BSBCC’s First Soft Release - Tenom: Born to be wild!
A mixed feeling sending off Tenom, a 10-month-old female Bornean sun bear cub to the forest reserve, for soft release. We are thrilled and excited that this long-discussed project has finally been realized. As this is the pilot project, we are worried and nervous as well, praying hard that both the bear and personnel are safe throughout the project in the forest.
Tenom, upon rescued, was approximately a 3-month-old cub weighing 4kg. The tiny Tenom’s behavior is different compared to the previous hand-raised cub. She is feisty and will never hesitate to growl, bark, charge and bite. She never cries for human attention. She knows to keep herself busy around natural substances such as sticks, branches, and leaves. She has a strong instinct to feed on invertebrates, and will never get over with the termite mound. Her climbing skill is marvelous, she would climb up high, cling upside down with claws, swing and glide confidently. When she senses danger, she hides quietly in a hanging log, peeks and watches diligently.
Sun bear soft release is about raising the sun bear cub in a natural habitat. The keepers act like surrogate mothers to walk the cub daily in the forest and introduce the cub to forest food. This forest walk exposure is to develop and enhance the cub’s natural instinct to forage, feed on forest food, climb, nest building, etc. The project is meant to simulate a mother-cub relationship, where the cub will leave our care once it reaches weaning age and full independence to explore and establish its own home range. The work does not stop even when the cub has left us. The team will track the cub’s movement with satellite and VHF information.
What is the weaning age for a sun bear cub? It is 2-3 years with the mother, presumably the cub will leave human care earlier than natural circumstances. This is a long project and truly requires a dedicated tough team and a big financial investment. We are grateful to everyone involved in making this happen. Especially to Yayasan Hasanah, Kementerian Kewangan, Yayasan Sime Darby, Bask Bear Coffee (Tenom’s adopter) and Planet Wild.
The sun bear soft release under the Tabin Sun Bear Project will be a milestone in the conservation of the Bornean sun bear.
Letting Tenom go into her transport cage calmly as this will help with lessening her stress being in the small transport cage. The team left the transport cage in her night den for almost a week to let her get used to being in and out of it.
Loading up Tenom into the car for the long journey ahead towards the Tabin Sun Bear Project in Tabin Wildlife Reserve!
The journey to the project's base camp and where Tenom will live her new life!
Tenom is still quite cautious of her new surroundings. Our team will stay there to observe her closely and try to keep her as safe and comfortable as possible.
A start to Tenom's new journey to the wild!
Dearest Tenom, we hope that you will be the wildest bear and will grow up into the independent bear we know you are! Be free sweet girl!
Thank you to our team for working so hard to ensure that everything runs smoothly and keeping Tenom safe and healthy throughout her stay with BSBCC.
BSBCC Annual Dinner “Denim Night”
Last night (January 23, 2024), BSBCC was hosting their annual dinner with a Denim Night theme. This event held to appreciate all the staff's hard work and effort throughout the year. Performances from each unit made the night even more fun and enjoyable, and the Sales and Ticketing Unit won the Best Performance. Aside from that, all the staff were also excited for the lucky draw session. Furthermore, senior staff members received a 10-year service award from BSBCC in recognition of their ten years of dedicated service. Not to mention, the Best Dressed announcement was the night's high point. And you know what? Dr. Wong Siew Te , our Papa Bear, took first place!
Thank you to all of BSBCC's backbone. Let's aim for the best for a better future of BSBCC. Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much!
Outreach programme to SK Kg. Bahagia
We kickstarted our 2024 outreach programme with an invitation by Sabah Wildlife Department and reached another school in Sandakan, SK Kg Bahagia. This programme also attended by Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC), Orangutan Appeal UK and Tropical Rainforest Conservation and Research Centre (TRCRC). Activities such as engaging talks, booth games, exhibitions and coloring contest were done to instill love to nature and wildlife among the young students. In the end, all of the students enjoyed our day here with the hope there will be more programmes like this will follow.
School Group Visit: Young Explorer Childcare, SK Sentosa Jaya & SK Kuala Lamba
This week, we were visited by three school groups: Young Explorer Childcare, SK. Sentosa Jaya, and SK. Kuala Lamba. We are honored that they came to BSBCC for a study visit. An interactive activity was done for each group to give them an introduction to sun bears while observing our rescued bears in the forest enclosure. It was an exciting moment for all of them, as it was also their first time visiting the centre. We hope they learned a lot from the visit and will help spread awareness to save the sun bears.
Animal Healing with Claire Thompson
We are delighted to welcome back Claire Thompson of Claire Thompson Animal stories! Claire is a trained animal healing and communicator (Healing Animals Organisation), who has been using two different methods to help our sun bears: energetic healing and communication, and IMIM - Ingraham Method of Individualised Medicine.
