Visit Malaysia 2026 mascot role a 'lifeline' for our sun bears
Published by: The Star
Published on: 21 March 2026
By: AGENCY
Wira (left) and Manja are the lovable mascots of Visit Malaysia 2026. — The Star
Across airports, digital billboards and tourist hotspots nationwide, the grinning faces of "Wira" and "Manja", the official mascots for Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026), enthusiastically welcome the world.
Yet, more than a thousand kilometres away in the dense rainforests of Sabah, the real-life inspirations for these characters face a far grimmer reality as they struggle to survive against shrinking habitats, poaching and the illegal pet trade.
The world's smallest bear species, classified as "Vulnerable" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List, faces steep decline across South-East Asia, with experts warning that habitat fragmentation in Borneo and Sumatra will accelerate its disappearance.
For Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) founder and chief executive officer Dr Wong Siew Te, the VM2026 mascot campaign represents a long-overdue victory for a species he calls the "forgotten bear", compared to the Malayan tiger and orangutan that often dominate conservation headlines.
"Its scientific name is Helarctos Malayanus. 'Hela' in Latin means sun, 'arctos' means bear, 'Malayanus' means Malaya. It has an identity as something Malaysian. This is not a Sumatran rhinoceros or anything, this is Malayan, like the Malayan tiger," Wong said in an interview in BSBCC in Sandakan.
The 57-year-old Penang-born wildlife biologist explained that as a species entirely dependent on forests, sun bears require vast and undisturbed habitats, something that is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain across South-East Asia.
"In recent decades, the human population has increased rapidly, especially in developing countries in Southeast Asia. When the population increases, we need more areas for housing and agriculture such as palm oil and rubber plantations.
"As a result, we are forced to compete and encroach on the habitats of wildlife, including sun bears. So, is the population of these bears increasing? No. The fact is, our forest areas are decreasing every year," he said, describing his conservation work as a lifetime project.
Wong explained that forest clearance triggers a violent cycle, pushing displaced bears into human conflict, rendering them vulnerable to poachers who target adults for their parts and capture cubs for the illegal wildlife trade.
He revealed this dark trade often involves poachers slaughtering protective mother bears to snatch their cubs for the exotic pet market – a reality exemplified by Amaco, a rescued sun bear who languished in a small cage on an oil palm plantation in Lahad Datu for 18 years.
Wong shared that Amaco's years in captivity left the animal so deeply traumatised that it lost all natural survival instincts, eventually preferring the safety of a concrete floor to the forest it once feared, meaning it could never be returned to the wild.
With official estimates suggesting only 300 to 500 sun bears remain in Peninsular Malaysia, Wong views the VM2026 campaign as a critical awareness opportunity.
"Since this honey bear is used as a mascot for Visit Malaysia 2026, the government is very active in promoting it to the public. This helps me as a conservationist to raise awareness because in conservation work, you must know the species first. That is the first step," he said.
With the species finally in the national spotlight, Wong is pushing for tangible solutions, including massive wildlife corridors and integrating conservation into the national school curriculum, while lauding the Sabah state government's commitment to protect 30 per cent of its land mass as forest by 2025.
While the Bornean Sun Bear Action Plan for Sabah highlights the urgent need for forest connectivity to ensure safe migration and breeding, Wong stressed that conservation must also address the human element by providing local communities with alternative livelihoods through nature-based tourism to deter poaching.
Despite the grim challenges, he remains hopeful, driven by profound victories such as the centre's "soft release" programme in the Tabin Wildlife Reserve, where he recently observed a rehabilitated bear named Tenom slowly re-adapting to the wild and spending days foraging in the jungle without returning to the enclosure.
"He is ready anytime he doesn't want to come back anymore. One day, he will be able to be 100 per cent independent," Wong said, describing the exhaustive rehabilitation process as incredibly rewarding. – Bernama
‘Forgotten bear’ finally gets to shine on world stage
Published by: The Star
Published on: 20 March 2026
At risk: As a species entirely dependent on forests, sun bears require vast, undisturbed habitats – something that is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain across South-East Asia. — Bernama
KUALA LUMPUR: Across airports, digital billboards and tourist hotspots nationwide, the grinning faces of Wira and Manja, the official mascots for Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026), enthusiastically welcome the world as the vibrant new faces of national tourism.
Yet, more than a thousand kilometres away in the dense rainforests of Sabah, the real-life inspirations for these characters face a far grimmer reality, struggling to survive amid shrinking habitats, poaching and the illegal pet trade.
The world’s smallest bear species, classified as “Vulnerable” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, is facing a steep decline across South-East Asia, with experts warning that habitat fragmentation in Borneo and Sumatra will accelerate its disappearance.
For Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre founder and chief executive officer Dr Wong Siew Te, the VM2026 mascot campaign represents a long-overdue victory for a species he calls the “forgotten bear”, compared with the Malayan tiger and orangutan, which often dominate conservation headlines.
