Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre
  • HOME
  • About Us
    • Overview
    • Our Journey
    • Events >
      • Past events
    • Meet Our Crew
    • Visit us
    • Our Work >
      • Animal Welfare
      • Ecotourism
      • Rehabilitation
      • Conservation actions
      • Research
      • Education >
        • Virtual Field Trip For Schools >
          • (MALAY) Lawatan Maya Beruang Madu Untuk Pelajar
          • (ENGLISH) Virtual Field Trip for Schools
      • Partners and Supporters
  • Sun Bears
    • Sun bear facts
    • Meet our bears
  • Resources
    • Sun Bear Wallpapers - Free For You
    • Learning Materials
    • Newsletter
    • Annual Report
    • Press
  • Bear Talk Blog
  • Adopt
    • My Bear Adoption
    • Share Bear Adoption
    • Gifts With Meaning
  • Donate
  • Volunteer
    • Volunteer programme
    • Volunteer Stories
  • SHOP
  • 首頁
  • 關於我們
    • 總覽
    • 中心的歷程
    • 我們的使命 >
      • 動物福利
      • 復育計劃
      • 馬來熊與生態教育
      • 馬來熊研究
      • 生態旅遊
    • 團隊介紹
    • 支持與合作機構/團體
    • 探訪本中心 >
      • 活動
      • 過往活動
  • 馬來熊
    • 馬來熊常識
    • 中心裡的馬來熊
  • 資源
    • 馬來熊電腦桌面背景壁紙(免費下載)
    • 教學資料
    • 時事通訊
    • 年度報告
    • 新聞/媒體
  • 助養馬來熊
    • 馬來熊「熊之友」助養計劃
    • 馬來熊「共同助養計劃」
    • 送馬來熊禮物
  • 捐款
  • 志工活動
    • 參與志工活動
    • 志工的故事
  • 購物
  • 聯絡我們
  • 首页
  • 关于我们
    • 总览
    • 中心的历程
    • 我们的使命 >
      • 动物福利
      • 复育计划
      • 马来熊与生态教育
      • 马来熊研究
      • 生态旅游
    • 团队介绍
    • 支持与合作机构/团体
    • 探访本中心 >
      • 活动
      • 过往活动
  • 马来熊
    • 马来熊常识
    • 中心里的马来熊
  • 资源
    • 马来熊电脑桌面背景壁纸(免费下载)
    • 教学资料
    • 时事通讯
    • 年度报告
    • 新闻/媒体
  • 助养马来熊
    • 马来熊“熊之友”助养计划
    • 马来熊“共同助养计划”
    • 送马来熊礼物
  • 捐款
  • 志工活动
    • 参与志工活动
    • 志工的故事
  • 购物
  • 联络我们
  • ホーム
  • BSBCCについて
    • 概要
    • 私たちの歩み
    • 活動内容 >
      • 動物福祉
      • エコツーリズム
      • 教育
      • 保全活動
      • 研究
      • リハビリテーション
      • パートナー & 支援者
    • スタッフ紹介
    • イベント
    • 訪れる
  • マレーグマ
    • マレーグマ知識
    • マレーグマ紹介
  • 情報
    • デスクトップ用壁紙(無料)
    • 学習教材
    • ニュースレター「マレーグマの声」
    • 年間報告書
    • 報道
  • 里親プログラム
    • 里親になる
    • みんなで里親になろう
    • マレーグマへの贈り物
  • 寄付
  • ボランティア
    • ボランティア
    • ボランティア体験談
Picture

HELP US, SUPPORT US​

Sun bears are listed as Vulnerable in IUCN Redlist​
ADOPT OUR SUN BEARS
DONATE NOW

Meet the Superman saving the sun bears of Malaysia

28/7/2017

0 Comments

 
CNN.com, 28th July 2017

By Kathleen Toner, CNN
Picture
Known as "Papa Bear," Wong's Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre is the only sun bear sanctuary in the world.

​Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia (CNN): With his wire-rimmed glasses and mild manner, Siew Te Wong could be described as a Malaysian Clark Kent.

This wildlife biologist is a Superman of sorts -- a tireless defender of the world's smallest bear species: the sun bear.

"I often call the sun bear a forgotten species," Wong said. "When I first started, 20 years ago, no one has ever studied sun bears. Most people do not know that they even exist."

As he studied the animal and realized the threats it faced from deforestation and hunting/poaching, he knew the bears were in serious trouble.
"The more I learn about them, the more I care. The more I care, the more I worry," he said. "I have to help them."

oday, Wong's nonprofit, the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, is the only sun bear sanctuary in the world.

Wong -- known as "Papa Bear" -- and his team have rehabilitated and cared for 55 rescued sun bears since 2008. The group now also educates the public about these animals.

Sun bears are found in the rainforests of south Asia, and the small bears play a big role in keeping these woodlands healthy. Many plants and animals depend on them to spread seeds, create nesting sites and control the termite population -- functions that keep the ecosystems in balance. Healthy rainforests provide clean air and water to the entire world.

But the sun bear population has decreased by 30% during the last three decades. In 2007, the bear was officially classified as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Currently, 44 sun bears live at Wong's center -- all of them were orphaned by poachers or rescued from captivity. The center has also become one of the leading tourist destinations in the ​area, helping to raise awareness about the sun bear's plight.
Picture
A sun bear explores the forest at the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre.
"They can see how special the sun bear is and learn about how their survival (is) important to ours," Wong said, "so they can take some action when they go back to home."

For Wong, this work is simply his responsibility.

"Sun bears became part of my family. When they're endangered, I care for them. When they are in trouble, I speak for them," he said. "I want to be the voice for the sun bear, to fight for the sun bear, to ensure the survival of the sun bear."

"But my ultimate goal is to save the entire forest ecosystem ... that is so important to the survival of mankind."

CNN spoke with Wong about his work. Below is an edited version of the conversation.

CNN: How did you get involved with the sun bear?

Siew Te Wong: I grew up keeping different pets and rescuing birds that fell from nests. I always wanted to be an animal expert or a veterinarian. After high school, I went to Taiwan to study veterinary science, and that's where I got involved with studying wildlife. In 1994, I came to the University of Montana to study wildlife biology and I met a professor, Christopher Servheen. He was looking for a Malaysian student to do a study on sun bears. I said, "I'm your man!"

CNN: Tell me more about the threats these animals face.

Wong: Over the last 50 years, many of the tropical forests in this region have been cleared, and with deforestation, sun bears have lost their habitat. And even though sun bears are a protected species, they are hunted for their meat and their body parts, which are used in traditional Asian medicines. This is literally wiping out local populations.
Their babies are also kept as illegal pets. Their cubs are really cute, but people don't realize that this baby bear will turn into a destructive beast. In the end, they will either kill the bears or lock (them) in small cages. We are doing lots of educational awareness to make sure that people don't keep bears anymore.

CNN: How do the animals spend their time at the center?
​
Wong: Every day after breakfast, we release the bears into the forest enclosure. This is where they learn to forage, climb trees, build nests and socialize. All of those activities help them get ready to be released and survive in the forest.
Picture
CNN Hero Siew Te Wong
At 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., we give the bears different fruits, and at 4pm, the bears come back and have dinner in the bear house. We keep them inside at night because this level of bear density in the forest is not natural. We also want to monitor their well-being. However, there are a few bears left out for the night, which is good. One day, they will live there all the time.

CNN: How many bears have you been able to release?

Wong: We have released two bears so far, and this year we plan to release four more. There are many bears that we cannot release because they were in captivity for a long time. They lost their instinct to find food, they're habituated to people, and many that were rescued as adults cannot climb trees. There are also bears who (were) malnourished or who had their claws chopped off. They don't have the skills to survive in the forest, so they have to stay here for the rest of their lives.