Claire worked with our newest rescues - Kwong and Rudy - and also our older residents such as Amaco and Along. Part of her work included offering the animals a range of natural remedies, such as essential oils, herbs and clays, and letting them choose what they need for their own health and well-being. (More about the bear's individual preferences in the captions of the pictures )
Claire's notes:
"Rudy's selections I would say are mostly emotional support around change/uplifting, calming as she kept going back to the Clary Sage and we could see her really chill out and look like she was processing her choices. "
Claire's notes:
"Kukuton's choices were emotional support in the form of calming. The valerian really sent him to his own world."
Claire's notes:
"Along was offered oils for pain then joy and balance - Along has always seemed very interested in the oils being curious about what is in my oil case. His favourite for both visits has been the orange blossom water. Although he showed agitation with some of the oils (birch, wild carrot seed), he was not as aggressive (lashing out and only shook the bars once) as my first visit in May. I understand now that these reactions are his way of working through either the pain or emotional side so I would be much more confident in working with the pain options next time if he were to select these. It was great to see him really releasing energy in the form of yawning, at first his yawns were small and stiff then progressing to big yawns with his tongue out. He also had sleepy eyes, this is confirmation that he was selecting oils that were assisting him in his needs."
Claire's notes:
"Amaco, was offered minerals spirulina, barley grass and liquorice root with coconut oil. Due to his older years this is a really good mineral boost for him and also an enrichment. He was really interested in the liquorice root and coconut oil. Grooming himself after licking the liquorice root and coconut oil, looking up more occasionally than down and seeming relatively content moving about between the minerals in the trays. He sat in the far corner grooming for some time too. Much less stood at the bars weaving from foot to foot."
Claire's notes:
"Kwong preferred scents for emotional support and calming, I find it very interesting that working with Rudy got his interest. Kwong is like a curious little boy that does not want to be left out! When Kwong was offered tobacco, this is when he started climbing to see Rudy and in offering Rudy the same, she climbs to see him. It makes sense that Kwong selected so much vanilla.”
Claire has been documenting her sessions and sharing her observations and insights with us. She has also been educating the public about the benefits of these methods and how they can enhance the quality of life of the animals. We are very grateful for her dedication and passion for our sun bears, and we hope that she will come back to visit us again soon. Thank you, Claire, for being a part of our BSBCC family!
News - New Gelugob Bridge Launch & 10th Year of Opening to Public
Wednesday, 17th of January 2024
Thursday, 18th of January 2024
Nicolie - First Volunteer For 2024
We are so grateful to have Nicolie as our first volunteer for 2024 at Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC). She has been a wonderful addition to our team and has shown great passion and dedication for the welfare of our sun bears.
Nicolie has helped us with various tasks such as preparing food, cleaning enclosures, enriching the bears’ environment, and monitoring their behaviour.
We are so proud of Nicolie and all that she has accomplished during her time with us. She has made a positive impact on the lives of our sun bears and our staff. We hope that she will come back to visit us again soon. Thank you, Nicolie, for being a part of our BSBCC family!
Launching New Gelugob Bridge & 10-year Anniversary Open To Public
The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) is holding a launching ceremony of its New Gelugob Bridge on 16th January 2024, 10 am, at their Centre in Sepilok, Sandakan. The New Gelugob Bridge was built in replacement of the old Gelugob Bridge built by Raleigh International volunteers in 2009, using reclaimed Belian planks from fences built for Sumatran Rhinos at the Rhino Breeding Centre that was set up here in Sepilok during the 1980s. The bridge was decided to be named “Gelugob Bridge” after a female Sumatran Rhino, Gelugob who was known as the oldest Sumatran Rhino in captivity. Gelugob was one of the residents at the Rhino Breeding Centre before being transferred to the Lok Kawi Wildlife Park in Kota Kinabalu.
In January 2014, Gelugob died of age-related illness at the age of 37. The deteriorating condition of the old bridge was crucial to be replaced as the bridge has been an important access path for visitors to the BSBCC. To ensure safety of visitors entering the Centre, the new bridge was built with sturdier structure, using concrete and heavy-duty materials. The new bridge is also wheelchair user friendly.
Thanks to the support from the Ministry of Finance Malaysia, through Yayasan Sime Darby, the Centre was able to secure enough funding to rebuild the bridge and it was officially completed on 20th December 2023. During the launching event, BSBCC is also celebrating its 10-Year Anniversary of opening to the public. BSBCC has five pillars where the conservation efforts are focusing on these five areas. One of the pillars of BSBCC as the only sun bear conservation Centre in the world is to raise awareness and educate the public about the plights of sun bears and their rainforest habitat. The other pillars include promote ecotourism, which not only helped BSBCC generate sufficient revenue to operate for the past 16 years, but also help to create job opportunities and improve local people’s livelihood.
