Sun bears are the least know bears and a forgotten bears species as I always call them. Certainly, it is not surprise that not many people know who I am and thus a proper introduction is needed for the readers of this blog to get to know me better as well as my work with sun bears… I am a Malaysian Chinese, born in 1969 and raised in Penang at northern Peninsular Malaysia. “Wong” as I am known as, is actually my family name, and “Siew Te” is my first name. I love animals all my life. Since I was a first grader, “animal expert” was my ambition on the student record until the very last year in high school. Not surprisingly, my childhood was companioned by various kinds of pets. I became a successful pet breeder during my teenage. Studying abroad in Taiwan in 1989 was a turning point in my life. Although I was studying animal husbandry and veterinary, I had begun to appreciate wildlife even more when I was an active member in the student chapter of the Bird Watching Society. Through my binoculars, I learned to appreciate the beauty of wildlife, nature, and forest. Ironically, I also witnessed unlawful mist netting of wild birds, poaching of wildlife, illegal pet trades, and habitat degradation. After graduated the animal husbandry and vet program, Prof. Kurtis Pei, a wildlife professor at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, recruited me as his research assistant. It was then I started my career as a field biologist/research assistant doing wildlife survey, camera trapping, radio collaring and tracking large mammals, taking care of endangered species at Pei’s wildlife rescue center, and all of goofy stuff people seen in Discovery Channel. In 1994, I came to University of Montana to seek a dream that was considered as “difficult task” for many people from ordinary Asian family. The dream, which put me on a right track of my career, was to pursue a bachelor degree in Wildlife Biology. The same year, I met my then future academic advisor, Dr. Christopher Servheen, who was looking for a Malaysian student to conduct an ecological study on sun bears. In 1998, I began to study the ecology of Malayan sun bears in a rainforest of Malaysian Borneo as a project for M.S. thesis. For the first time, the study revealed the mysterious life history of this little known bear and many ecological aspects of Bornean rainforest. In 2002, I started my doctorate program at the same university. In view of there were so much unknown about sun bears, I decided the effects of logging on sun bears at the same study area where I did my MSc study in Sabah, Malaysia Borneo. Because of the conservation achievement from the project, I was appointed to co-chair the Sun Bear Expert Team for the IUCN/SSC Bear Specialist Group, from 2002-2005. Since I started my plan to study sun bear, my interest on them grows daily. Beside wild bears, which were the focus of my studies, I also would like to learn more about captive bears. I often visited places where I heard sun bear were held in captivities: zoo, mini zoos, crocodile farms, private menageries, and even private homes. They were all kept in small cages, unhygienic environment, and in some places were completely disgusting! Some were cubs, some were full grown adults, and some were old individuals. Almost all of them suffered from serious stereotypic behavior, pacing all day long if there were any room in their tiny cage for them to pace. Seeing these bears in these captive condition were completely heart broken. However, I choose to find them, see more of them, and learn more about the stories behind them. This is how the idea of Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, BSBCC, first came in to my mind (Please read previous postings about the BSBCC). Most wildlife like the sun bears is forest dependent species. They simply cannot survive outside the forest. My experience working in Southeast Asia shows desperate situation for the continuation of local forests. Much more work is needed to ensure the long-term survival of the native wildlife and forests. In many parts of Southeast Asia, the tropical forests are disappearing rapidly to a point where too late to do anything. In contrast, due to the economy and political stability, Malaysia still has a chance for conservationists to save the last stronghold of Southeast Asian rainforests and wildlife. We need distinguished biologists to train local students as conservationists and biologists, to educate public and government on the importance of conservation, and to study the flora and fauna in order to understand better its functions. I am and I was, trained as an “animal expert” or wildlife biologist for all these years. I hope to use these knowledge and training to do a great job in my career to conserve wildlife and forests. Over the last ten years, I have been engaging on sun bear research and conservation activities. However, due to the very little conservation interest among the conservation communities world wide, sun bear survival faces tremendous challenge from various threats. I hope with setting up of BSBCC, we can do more to help sun bears and their forest that is so precious to all of us. The challenge is huge but I am ready to take the challenge. However, I simply cannot do this alone. I need helps, supports, and allies. Together we can make a different for sun bears and other magnificent species in this region.
It all begun way back in 1994 when I was given a task to study wild sun bears in Malaysia, which started in 1998 after few years of preparation. Since then, my interest toward sun bears, both wild and in captivity, grew exponentially as I saw many sun bears held in captivity but not much information available on them. The idea for the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) was born from the realization that many sun bears are kept in captivity in unsuitable conditions. These bears are victims of the fragmentation and degradation of their rainforest home, bringing them into increased contact with man as their habitat is cut down for plantations or logged for timber.
Young bears are often captured for pets and their mothers killed in the process, or bears are caught in plantations or logging camps. Many end up in dismal captive conditions, in small cramped cages with inappropriate food and no chance of carrying out their natural behaviour.There are thought to be several dozens such bears in the East Malaysian state of Sabah alone.My vision as a Malaysian sun bear researcher and conservationist is to build a centre where these captive and orphaned bears can be housed in humane conditions, with access to large forest enclosures, living as enriched and stimulating an existence as possible, and wherever we can, to reintroduce or rehabilitate these sun bears back into the wild.We also hope to present sun bears as wildlife ambassadors for Sabah and its rainforest and rich biodiversity and to increase public awareness and education about this charismatic species, as well as promote research. Sun bears are my passion. I have been studying and working with wild sun bears for the past 10 years. I understand the need to help them or they will not be any left. Sometimes I am so mad at the irresponsible people who catch and keep sun bears as pets in the first place. Because of their action, wild bears have been held captive and have a miserable life. At the same time, the removal of these bears from the wild reduces the opportunity to help the already declining wild population.Not many people in the world have seen how sun bear live in the wild. I am one of very few people in the world who truly have the fortunate to observe them in the wild from my many years of field studies on wild bears in the rainforest of Borneo. On the other extreme, I also see many poor sun bears live in held in captivities. These animals have their own dignity and rights to live in the wild where they truly belong. Human have no rights to keep them as pets or for amusement purposes. It is wrong to keep them in cages.It is sad and unfortunate that there are so few people in the world who are helping sun bears. I believe I have to help both wild and the captive animals with all the resources I have. Hopefully the setting up of BSBCC will improve the living conditions of the existing captive bears, educate the public so that no bears are poached or kept as pets, and finally we can return some captive individuals to the wild where they truly belong. In our next posting we will tell you the story of some of the bears in captivity and how they came to be there.
But its home is fast diminishing; habitat loss and degradation is pushing this bear to the brink, with only about 10,000 animals remaining. Sun Bears are also illegally hunted for food and medicines, shot to prevent damage to crops and villages and poached to capture small cubs for the pet trade. Rehabilitation in action Under the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Program, a Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) will be established at Sepilok, home of the world famous Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre, near Sandakan. Here, Sun Bears which have been rescued from captivity (usually expets, orphans or victims of human-bear conflicts) will be housed and cared for in natural enclosures before being released, where ever possible, back into the wild. How you can help Sun Bears need all the help they can get . Your support in funding the establishment and operations of the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre will go a long way to ensuring a more humane, secure and longterm future for this precious animal. In our next blog, we will tell you more about how the idea of the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre came about.
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