Hopefully in the future, there'll be more bears ready to be released. I want bears to live in the forest and not in captivity. (That) is where they belong. It is their home.
​
Want to get involved? Check out the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre website and see how to help.
To donate to the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, click the CrowdRise widget below.
DONATE NOW
Donations are accepted through LEAP (or their full name, Land Empowerment Animals People), a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit.



0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009
    February 2009
    January 2009
    December 2008
    November 2008
    October 2008
    September 2008
    August 2008
    June 2008
    May 2008

    Categories

    All
    Ace
    Ah Bui
    Ah Chong
    Ah Lun
    Along
    Amaco
    Animal Abuse
    APE Malaysia
    APE Volunteer
    Awareness
    Awareness Programme
    Batik
    BATs Group
    Bear Behavior
    Bear Cub
    Bear Farming
    Bear House
    Bear Keeper
    Bear Moving
    Bear Rescue
    Beartrek
    Behaviour
    Bermuda
    Betung
    Bintang
    BJ
    Boboi
    Bongkud
    Book
    Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre
    Borneo
    BSBCC
    BSBCC In The News
    BSBC UK
    Camera-trap
    Captive-diet
    Captivity
    Centre Opening
    Cerah
    Chin
    Cnn Hero
    Community
    Conference
    Confiscated
    Conservation
    Conservation Action Plan
    Construction
    Damai
    Debbie
    Diana
    Dodop
    Donation
    Education
    Enrichment
    Environmental Education
    Exhibition
    Fence Training
    Filming
    Forest Enclosure
    Fulung
    Fundraising
    Gutuk
    Habitat Destruction
    Habitat Loss
    Habitat-loss
    Health Check
    Human Bear Conflict
    Integration
    Internship
    Itam
    Jelita
    Joe
    Judi Dench
    Julaini
    Kala
    Keningau
    Kina
    Kipaku
    Kitud
    Koko
    Kuamut
    Kudat
    Kukuton
    Lawa
    Leap
    Linggam
    Logan
    Logging
    Loki
    Luna
    Mamatai
    Manis
    Mary
    Montom
    Mou-signing
    Move Bear House
    Nano
    Natalie
    New Bear
    New-enclosure
    New-enclosure
    Noah
    Oakland-zoo
    Om
    Outreach
    Outreach Programme
    Panda
    Pangolin
    Performance
    Pet
    Pet Trade
    Phin
    Poaching
    Presentation
    Publication
    Quarantine
    Rainforest
    Rehabilitation
    Reintroduction
    Release
    Research
    Romolina
    Ronney
    Ronnie
    Ronnie Beruang 34
    Rungus
    Sabah
    Sabah Sun Bear Action Plan
    Sabah Tourism
    Sabah Wildlife Department
    Sanctuary
    Save Sun Bear
    Sbct-uk
    Sbct-uk
    School
    School Visit
    Sigalung
    Sika
    Simone
    Soo
    Staff
    Sun Bear
    Sun Bear In A Wild
    Sun Bear In The News
    Sun Bear In The Wild
    Sun Bear Library
    Sunbearo
    Sun Bear Symposium
    Sun-bear-symposium
    Sun-bear-video-blog
    Supporters
    Suria
    Susie
    Susie Beruang 35
    Tabin Wildlife Reserve
    Tan Tan
    Threats
    Toby
    Tokob
    Tree Nest
    Uncategorized
    Vacancies
    Video
    Vip Visitors
    Visit
    Visitor
    Volunteer
    Wai-pak-ng
    Walk Bear
    Wan Wan
    Wawa
    Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997
    Wildlife-disease
    Wildlife Smuggling
    Wildlife-smuggling
    Wildlife Trade
    Wildlife Trafficking
    Wong Siew Te
    Workshop
    Yayasan Sime Darby
    Yearling

    RSS Feed

Have a question or comment? We welcome all enquiries, so please get in touch from any of the methods below:
​
Contact us