Since the Centre opened to the public in January 2014, a total of 553,760 visitors were received with international visitors contributing 60% of total visitor numbers. In addition to that, the Centre also received 397 local and international school groups comprising 15,174 students and educators. Educational activities are organized during these school visits to enhance understanding on sun bear conservation among the young generations.
The BSBCC’s CEO and Founder, Dr. Wong Siew Te expresses his special gratitude to the Sabah Forestry Department, Sabah Wildlife Department, Land Empowerment Animals People (LEAP) for their never-ending support towards the Centre since the Centre’s establishment in 2008, important funders including the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture of Malaysia, Sabah State Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Malaysia Ministry of Finance, Sime Darby Foundation, Hasanah Foundation, as well as partners, funders, donors and volunteers of whom the Centre would never have achieved what they achieved today without their support.
SMK Sook, Keningau Visit
It all begins with an idea.
Our very first school group visit in 2024 - SMK Sook, Keningau! Thank you for coming to visit our rescued bears, we hope they enjoyed it a lot and help us spread the word to their friends and family. Together we save Sun Bears!
To Bear-y Good 2024!
It all begins with an idea.
The never-ending illegal wildlife pet trading is truly upsetting. In 2023, BSBCC received two rescued sun bears (Tenom and Kwong) for rehabilitation. It was also heartbreaking to know that there are another two rescued sun bears awaiting transfer to BSBCC once there are vacant cages available for them. BSBCC is now in full holding capacity, meaning there is not enough space for new coming bears, while the current resident bears are mostly non-releasable because of old age, lack of survival skills, and medical issues.
The never-ending illegal wildlife pet trading is truly upsetting. In 2023, BSBCC received two rescued sun bears (Tenom and Kwong) for rehabilitation. It was also heartbreaking to know that there are another two rescued sun bears awaiting transfer to BSBCC once there are vacant cages available for them. BSBCC is now in full holding capacity, meaning there is not enough space for new coming bears, while the current resident bears are mostly non-releasable because of old age, lack of survival skills, and medical issues.
It is always the same old story that one day a villager encounters a sun bear cub alone in the forest, or buys the cub from the black market out of sympathy. Logically, a nursing mammal will not abandon the young easily until weaning at approximately two to three years. If there is a healthy chubby sun bear cub wandering alone, chances are the mother was killed intentionally. In the Borneo rainforest, the only predator for adult sun bears is us, human beings! On another note, when buying no-stop, the demand no-stop, the supply will not stop and hence the poaching continues. Buying a sun bear cub from the black market can save one individual, but may put the population in danger. Instead, please report to the Wildlife Department when you encounter illegal wildlife trade, the authority will take the necessary actions to punish the culprit. Wildlife trading is a crime and should not be tolerated.
2023 was very challenging, but we made it through with all your support, help, and collaboration. We are very grateful to have you with us to create a better environment for the lovely sun bears, in captivity and the wild. We are happy to be able to kickstart the Tabin Sun Bear Project this year. This is an exciting project that encompasses ex-situ research and rehabilitation; and will greatly enhance our conservation efforts for this species.
We wish for a “bear-y good” year ahead with the captive bears to stay healthy and happy, whereas the wild bears stay free and safe where they belong. May this year be filled with love, peace, happiness, and good fortune for everyone.
Love, Barks and Big Bear Hugs!
39th Board Meeting at the Sabah Forestry Department HQ in Sandakan
Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre is having the 39th Board Meeting this morning at the Sabah Forestry Department HQ in Sandakan. 2024 is the 16th years of BSBCC in operation. We are grateful to Datuk Frederick Kugan, Tuan Augustine Tuuga, Sylvia Yorath, Filzah Jamjam and all of BSBCC’s management officers to attend the meeting.
The first meeting of year is always an important one because we have discussed about the money matters, followed by the operations and future plans. Always feel great to have good plans for the years with the supports from all to implement the tasks to help sun bears in Sabah.
Thank you all for the hardworks for the past 16 years! Together we can make a difference for sun bears, other wildlife and Sabah great!
Happy New Year 2024!
It all begins with an idea.
Happy New Year everyone!
It is the time of the year I am writing this New Year message to all of the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre's friends, fans, supporters, and family, to wish all of you a very happy new year!
This New Year is the year of hope that is full of positive energy for BSBCC! Since the pandemic started in 2020, BSBCC has experienced a very challenging three years in 2020, 2021, and 2022 for obvious reasons – the world "locked down" due to the COVID-19 pandemic that lasted for almost three years. This was by far our most challenging time as the main source of revenue was cut off after the country lockdown and tourism ceased. Thanks to our generous funders Yayasan Sime Darby, Yayasan Hasanah, and many others, we managed to pull through the hard times until tourism made a recovery in early 2023.
