SMK Elopura Bestari and SK Pamol visit
We were thrilled to host students from SMK Elopura Bestari and SK Pamol for a fun and meaningful educational visit to the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre!
They got up close with our adorable sun bears and learned all about their habitat, behavior, and the threats they face in the wild. Together, we’re building awareness and inspiring the next generation to protect our precious wildlife!
Lighting Hearts for Conservation: My Internship Journey at BSBCC
Text and picture by: Vivian Thien Yin Jet
I had already gone through the 20 weeks internship at Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) under the Environmental Education Unit. It is time to summarize all the feeling and thoughts. When I first came to this centre, I felt curious about how this place works. On the first day I reported on duty, every staff I met greeted me kindly and friendly. Then I started to learnt about sun bears and how this centre works to help them.
The concept of the Environmental Education Unit is to use interpretation to raise conservation awareness and educate people, whether through the platform, outreach to plantations or schools or even online competitions. The audience might spread the knowledge by word of mouth once they learnt. This team exists for that reason. Each member of the staff is passionate and knowledgeable about sun bears. it resembles a small flame spreading from one person to another, eventually lighting and growing number of hearts.
I gained knowledge about how to interact and engage with visitors from all backgrounds throughout my internship, in addition to share information about sun bears. I met people all over the world, guided school groups, assisted with special events like International Sun Bear Day and also had conservation with kids and content creators. In addition, I assisted on setting up event booths, running adoption counter and assisting with tour guiding activities. While on duty at the platform, I have become more confident in my ability to collaborate with others, speak in front of an audience and most importantly, handle unexpected situations.
I had the opportunity to join the Bear Care Unit besides working in the Environmental Education Unit. Compared to Environmental Education Unit, this section was completely different. It required hands-on work including cleaning enclosures, preparing bear food and getting a deeper understanding of bear habits. Despite the physical exhaustion, I appreciated the chance to work behind the scenes and actively support the bears’ daily care. I became aware of how much work the keepers do everyday to ensure the bears’ healthy, happiness and safety. Besides, I learnt a great consider for the difficult but always important work of caring for animals.
Throughout this journey, I gained more responsibility, improved time management and the ability to collaborate with individuals from different departments. A special thanks to my supervisor, Madam Risnayati Lammu who also acts as an Environmental Education Officer for her invaluable guidance and encouragement. I am also grateful to all the staff at BSBCC, the CEO and the Founder of BSBCC, Dr Wong Siew Te, Environmental Education Unit, Bear Care Unit, Maintenance Unit, as well as Sales, Admin, Finance and HR Unit and also my fellow interns for all of their help and support. With their kindness and tolerance, they have taught me a lot.
BSBCC is truly a special place. It is not only to protect sun bears, but it also aims to encourage people to protect animals and the environment. Being a part of BSBCC and becoming a member of this loving and caring family makes me very happy and proud. Even though my time here was short, I felt welcomed and included. I am proud to be a part of this mission and I think the lessons I have learnt here will stay with me for a long time. I am hoping that this experience will eventually allow me to continue supporting the environment and animals in other ways.
Thank you, BSBCC, for offering me with such a wonderful internship experience!
Helping visitors to take pictures of stingless bee hive through the spotting scope
My first tour guiding group from Peninsular Malaysia
My first tour guiding with the school group from Kolej Komuniti Sandakan
Fence checking every morning
Feeding at the Forest Enclosure
Enrichment making by using branches and honey
Presenting a slide show about Bornean Sun Bear
Education booth at Cahaya Society Sandakan
Pre-International Sun Bear Day booth
Handling student groups during International Sun Bear Day
Distributing the souvenirs during International Sun Bear Day
Engaging with the visitors when on duty at the platform
A visit to Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre with Madam Risnayati, Merie and Elvie
A group photo with BSBCC staff during annual dinner in January
Diana and Wan Wan's Eye Surgeries - A Big Success!
Last month, we found out that Diana and Wan Wan, our two lovely sun bears, had cataracts in their left eyes. With the amazing help of both vet and human eye specialists, we were able to carry out successful cataract surgeries for them on 12 May 2025!
This wasn’t easy getting the right equipment, flying in the right people, and dealing with the fact that there’s hardly any info or cases like this for sun bears made it quite a challenge. But our team pulled it off!
Right now, Diana and Wan Wan are recovering well under the watchful eyes of our bear care team. Giving eye drops to wildlife isn’t usually easy, but these two have been super cooperative, which is speeding up their healing!
We’re incredibly proud of this achievement and so grateful for all the support we’ve received. A heartfelt thank you to the amazing specialists who generously shared their time and expertise to restore the vision of our sun bears. Your dedication made all the difference!
Cataract removal was done using phacoemulsification technique
Wan Wan, our 17-year-old sun bear with her signature light pinkish nose, is a true independent spirit. She’s not the most social bear, but she definitely knows how to keep herself busy! Even after her cataract surgery, she was right back at it, happily digging into logs and splitting them in two like nothing ever happened
Diana is 19 years old and was rescued from the south-east coast of Sabah back in 2013. She’s our 33rd rescued bear and a total foodie! She always gets excited when mealtime comes around. On the day of her surgery, Diana was brought into the operating room for cataract surgery to help her see her favorite treats again. Our team made sure she was safe and comfortable the whole time.