“Its scientific name is Helarctos malayanus. ‘Hela’ in Latin means sun, ‘arctos’ means bear, ‘malayanus’ means Malaya. It has an identity as something Malaysian. This is not a Sumatran rhinoceros or anything – this is Malayan, like the Malayan tiger,” Wong told Bernama when met at the centre, located in Sepilok.
The 57-year-old Penang-born wildlife biologist explained that, as a species entirely dependent on forests, sun bears require vast, undisturbed habitats – something that is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain across South-East Asia.
“When the human population increases, we need more areas for housing and agriculture, such as palm oil and rubber plantations.
Small wins: Wong said the VM2026 mascot campaign represents a long-overdue victory for the species. — Bernama
“As a result, we are forced to compete with and encroach on wildlife habitats, including those of sun bears. So, is the population of these bears increasing? No. The fact is, our forest areas are decreasing every year,” he said.
Wong explained that forest clearance triggers a vicious cycle, pushing displaced bears into human conflict and rendering them vulnerable to poachers, who target adults for their parts and capture cubs for the illegal wildlife trade.
He revealed that this dark trade often involves poachers slaughtering protective mother bears to snatch their cubs – a reality exemplified by Amaco, a rescued sun bear who languished in a small cage on an oil palm plantation in Lahad Datu for 18 years.
Wong shared that Amaco’s years in captivity left the animal so deeply traumatised that it lost all natural survival instincts, eventually preferring the safety of a concrete floor, meaning it could never be returned to the wild.
With official estimates suggesting only 300 to 500 sun bears remain in Peninsular Malaysia, Wong views the VM2026 campaign as a critical opportunity to raise awareness.
“Since this honey bear is used as a mascot for Visit Malaysia 2026, the government is very active in promoting it to the public. This helps me as a conservationist to raise awareness because, in conservation work, you must first know the species. That is the first step,” he said.
With the species finally in the national spotlight, Wong is pushing for tangible solutions, including the development of large-scale wildlife corridors and the integration of conservation into the national school curriculum, while lauding the Sabah state government’s commitment to protect 30% of its land mass as forest by 2025.
While the Bornean Sun Bear Action Plan for Sabah highlights the urgent need for forest connectivity to ensure safe migration and breeding, Wong stressed that conservation efforts must also address the human element by providing local communities with alternative livelihoods through nature-based tourism to deter poaching.
Despite the grim challenges, he remains hopeful, driven by significant victories such as the centre’s soft release programme in the Tabin Wildlife Reserve, where he recently observed a rehabilitated bear named Tenom slowly readapting to the wild and spending days foraging in the jungle without returning to the enclosure.
“He is ready anytime he doesn’t want to come back anymore. One day, he will be able to be 100% independent,” Wong said, describing the exhaustive rehabilitation process as incredibly rewarding.
BERNAMA - VM2026 Mascot Role ‘Lifeline’ For The Sun Bear
Published by: BERNAMA
Published on: 19/03/2026
By: Abdul Rahman Fahmi Abdul Aziz
A Month with Little Manja
Today marks one month since Manja first arrived on 9 February 2026. Over the past month, she has shown clear improvement in her strength and behavior, becoming more active and increasingly curious about her surroundings.
We have been taking her on short outdoor walks to gradually introduce her to the natural environment. These sessions allow her to explore, build confidence, and slowly develop her natural behaviors. Although she is still slightly unsteady when climbing and walking on the forest floor, we continue to see steady improvement each day.
During this session, we brought Manja to a wider forest area. At first, she hesitated to go out by herself, but eventually she was able to walk out of the carrier independently. As soon as she entered the forest, Manja stayed close, following us while curiously exploring and sniffing everything around her.
She fell a few times due to her body imbalance, but she continued exploring. Manja was able to climb onto a dead log, although she was not yet able to find a way to climb down by herself. She also appeared alert when hearing unfamiliar sounds, pausing to look around without showing signs of distress.
As Manja is still small in body size and weight, she remains under close monitoring. At the same time, we continue to provide as much engagement and enrichment as possible to support her development and learning. Sometimes she refuses to interact with the items we provide, but we hope that with time and gradual exposure, she will eventually learn to explore and engage with them.
When it comes to food, Manja can be quite picky as we begin introducing solid foods into her diet. However, she seems to enjoy coconut very much!
Overall, Manja continues to make steady progress, and we look forward to seeing her grow stronger and more confident with each passing day.
Book Launching : Sun Bear Mission of the Malaysian Squirrel by Roger Cowdrey
Today at the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, we celebrated the launch of the book “Sun Bear Mission of the Malaysian Squirrel” by Roger Cowdrey — a story about protecting the world’s smallest bear — the Sun Bear.
Alongside the launch, we also held a Colouring Contest for primary school students and a Drawing Contest for secondary school students. The creativity was incredible!
Through stories and art, we hope to inspire the next generation to care for our forests and wildlife.
