{"id":1154,"date":"2020-09-17T06:57:03","date_gmt":"2020-09-17T06:57:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/azhari\/?post_type=project&#038;p=1154"},"modified":"2020-09-17T06:57:03","modified_gmt":"2020-09-17T06:57:03","slug":"a-new-dawn-for-sun-bears","status":"publish","type":"project","link":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/azhari\/project\/a-new-dawn-for-sun-bears\/","title":{"rendered":"A New Dawn for Sun Bears"},"content":{"rendered":"<section id=\"header\" class=\"headroom headroom--not-bottom headroom--not-top headroom--unpinned\" data-logged-in=\"\" data-headroom=\"\">\n<div class=\"wl-nav\">\n<div class=\"wl-nav__wrapper container has-one-item\">\n<div class=\"wl-nav__navbar\">\n<div class=\"wl-nav__navbar-page\">\n<ul class=\"wl-nav__list\">\n<li class=\"wl-nav__item \"><a class=\"wl-nav__item-title-custom\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ourbetterworld.org\/series\/a-wild-life\/map\">A Wild Map<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<div id=\"content\"><a id=\"main-content\"><\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"block-obw-theme-content\" class=\"block block-system block-system-main-block\">\n<article class=\"node node--type-story node--view-mode-full animal-story\" role=\"article\" data-history-node-id=\"1752\">\n<div class=\"content node__content\">\n<div class=\"single-photo-block section-static oranges-bg\">\n<div class=\"single-photo wl-story__banner wl-story__banner-video wl-background__image\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"bodyText\" class=\"wl-story__body-text static-block resident-static-block\">\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"wl-story__body-text-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wl-story__body-text-title\">\n<h1><span class=\"field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden\">A New Dawn for Sun Bears<\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-story-short-body field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item h-100\">\n<p>A sanctuary and refuge for rescued orphans to grow up wild, the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre has big hopes for the world\u2019s smallest bear.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wl-story__body-text-body is-expand\">\n<div class=\"field field--name-body\">\n<div class=\"clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item h-100\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>ONE SUNNY DAY<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">In a tropical rainforest in Borneo, bear keeper Jeniur \u201cBoboy\u201d Justin is standing on a watching platform 20m above the dense forest floor. He is observing Logan, a young male sun bear who\u2019s busy trying to crack open a coconut. Logan\u2019s claws and powerful jaw make short work of the tough shell, and after a refreshing drink, Logan lays on his back for an afternoon siesta.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cLogan loves to eat, he will steal other bears\u2019 food. He has become chubby, \u201d says Boboy with a laugh.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Logan and his keeper, Boboy are in the forested area of the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) in Sandakan, a district in Sabah, East Malaysia. The only centre in the world solely dedicated to the conservation of the sun bear. This has been a refuge for Logan since he was rescued in 2018 as a young cub.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cWhen Logan first arrived, I could see that he was scared. We found that his left paw had a problem. It got injured in a poacher\u2019s snare,\u201d says Boboy.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Being a young cub without his mother, and with an injured paw, Logan was in need of critical care, and it was Boboy who took on the responsibility of looking after him.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cIt\u2019s not easy being a surrogate to Logan,\u201d Boboy reflects. \u201cThere are a lot of things we need to know, like how bears, especially babies, can survive in the jungle, how we should teach them to be wild.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">It took months of dedicated care from Boboy for Logan to become confident and capable of fending for himself.<\/p>\n<p class=\"custom-p\" dir=\"ltr\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourbetterworld.org\/sites\/default\/files\/Logan%20(65)-min_0.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"100%\" \/><br \/>\n<sup><em>Photo: Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre<\/em><\/sup><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>A DARK CLOUD<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Logan\u2019s plight is far from an isolated incident. Since BSBCC was set up in 2008, the centre has worked with the state wildlife department, to rescue over 60 bears.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cOn average, we have five to six bears being sent to our centre every year; half of them are adults and half of them are cubs. All of these animals are all orphaned, because their mums were killed by poachers,\u201d laments Dr\u00a0Wong Siew Te (who goes by Wong), founder of the BSBCC.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Sun bears, which are the world\u2019s smallest bear and found all across Southeast Asia, are listed as\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.iucnredlist.org\/species\/9760\/123798233\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Vulnerable\u00a0<\/a>on the IUCN Red List. Though the exact numbers of sun bears remains unverified, studies have shown that their population has\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bsbcc.org.my\/sun-bear-facts.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">fallen by over 30 per cent<\/a>\u00a0in the last three decades.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Habitat loss has been a major factor\u00a0 in this, but the biggest threat that the bears currently face is from poaching for industries like the pet trade and food. Despite being a\u00a0 legally protected species in Malaysia, poaching activities still persist.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">One of the biggest current threats, comes from their use in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). For centuries, bear bile and gall bladders have been sought after for treating a variety of ailments. A recent\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.traffic.org\/site\/assets\/files\/12480\/malaysia-bear-bile-industry-1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">report by TRAFFIC<\/a>, stated that almost 70 per cent of all TCM shops in Malaysia were found with some form of bear products. Up from 2012, when it was at 48 per cent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"custom-p\" dir=\"ltr\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourbetterworld.org\/sites\/default\/files\/Bear%20Bile%20medicine%2012-min.