Montom – beams with a lovely smile!!
Text by Chiew Lin May
Photos by Seng Yen Wah & Chiew Lin May
Montom arrived safely at the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC), after a long trip from the Kampung Melankap, Kota Marudu on January 21st, 2015.
The story reported to the Wildlife Rescue Unit was that their dog chased away his mother and she left Montom behind. He was taken and kept as a pet for a year inside a chicken wire mesh cage and was fed with the wrong diet. The owner was willing to surrender Montom to the Sabah Wildlife Department’s Wildlife Rescue Unit. During the arrival, he was stressed and weighed 26.8kg.
The rehabilitation process is long as it takes time for them to learn the vital skills they need to survive in the wild. This step begins with a period of quarantine to recover mentally from their traumatic years in the illegal pet trade, gain back trust and commence rehabilitation at BSBCC. With care and love from our bear team, he slowly recovers from the pain and trauma of being separated from his mother. His appetite is great and he is an active bear. He is quickly settling into his new environment and is getting a taste of the sweet life at the BSBCC.
Thank you to the Sabah Wildlife Department who rescued Montom so that he can have a second chance at living a happy wild bear life.
Since his arrival at the BSBCC, Montom has thrived. He made his first friend, Susie2 and enjoys the social play very much!
In Malay language, the sun bear is known as “beruang madu” (honey madu) since it likes consuming honey. The sun bear has an extremely acute sense of smell. He will become incredibly excited if he finds honey! The availability of tasty beetles, pill millipedes, termites, ants and invertebrates has caused Montom to love spending more time on feeding and staying in the forest. This is EXCELLENT for him! He can always be seen sitting and eating his food between his fore paws.
Chatting with bear friends
Having a good roll in the soil
Growling together!
Montom is quite playful and he enjoys play wrestling with Kala
He is one of the peacemakers and is a very gentle bear
He will normally find a nice shaded place to have a nap
On rainy days, he loves staying high up in the trees to cool off and avoid leeches!
Sun bears are very expressive! He loves beaming his big bear SMILE and thoroughly enjoys himself!
He has embraced everything about his new life
Way to go Montom! He is on his way to learn more skills that will help him return to the forest one day!