Picture
​ info.bsbcc@gmail.com ​
Picture
​+60 89-534491
Write to us at our
​Postal Address

​
BSBCC,
PPM 219, Elopura,
90000 Sandakan, Sabah,
Malaysia
Contact us on our ​Facebook, Twitter & Instagram

​
​
Click the button below
to fill our Contact Form
​
​

CONTACT FORM
  • HOME
  • About Us
    • Overview
    • Our Journey
    • Events >
      • Past events
    • Meet Our Crew
    • Visit us
    • Our Work >
      • Animal Welfare
      • Ecotourism
      • Rehabilitation
      • Conservation actions
      • Research
      • Education >
        • Virtual Field Trip For Schools >
          • (MALAY) Lawatan Maya Beruang Madu Untuk Pelajar
          • (ENGLISH) Virtual Field Trip for Schools
      • Partners and Supporters
  • Sun Bears
    • Sun bear facts
    • Meet our bears
  • Resources
    • Sun Bear Wallpapers - Free For You
    • Learning Materials
    • Newsletter
    • Annual Report
    • Press
  • Bear Talk Blog
  • Adopt
    • My Bear Adoption
    • Share Bear Adoption
    • Gifts With Meaning
  • Donate
  • Volunteer
    • Volunteer programme
    • Volunteer Stories
  • SHOP
  • 首頁
  • 關於我們
    • 總覽
    • 中心的歷程
    • 我們的使命 >
      • 動物福利
      • 復育計劃
      • 馬來熊與生態教育
      • 馬來熊研究
      • 生態旅遊
    • 團隊介紹
    • 支持與合作機構/團體
    • 探訪本中心 >
      • 活動
      • 過往活動
  • 馬來熊
    • 馬來熊常識
    • 中心裡的馬來熊
  • 資源
    • 馬來熊電腦桌面背景壁紙(免費下載)
    • 教學資料
    • 時事通訊
    • 年度報告
    • 新聞/媒體
  • 助養馬來熊
    • 馬來熊「熊之友」助養計劃
    • 馬來熊「共同助養計劃」
    • 送馬來熊禮物
  • 捐款
  • 志工活動
    • 參與志工活動
    • 志工的故事
  • 購物
  • 聯絡我們
  • 首页
  • 关于我们
    • 总览
    • 中心的历程
    • 我们的使命 >
      • 动物福利
      • 复育计划
      • 马来熊与生态教育
      • 马来熊研究
      • 生态旅游
    • 团队介绍
    • 支持与合作机构/团体
    • 探访本中心 >
      • 活动
      • 过往活动
  • 马来熊
    • 马来熊常识
    • 中心里的马来熊
  • 资源
    • 马来熊电脑桌面背景壁纸(免费下载)
    • 教学资料
    • 时事通讯
    • 年度报告
    • 新闻/媒体
  • 助养马来熊
    • 马来熊“熊之友”助养计划
    • 马来熊“共同助养计划”
    • 送马来熊礼物
  • 捐款
  • 志工活动
    • 参与志工活动
    • 志工的故事
  • 购物
  • 联络我们
  • ホーム
  • BSBCCについて
    • 概要
    • 私たちの歩み
    • 活動内容 >
      • 動物福祉
      • エコツーリズム
      • 教育
      • 保全活動
      • 研究
      • リハビリテーション
      • パートナー & 支援者
    • スタッフ紹介
    • イベント
    • 訪れる
  • マレーグマ
    • マレーグマ知識
    • マレーグマ紹介
  • 情報
    • デスクトップ用壁紙(無料)
    • 学習教材
    • ニュースレター「マレーグマの声」
    • 年間報告書
    • 報道
  • 里親プログラム
    • 里親になる
    • みんなで里親になろう
    • マレーグマへの贈り物
  • 寄付
  • ボランティア
    • ボランティア
    • ボランティア体験談