International Sun Bear Day 2022
International Sun Bear Day 2022 has been a success! The celebration was informally started two days before with the mask coloring activity with the children coming to BSBCC starting from 14th May until 16th May, followed by the Zumba Dance Fundraiser on the 15th May. On the 16th of May, the event was formally launched with the opening speech from Yayasan Sime Darby Excellence Scholars and followed by a virtual tour from Dr. Wong Siew Te. The tour was filled with interactive Q&A session between Dr. Wong and the audience, sharing them with stories and personal experience about the sun bears with the emphasize on the event’s theme, “Healthy Forest, Happy Wildlife”.
At the same time, Sandakan Vocational College students were doing paintings based on the event’s theme. Soon after, the Kahoot Quiz was carried out by the YSD Excellence Scholars, testing participants comprehension about the sun bears.
The birthday celebration and cake cutting ceremony for Dr. Wong’s birthday was done shortly after the lunchtime. It was indeed a memorable moment for Dr. Wong, whose birthday coincided with the release of Natalie back in 2015, in which the first Sun Bear Day was celebrated in 2017 to commemorate Natalie’s release.
After the ceremony, the students were guided by the Bear Care Unit to create enrichment for the bears. The enrichment consist of ginger leaves tied tightly with vines and dipped into a solution of shrimp paste, producing a strong smell to attract the bears. The students got the chance to see the bears enjoying their treat by throwing the enrichment into the forest enclosures.
The event wrapped up with the announcement for the winners for the essay, story telling, and the painting competitions, personally announced by Dr. Wong. We would like to thanks to Life Water Industries Sdn Bhd, Sepilok Jungle Resorts, Sepilok Nature Resort and Sabah Hotel for sponsoring the Zumba Dance Fundraiser and Kuwait Finance House Berhad for sponsoring the tickets for Malaysian kids coming to BSBCC during the past three days from 14-16th May 2022, and not forgetting all the participants and all parties involved in making this event a success. See you guys again next year!
International Sun Bear Day 2022 (Zumba Dance Fundraiser)
In conjunction to the International Sun Bear Day 2022, BSBCC collaborated with Fay's Studio, a local Zumba Dance instructors group to fund raise by organizing Zumba Dance at Sepilok Multipurpose Hall.
The event was sponsored by Life Water Industries Sdn Bhd (known for the local K2 Mineral Water product), Sepilok Jungle Resorts, Sepilok Nature Resort and Sabah Hotel.
The dance event, led by Mrs. Fay De Vera and several other Zumba instructors and coaches manage to gather 180 participants around to enjoy an energetic 2-hours of almost-non-stop dance session.
In the end of the day, the event is a success, thanks to all parties involved. See you all on the next international Sun Bear Day!
WHY BSBCC?
Text by Muhammad Farid Imran b Muhammad Rafidi
Photos by Seng Yen Wah
Hey its Farid here ! I am a 3rd year student of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and I just finished my 2 weeks of internship at Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre.
Here I would like to share why BSBCC should be your first choice for your upcoming internship. Being a student, it is undeniable that we all are looking for a place that can provide allowance, meal and in a location that is a stone’s throw away from our house. Sadly, all these 3 things are not going to be provided here. But upon stepping into the center you will realize that these were not going the be your priority anymore.
First and foremost, all the staffs here are very friendly. Who would have thought that I would find a bunch of people here whom I can proudly call my family. My buddy here is David who is a senior staff at BSBCC. He is very funny and full of knowledge. Any question you asked, he will find a way to answer it nicely. Apart from that, here in BSBCC there is no age barrier. This means that everyone will be treated fairly and nicely including the new interns. Even you are new here, you still can make jokes with them and have dinner together. To be specific at a steamboat restaurant in which you will never forget about it. You want to know why? Go and apply your internship here then you will know why.
My buddy David helping us to set up a structural enrichment for the bears!
Secondly, the internship program here is well structured. Before you start working, Pradeep who is the Bear Care Officer a.k.a. your big brother will plan everything for your internship program. You will get a timetable which contains your daily task. Apart from that, you will have a few sessions with Dr Wong, Dr Boon and Pradeep. All these sessions were a golden opportunity for me to ask as many questions as possible to answer all my inquiries. You also will have a chance to do health checks for the bears and fecal floatation tests. In short, your time here is full with activities.
Last but not least, the presence of Dr Wong who is the CEO here will bring magic in your life. Trust me just by hearing his story on how he managed to build this center from scratch, your motivation to achieve anything in your life will boost up drastically. I still remember that he said success only requires patience and perseverance. This makes me realize that everyone has a chance to succeed in their career.
My last words are DO YOUR INTERNSHIP AT BSBCC NOW !!!!
