At Last!
By Paul Clenton
Repost from http://bearingupinborneo.wordpress.com/2011/09/19/at-last/
Yesterday was monumentous for me as I finally got to meet up with Anna Cocker. It was very exciting for me to meet her because I have heard so much about her in the past had taken us months to find a mutually-convenient time and place to get together, but I’m very glad that we did. Anna is an amazing person who has earnt her stripes at the BSBCC through contributions made at both Sepilok and Danum Valley, aswell as through her efforts to raise awareness and funding in the UK.
Anna radio-tracking in Borneo.
It was great to talk to someone who shares my enthusiasm for sun bears and their conservation. We met up at Stafford Railway Station and went for a “Beartrek” around Cannock Chase. We spent 6 hours in constant conversation about the the bears, life in Borneo and the people and places we knew; even Wai Pak’s dog got a mention! It was probably ‘good therapy’ and certainly very motivating for both of us.
Like myself, Anna has done sporsored events and given talks on sun bears; there is much that we can learn form each other by pooling our experiences. Single-handedly raising awareness for sun bear conservation can be challenging, especially when day-to-day life gets in the way of things, so I think it will be highly beneficial for us to work together and share our ideas on how to accomplish this.
Anna and I have aggreed to get together again in a few weeks to further discuss our plans to get the Sun Bear Conservation Trust back on track and firing on all cylinders. I have a strong feeling that something good is going to come of this.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Wong's notes: if you are from UK and would like to join Sun Bear Conservation Trust, please contact Anna Cocker : <annaecocker@yahoo.co.uk> or Paul Clenton pdclenton@yahoo.com.