Sun bear returned to natural habitat
Published on: Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Sandakan: A sun bear found abandoned as a cub in the forest, was returned to its natural habitat deep in a wildlife reserve near Lahad Datu over the weekend, a first for the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC). Natalie became the first rescued bear to be released to the wild since the centre started receiving and caring for orphaned and rescued sun bears seven years ago.The BSBCC and Sabah Wildlife Department are monitoring Natalie's movements and progress at the Tabin Wildlife Reserve through a satellite collar fitted on her, after she was airlifted by a helicopter from Layang-Layang Aerospace Sdn Bhd into the interior of the protected area, away from settlements and oil palm plantations.BSBCC's chief executive officer and founder, Wong Siew Te, said Natalie, who was surrendered to the Sabah Wildlife Department in Lahad Datu by a local in December 2010, has matured into a healthy young adult under our care.ADVERTISEMENT Wong said Natalie was about three months old when she arrived at the centre, and that it was suspected that, like so many other bear cubs, her mother was killed by a poacher and she was captured to be kept illegally as a pet, although the person who surrendered her claimed she was found abandoned in the forest."She has grown well into adulthood at our centre for over four years. We walked with her in the forest (in Sepilok) during her first year. Such walks are an important part of the rehabilitation process of rescued pet sun bears so that they can learn to live like wild bears by developing essential survival skills like foraging, climbing, nest building and socialising."Natalie grew up in natural forest enclosures in BSBCC with tall trees, dense vegetation and significant amounts of natural food items such as termites, earthworms, insects and honey from bee hives," said Wong.He said the release of Natalie was a joint effort of BSBCC, Sabah Wildlife Department and the Wildlife Rescue Unit (WRU), Danau Girang Field Centre, and thanked the head of WRU, Dr. Sen Nathan and veterinarians, Drs Laura Benedict and Diana Ramirez for their dedication in helping sun bears and the release work. ADVERTISEMENT Department director, William Baya commended BSBCC for the courageous effort in initiating the release project."The release of Natalie is a sign of BSBCC's success and I believe more bears will be released into the wild in the near future," William said.
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Meanwhile, Wong stressed that BSBCC aims to protect sun bears through a holistic approach that incorporates improvement of animal welfare for captive bears, education, research and rehabilitation.He said BSBCC has worked closely with the Sabah Wildlife Department, Sabah Forestry Department and non-governmental organisation Land Empowerment Animals People (LEAP) to achieve these four objectives.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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He also thanked funders and supporters including the Sabah State Government, Tourism Ministry of Malaysia and Sime Darby Foundation, and many more from across Malaysia and the world without whom BSBCC's work would not be possible.Sun bears are a Totally Protected Species under the Sabah Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997. Any offenders who are found guilty of harming, keeping sun bears, or possessing sun bear parts are subject to imprisonment of five years and a fine of RM50,000, or both. In addition, killing of a sun bear has a mandatory jail sentence of no less than six months but not exceeding 5 years. The public is urged to report to the department or BSBCC if they come across any illegal acts involving sun bears.