together with HUTAN-Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Programme. The programme aimed for the staffs and community, together with the students living in the plantation. Among the activities are talks on the law and enforcement, conservation of orangutan and sun bear, exhibitions and activities with the students. Although it was a short programme, we are feeling grateful for the cooperation given by the IOI Group plantation management, who accommodated us warmly. We are looking forward for more cooperation in the future, thanks to all involved in the programme! As part of our efforts to raise public awareness about sun bear conservation, the BSBCC Environmental Education Unit reached out to the children of Baptist Church Kindergarten (Main Branch) on August 25th, 2022. The programme includes an interactive talk about sun bears with Sunny the Sun Bear as the model, followed by sun bear mask colouring session. The programme continued on August 26th, 2022, when the children visited us at BSBCC. We brought them to the observation platform to let them see the real sun bears in the natural forest enclosures. Each of them is given a worksheet activity, and they need to observe and spot the animals in the forest other than sun bears. We hope they are enjoying the visit and learning more about the wildlife, especially the sun bears. #bsbcc #sunbear #environmentaleducation Happy World Elephant Day! Our event yesterday was very successful as we celebrated World Elephant Day at Kg. Bilit Hall, Kinabatangan. This memorable day, that is on the 14th of August 2022, BSBCC opened an exclusive exhibition to support the effort of raising awareness of the importance to protect our wildlife. The ceremony was officiated by Mr. Aiddie Jamali, Enforcement Officer of Sabah Wildlife Department, Kinabatangan District. This event was also livened up with presence of NGOs and GOs such as Sabah Wildlife Department, HUTAN-KOCP, Seratu Aatai, GAIA, and KKM. Other than opening up a booth and giving casual talks for the community of Kg Bilit, there were also lucky draws, quizzes and colouring sessions that was prepared for them. The attendees from all range of age have actively participated in all of the sessions. A huge thank you for the Community Honorary Wildlife Warden and Seratu Aatai for organising this wonderful event and also inviting us to participate in it. It was a very fun and exciting day thanks to everyone! Text & Photos by Laurelle Cassandra Rooney Hello there! I am Laurelle Cassandra Rooney, a 21 year old from Tawau, Sabah. I am a second year Zoology student at University of Malaysia Sarawak. Why did I choose BSBCC and what have I learnt from doing my internship here for the last 10 weeks? Being an animal lover, I’ve always dreamt about working with animals not only with domestic animals but the wildlife as well. My passion grew bigger as I grew up and I heard of a conservation centre which is the BSBCC. I ended up doing my internship at the BSBCC and it turned out to be the best decision I have ever made. It iwas my first time working with these wild animals and I got to experience hands-on activities with the sun bears. While doing my internship here, I learned that the sun bears are listed as a vulnerable species in the IUCN Red List and they are the world’s smallest bear species. When I first arrived, I was amazed at how the whole bear house runs with the bear keepers. My daily work routine consisted of cleaning the cages, food preparation, feeding the bear inside the house as well as around the forest enclosures, making enrichments, fence checking and assists in health checks. Personally, my favourite part of the day is making enrichments for the bears. Watching the sun bears eat can also make your day. We treked into the jungle to find logs and sticks. I manually drilled for the first time in my life, collected banana and dry leaves and logs which we used to mimic the environment of being in a forest enclosure. I had the opportunity to design and make some hanging platforms for the bears to rest and play on. I also had the chance to build a ramp for one of the pens to allow the bears to enter the forest enclosure. I would like to say a huge thank you to my buddy, Roger, for always helping me and supporting me throughout my internship here in BSBCC. I would also like to thank the other bear keepers which are Azzry, David (longest working staff in BSBCC), Brandon and Adneen, who have helped me while I did my internship here. These people were there for me during my hard times and they always had their way of cheering me up and I would be stress-free just by working with them. We did a lot of projects together from hanging platforms, to building ramps, and preparing enrichments together. They taught me the correct way of handling the equipment when doing our projects. Working in the bear house has left me with a bunch of memorable experience in my life. I learnt the diet of the sun bears and from what I saw, different bears have different diets and different personalites which makes them cute in their own way. Watching them play with each other is also the best part of the day. I would like to thank the educational staff for giving me the chance to visit two different places which were Sukau, Kinabatangan and around Sandakan area for the outreach programme. I got the chance to share information about the BSBCC itself and also about the sun bears. By joining the outreach programme, I, myself, gained more knowledge on sun bears and the way of conserving the sun bears and other wildlife. I want to say thank you to Dr. Wong for the sharing sessions and also for giving me the opportunity to be part of the team even if it is only for 10 weeks.
I came to BSBCC to make a contribution in helping the sun bears in any way possible and I feel like I did. Working with the sun bears made a huge impact in my life and my passion in working and aiding the wildlife grew bigger. I would like to express my gratitude once again to my buddy, the other 3 bear keepers, Azzry, Brandon and Adneen, not to forget David, who helped me throughout my internship here. Thank you so much for the rewarding experience and accepting me as a part of their team. Do forgive me if there were any mistakes that I have done unintentionally. But it is time to say goodbye to the team. Always keep in touch with each other. Regards from me, Laurelle. |
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