2019-03-01ReadersDigest_AUNZ

March• 2019 | 27

them. Unfortunately, that hasn’t put
an end to such illegal activities.
Wildlife biologist Wong Siew Te has
made it his life’s mission to protect
these beautiful, endangered creatures,
which are also known as Malayan sun
bears and honey bears.
In 2008, he founded the Bornean
Sun Bear Conservation Centre
(BSBCC). The BSBCC is located in
Sepilok, Sabah, East Malaysia.
At the time, Wong was a PhD  stu-
dent who had moved to Sepilok after
doing his doctoral field work. He
was responsible for the care of seven
rescued sun bears that were housed
in the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilita-
tion Centre. “The building that housed
the bears was rundown and didn’t
have proper facilities, only cages,” the
49 year old recalls.

PROTECTING
THE SUN BEARS

Wong had a vision – first, to transform
the building into a well-equipped
conservation centre complete with
forest enclosu
the bears to co
go during the da
secondly, to serv
education and o
centre, where
could learn abou
of the sun bears.
But first Won
to raise funds t
his ambitious p
ter several fundr

campaigns, which included donations

from the Ministry of Tourism, Culture

and Environment, and the Sime Darby

Foundation, in January 2014 the

BSBCC was finally open to the public.

Today, visitors can view the bears

from an observation platform, listen

to talks and watch videos to learn

about the animals. The centre still

shares the five-hectare land with the

Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation

Centre, and now has 28 full-time staff

who look after 44 sun bears. In the last

ten years, 58 sun bears have called the

centre home. Two have been success-

fully released back into the wild.

Sun bears play an important

ecological role in the forest. They

disperse seeds, which help regener-

ate more trees, and they also keep the

forest healthy by eating termites that

can potentially kill live trees. It’s hard

to ascertain the number of sun bears

in the wild, says Wong, but personal

experience tells him that there are

fewer numbers than orangutans.

The biggest threats facing the sun

b l ion across Southeast

eforestation, hunting

aching. The animals

killed because of the

staken belief that their

meat has medicinal

value, and their parts

are sold, sometimes

openly, in local

markets. Social me-

dia has also made

it easier for illegal

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uttheplight

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