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"100%\" \/><br \/>\n<sup><em>Photo: TRAFFIC<\/em><\/sup><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">But while the use of bear products in TCM has increased, so has knowledge of TCM over the years. There is now a realisation that there are viable and healthy alternatives to using wildlife products. The Federation of Chinese Physicians and Medicine Dealers Association of Malaysia, is\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thestar.com.my\/news\/nation\/2017\/07\/10\/tcm-practitioners-pledge-to-end-bear-bile-use-gg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">advocating for the use of medical herbs instead<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cWe can completely use medicinal herbs to replace animals\u201d states Ng Kean Hwa, a second-generation TCM practitioner. \u201cWith a clear diagnosis, and when used appropriately, it can directly help achieve the curative effect and is a good form of protection towards the natural environment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The value of looking after sun bears and not exploiting them isn\u2019t just for the benefit of the bears. Sun bears provide a very tangible benefit to the welfare of people as well.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Sun bears help maintain a healthy diversity of trees by keeping termite populations in check, and dispersing seeds. These trees are essential resources that people use for medicine, building infrastructure, and other needs that are important to the well-being of society.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cFor us as humans, we need a healthy forest ecosystem to provide us with clean air, clean water, stable climate, genetic resources like medicine. All of these matter to us,\u201d says Wong.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">To help educate the public on the need to conserve sun bears, Wong has opened the centre for the public to view the bears in a forested enclosure, and to raise public awareness about their plight through education and eco-tourism.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Here, the bears are fed their natural diet and have regular medical and dental check-ups. Rehabilitation is a critical component of BSBCC\u2019s work, and when the bears are suitable for release, they are returned to the wild. To date, BSBCC has successfully released seven sun bears into protected forests.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cMy hope for all sun bears is that they can survive for a long, long time in Southeast Asia,\u201d declares Wong. \u201cI really hope that the sun bears can live forever in this world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"custom-p\" dir=\"ltr\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ourbetterworld.org\/sites\/default\/files\/DSC06146-min.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"100%\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>RAYS OF HOPE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Back at the platform, Logan has woken from his nap and is climbing a tree in search of something else to eat. Boboy smiles as any proud parent would, and shares a story of when he had to teach Logan the art of tree-climbing.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cThere was one time I climbed a small tree, and the tree wasn\u2019t able to support me, and the branch almost broke. What I was most afraid of was that Logan was just below me, and I feared I would be crushed along with Logan,\u201d he shares with a laugh.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cLogan\u2019s hand was weak when it came to climbing trees, but he still challenged himself and refused to give up. That\u2019s why I like Logan. I have spent all this time working with him and our relationship is so close.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Today, Logan is a master tree climber, despite having a deformed paw. But Boboy has bigger hopes for his &#8220;adopted&#8221; bear. \u201cIn time, we will try our best to fix Logan\u2019s paw\u2026 so he can be like other bears, and be released into the wild.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The desire for the sun bears to see a new dawn, is one that Boboy wishes all Malaysians will come to embrace. \u201cI hope that everyone can work together to protect and care for the wild animals we have. I hope that one day, my children will have the opportunity to see the sun bear in the wild.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Before he returns to look after the rest of the bears under his care, Boboy has one last story to share. \u201cWe gave him the name Logan because of his left paw. It looks like the comic superhero Wolverine\u2019s claw,\u201d says Boboy with a smile.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">High up in the trees, Logan has found a comfortable spot, and like a true hero, has fallen asleep once again.\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>LET\u2019S TALK ABOUT IT<\/strong><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/forum.ourbetterworld.org\/topic\/162\/how-can-we-get-more-involved-in-sun-bear-conservation-and-spread-awareness\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">How can we get more involved in sun bear conservation and spread awareness?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-story-subject-profile field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__item h-100\">\n<div class=\"about-organisation mb-30 paragraph paragraph--type--story-subject-profile paragraph--view-mode--default wrap-item\">\n<h3>ABOUT BORNEAN SUN BEAR CONSERVATION CENTRE<\/h3>\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-para-ss-profile-desc field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item h-100\">Established in 2008 by wildlife biologist Dr Wong Siew Te, the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) is the world\u2019s only conservation and research centre solely dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of the Malayan sun bear. A sanctuary for bears to recuperate and relearn natural behaviour for release back into the wild, the centre also aims to spread public awareness through eco-tourism and education.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Wild Map A New Dawn for Sun Bears A sanctuary and refuge for rescued orphans to grow up wild, the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre has big hopes for the world\u2019s smallest bear. &nbsp; ONE SUNNY DAY In a tropical rainforest in Borneo, bear keeper Jeniur \u201cBoboy\u201d Justin is standing on a watching platform [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14428,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"project_category":[4],"project_tag":[],"class_list":["post-1154","project","type-project","status-publish","hentry","project_category-photo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/azhari\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project\/1154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/azhari\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/azhari\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/project"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/azhari\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14428"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/azhari\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1154"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/azhari\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project\/1154\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1155,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/azhari\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project\/1154\/revisions\/1155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/azhari\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"project_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/azhari\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project_category?post=1154"},{"taxonomy":"project_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/azhari\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project_tag?post=1154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}