Julaini and Ah Lun’s 1st Day at BSBCC

Text by Wai Pak Ng


After the medical check up by Dr Seik Ni, both new comers were put into the empty dens at the end of our new bear house. Ah Lun was having a very deep sleep in the first two hours, whereas Julaini waked up much earlier from the sedation.

Once they were recovered from the sedation, they were so curious to their environment, the sounds of the forest, the smell of others bears around, the floor they stand on and the wall they touch. Even though they still keep inside the cages, they are now having more space to stand, stretch their body, or even climb.

​I am quite surprise that Julaini did not need extra time to get his muscle functioning, and started to climb to the top of his cage! Compare to Ah Lun, I would say Julaini is much more adventurous. Julaini also remind me that the first day when Suria was released to a larger cage from her translocation cage, Suria fall down as she did not have the muscle strength to hold her body.

Julaini was climbing to the top of his new cage.

I tried to approach them nearer so that I can get their close up pictures. However, they were quite defensive. Even though Ah Lun, the 19 kg female cub started to growl and bark at me when I stand in front of her cage. Besides that, they do pace around their cages, showing their anxiety as I am a stranger to them.
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Both of them did show some stereotypic behavior in their first day here. I think that were inevitable for captive animal that being kept in a stress condition for a long time. Lucky enough as they were being rescued at their early age before they form any permanent stereotypic behavior.

For sure, BSBCC will try their best to provide them a better facility and enrichment programme to reduce their stereotypic behavior and eventually gain back their natural survival skills in the forest. Let’s pray for them!

Ah Lun was checking around her new cage.