{"id":549,"date":"2025-05-16T11:44:57","date_gmt":"2025-05-16T03:44:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thr2024.yayasanhasanah.org\/?page_id=549"},"modified":"2025-05-22T11:04:17","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T03:04:17","slug":"the-mission-to-save-our-bornean-sun-bear","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/thr2024.yayasanhasanah.org\/ms\/environment\/the-mission-to-save-our-bornean-sun-bear\/","title":{"rendered":"Misi Menyelamatkan Beruang Matahari Kita"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The Mission to Save Our Bornean Sun Bears\u200b<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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On the Visit Malaysia 2026 logo two sun bears. Wira and Manja, as they are called, stand proud as the official icon\u2014 a long-overdue spotlight on a native species.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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For far too long, the plight of this world\u2019s smallest bear \u2014 solitary and arboreal by nature \u2014 has largely remained a conservation lacuna. There has been little research in this area and efforts to protect them have been lacking.<\/p>

Legislation-wise, efforts to protect the species include the classification of sun bears or Helarctos malayanus<\/em> as \u201cTotally Protected\u201d under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010. Internationally, sun bears appear on Appendix I \u2014 the highest category for endangered species \u2014 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and are also deemed \u201cVulnerable\u201d on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List.<\/p>

With a long tongue built for honey and termite nests, and a unique chest mark as distinctive as a fingerprint, the sun bear has roamed Southeast Asia<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s tropical rainforests for millennia. But in recent decades, their numbers have plummeted \u2014 hunted, caged, <\/span>displaced<\/span> and killed.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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At the Heart of the Work <\/strong><\/h4>

Moved by a strong urge to fill the gap between policy and reality, a wildlife biologist and tropical forest ecologist Dr. Wong Siew Te founded the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) in 2008 \u2014 the first and only facility of its kind in the country.<\/p>

Situated in the Sepilok Forest Reserve, its work involves rescuing, rehabilitating and \u2014 where possible \u2014 releasing sun bears back into the wild. Over the last 17 years, 70 bears have come through its doors.<\/p>

In the past three decades, the sun bear population has reduced by an alarming 35%, Dr. Wong says. The cause: human activity with utter disregard to nature \u2014 adult bears killed for bushmeat or traditional medicine, cubs sold as pets, and entire habitats cleared for development.<\/p>

Bear bile is highly sought after as traditional medicine, and this demand continues to drive the killing<\/span>. <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>All the rescued bears here are <\/span>traumatised<\/span>. They <\/span>witnessed<\/span> the brutal killing of their mother by poachers,\u201d says Dr. Wong, who developed an affinity for animals since young. He tells us that the cubs are often held captive by the poachers or sold into the illegal wildlife trade.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\u201cThey are large mammals with big brain capacity; they remember. Some of our bears develop various degrees of post-traumatic stress disorder. There is Fu Long who self-harms to get human attention, and Carla and Mani who pace in circles because they grew up in a small cage.\u201d\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPapa Bear, Dr. Wong Siew Te<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Bearing a Shared Commitment<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Yayasan Hasanah (“Hasanah”) first supported BSBCC during the COVID-19 outbreak when lockdown caused a severe loss of revenue from visitors. The funds provided ensured the bears continued to be fed during those trying times.\u00a0 The work at this centre aligns with the Environment Impact Area\u2019s objectives<\/span> concern<\/span>ing biodiversity conservation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u201cNative species like the sun bear are vital keystone species in Malaysia. However due to rampant deforestation, they are now classified as vulnerable. This hurts the chain of biodiversity, affecting the flora and fauna in Malaysia,\u201d Hasanah Advocacy Manager, Yeoh Zhi Lin says.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Sun bears contribute to the forest ecosystem in many ways. Besides controlling pests such as termites, their love of fruit makes them excellent seed <\/span>disperser<\/span>, and their ultra-sharp claws inadvertently engineer new tree cavities creating homes for hornbills and flying squirrels.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Underscoring the value of partnerships, \u201cHasanah and Ministry of Finance (MOF) <\/span>literally saved<\/span> us during the pandemic. We managed to buy bear food, medication, pay the bear keepers, and pay for veterinary care and enrichment.\u201d Dr. Wong recalls.<\/span><\/span><\/p>

An enormous amount of manpower, effort and financial resources goes into running this centre that has grown from a 2-person team to one run by 40 full-time staff. More than 2,000 volunteers have come from across the world to help take care of cubs, clean cages and prepare food. BSBCC also collaborates with universities on research, another area of sun bear conservation that is severely lacking.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

With funding from the MOF, Hasanah is currently supporting the welfare of 42 sun bears. This encompasses food, medical equipment and the release of sun bears into the wild.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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