The return of the tourists from across the world was overwhelming. In 2023, 77,426 visitors visited BSBCC, among them 49,814 are foreign tourists. This surge in the number of visitors gave us hope as BSBCC has been heavily dependent on revenue generated from ticketing and souvenir selling since we opened to the public in 2014. Together with funding support from the Sime Darby Foundation, Hasanah Foundation, and other funding agencies and partners, we have made several achievements and improvements to our facilities.
In 2023 Sabah Wildlife Department rescued two sun bear cubs, Tenom and Kwong, and later sent them to BSBCC for rehabilitation and care. Although we never felt happy to receive the cubs because it meant the brutal killing of the cub's mothers by the poachers, we were glad that we could at least take good care of the cubs and help them have a second chance to live in the forest. The rescue of Tenom has led us to kick-start the Tabin Sun Bear Project in August 2023 by establishing a forest camp for soon-to-be Tenom's rehabilitation program and long-term ecological research on wild sun bears in Tabin Wildlife Reserve. Tabin Sun Bear Project is a long-term field-based program for rehabilitation, research, and anti-poaching. This satellite project of BSBCC will for sure increase our ability to conduct sun bear rehabilitation and the understanding of wild sun bears.
At BSBCC, 2023 was a busy year after the return of the visitors in full swing. We experienced "revenge tourism" after almost three years of lockdown. All of our ticketing & shopkeeper team, environmental education team, and myself were busy welcoming the visitor each day, especially during the peak seasons. Our Environmental Education team was also busy conducting their education program both at BSBCC and outreach programs across various schools in Sabah. A total of 63 school groups (2,400 individuals) visited the centre and the team managed to conduct outreach programs in 10 schools that reached 1,584 individuals. We also started the construction of the new Gelugob bridge at the entrance of BSBCC to replace the old Gelugob bridge which has started to go down after being used for the past 14 years. The construction of the new bridge was just completed in mid-December. We will launch the new bridge on 16th January 2024 and celebrate the 10th anniversary of BSBCC open to the public. Everyone is invited to join the official launch on 16th January!
Besides the construction of the new Gelugob Bridge, we also have several construction projects that we plan for 2024. During this New Year, we plan to construct an entrance foyer to welcome visitors and make the entrance of BSBCC to be more visible to the public to enhance visitation numbers. Then, the old ironwood fences of Pen B, Pen C, and Pen D require upgrading and minor expansion with a chain-link fence. The New Year is also the year for us to fundraise and build our 3rd Observation Platform to improve visitors' experience. If we are lucky, we also wish to start fundraising for the construction of the new Interpretation Centre and Office Building in 2025 to improve our visitors' experience and provide better workspace for our growing team, especially with additional team members for the 10-year Sabah Sun Bear Action Plan, which we hope to launch in this new year.
Dear supporters, fans, and friends, BSBCC is entering its 16th year because of your help and support in many ways. BSBCC was my big dream for the little sun bears when I first had the idea to create a conservation centre for sun bears in 2004 after seeing so many sad captive sun bears on my survey of captive sun bears in Malaysia. It was an ambitious plan to found it in 2008 with spiritual support from Sabah Wildlife Department, Sabah Forestry Department, and LEAP. We later turn the spiritual support into actions to raise funds and solve obstacles to build BSBCC from scraps. Thankfully more help and support are coming along the journey. Besides the three partners who helped me to establish BSBCC, other important funders such as the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture of Malaysia, Sabah State Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Malaysia Ministry of Finance, Sime Darby Foundation, Hasanah Foundation, and many others. In 2023 we received additional financial support from Paradise Wildlife Park, being recognized by the prestigious Gamuda Inspiration Award and Star Golden Hearts Award with a total cash price of RM165,000. Beside financial supports, I am also grateful to all of BSBCC staff, interns and volunteers to make all of the works possible on site. Your support is the reason for us to keep doing our good work to help the sun bears in Sabah and other parts of Southeast Asia.
We have high hopes for 2024 to achieve many goals to conserve sun bears and other wildlife. However, we also know the new challenges of global climatic change, the two ongoing wars, and the challenging world economy are developing as we speak. BCBCC always stays optimistic to face these challenges, just like what we have been through during the COVID-19 pandemic years. I strongly believe the hardship during the pandemic years will make us stronger, as long as we stay optimistic!
Happy New Year everyone! Let's pray for a better year in 2024 and world peace! Let's hope we can respect each other regardless of race, nationality, religion, and species. We only have one Earth, there is no planet B! Let's work together to make humans happy, and eventually, wildlife and animals will be happy too in this New Year!
Thank you.
Sincerely yours,
Dr. (Hon.) Wong Siew Te, D.J.N.
Founder and C.E.O,
BORNEAN SUN BEAR CONSERVATION CENTRE