We were honored to have Dr. Nabila Sarkawi from the Sabah Wildlife Department collaborating with our team.
Dr. Nadzariah Cheng graciously lent her expertise as a vet ophthalmologist to assist with the surgery.
A crucial part of the surgery, Dr. Chuah, an ophthalmologist from Duchess of Kent Hospital. Also present was volunteer veterinarian Dr. Teoh Hui Xuan from Pet First Veterinary Clinic.
Dr. Chuah from Duchess of Kent Hospital.
Wan Wan's cataract surgery
Dr. Wai Yong Zeng (ophthalmologist) and Ms Marziney (paramedic) from Duchess of Kent Hospital.
Dr. Wai Yong Zheng performed Diana's eye surgery
We were also grateful to have Dr. Anya, volunteer vet from Starlight Veterinary Hospital and Dr. Jessie Ho, a volunteer vet from Jesselton Animal Clinic
We would like to sincerely thank Mr Chong for flying in with the equipment to ensure the surgery was fully prepared and successful. On the left side, also present Dr. Fahdil, a medical officer from Duchess of Kent Hospital.
Ms. Sakina, a staff nurse from Duchess of Kent Hospital, assisted with Wan Wan’s surgery.
MRSM Visit
Huge thanks to the 60 students and 3 teachers from MRSM who joined us today at the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre!
The tour was guided by our Environmental Education Officer and two interns, who shared valuable knowledge about sun bears, our conservation efforts, and how each of us can play a role in protecting wildlife. Moments like this highlight the power of conservation education in bridging people and wildlife (the theme of International Sun Bear Day 2025) by helping the next generation understand, appreciate, and protect our precious biodiversity.
Thank you MRSM Sandakan — we hope the experience left you feeling inspired!
International Sun Bear Day 2025
The 9th celebration of the International Sun Bear Day took place on the 16th May 2025 at the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC), in Sepilok, Sandakan. With this year’s theme “Conservation Education: Bridging People and Wildlife”, the Centre hopes conservation education will bring people closer to nature, thus appreciating the importance of wildlife in maintaining the health of our ecosystem.
Some 50 students and teachers from local schools SJK (C) Ming Chung, SJK (C) Yuk Choi, SK Sung Siew, SK Muhibbah and SMK Elopura were present at the BSBCC to join the celebration. Activities in store for these students include interactive guided tours and a sun bear enrichment making activity which exposed the importance of animal welfare to participants. Prior to the actual celebration day, online contests were announced including quizzes, doodle art contest and drawing contests which were opened for local and international audiences to participate. Visitors to the BSBCC also get to enjoy a Pre – International Sun Bear Day celebration on the 3rd-4th May 2025, with booths from the BSBCC themselves, Sepilok Junior Rangers and Kolej Vokasional Sandakan that offered interactive activities for all ages.
Sun bears, the smallest among the 8 living bear species in the world is listed as one of the Totally Protected species in Sabah under the state’s Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997.
The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre is currently home to 41 sun bears, mainly rescued from house pets across Sabah. The Centre provides a second chance for these bears to return to the wild through a rehabilitation programme, apart from providing an improved long-term living environment for bears that cannot be released. BSBCC by far has received 70 sun bears rescued by the Sabah Wildlife Department and 13 individuals has been reintroduced back into the wild including a 5-year-old female sun bear released in March this year.
Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Sabah Visit
It is a great privilege and honour to extend our heartfelt gratitude to YB Datuk Seri Panglima Christina Liew, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Sabah, and the esteemed delegates for visiting the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) today.
Dr. Wong Siew Te, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of BSBCC, warmly welcomed the delegation and personally conducted a guided tour from the entrance to the observation platform, offering insights into the Centre’s work and the sun bears’ natural behaviours. We are especially delighted that this meaningful visit will help further promote the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre and highlight the sun bear as a symbolic mascot for Visit Malaysia 2026.
It’s a wrap for Pre International Sun Bear Day 2025 at BSBCC
It all begins with an idea.
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us over these two fun-filled days at BSBCC! From exciting games and creative activities to sweet treats and educational experiences, it was truly a beary special time.
We’d also like to extend our heartfelt thanks to our amazing exhibitors from Rainforest Discovery Centre, Sepilok and Kolej Vokasional Sandakan 2 for adding even more fun to our Pre International Sun Bear Day. Your participation made a big difference!
And now, we’re excitedly counting down the days to the actual International Sun Bear Day on May 16th!
Day 1 of our Pre-International Sun Bear Day 2025
It all begins with an idea.
A big thank you to everyone who joined us today. We had an amazing time filled with laughter, learning, and lots of bear-themed fun! From the Sun Bear Challenge to face painting and eco games, your energy made it unforgettable.
See you again tomorrow for more sun bear excitement!
