Bernama 31 Jul 13;
SANDAKAN, July 31 (Bernama) -- Protecting habitats that are home to some of the most iconic wildlife on the planet, and supporting the running of centres for rescued threatened animals are not tasks that are limited to the government, non-governmental organisations and researchers.
Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) founder and chief executive officer Wong Siew Te said both humans and wildlife are part of the ecosystem, and there must be willingness on the part of locals to chip in whenever they can in supporting the cause of threatened species.
Citing the recent "Big Dreams, Little Bears" event held in this east coast town of Sabah, Wong said BSBCC worked with a group of local volunteers and raised RM443,000, covering almost a quarter of the RM2 million budget for this year to complete a second bear house, creation of an additional forest enclosure and meeting some day-to-day costs.
"I hope the people of Sandakan feel ownership of the Centre because it is through their involvement, one way or another, that has helped the facility come this far and which will drive it further.
"Once it is opened to the public by early next year, it will become another important eco and nature attraction, allowing Sandakan to do its part for the world in promoting conservation. It will also lead to greater awareness on the plight of wildlife, and will also boost the local economy through tourism related ventures and other spin-offs.
"We hope to continue encouraging locals, especially the business community to support Sun Bear conservation. They can be the driving force behind public opinion on how the species and conservation are perceived," he said in a statement here, today.
He said locals must feel proud that the Centre is located here, adding that the recent fundraiser had generated quite a lot of awareness, with the run up to the event widely covered through the media, including at a talk show on NTV7 and radio interviews.
Wong thanked volunteers and committee members of the fundraiser who had spent many hours to organise the event out of love for Sun Bears.
"We saw the people of Sandakan and other parts of Sabah supporting the event when they agreed to buy tickets for the fundraiser. Some outbid one another to buy three photographs of Sun Bears that were auctioned that evening. Others raised money through a Zumba event held earlier," Wong said.
The Centre promotes Sun Bear conservation through a holistic approach that involves animal welfare, rehabilitation, research and education, making it the first facility of its kind in the world for the species.
The Centre was set up in 2008 under a partnership between the Sabah Wildlife Department, Sabah Forestry Department and NGO Land Empowerment Animals People (LEAP), and currently is home to 28 bears rescued from the wild and from the pet trade.
Located next to the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre, the facility is creating capacity to release suitable orphaned and ex-captive bears into the wild, while those that cannot be freed will have an improved long term environment to live in.
Habitat loss, poaching for parts used in traditional medicine and the pet trade are among key threats that have led to a decline by at least 30 per cent of the Sun Bear population in the last three decades.
Chairman of the fund raising event, Anton Ngui, said Sun Bears are a natural heritage, along with diverse wildlife Sabah is known for globally.
"We should be proud of our Sun Bears, the way the Chinese are proud of their pandas and the Australians of their Koala Bears.
"Our children can learn about nature when they are eventually able to visit the Centre. Sandakan is known for Sepilok and its Orang Utans, and now it will be known for Sun Bears too," he said.
-- BERNAMA
Be more proactive in conservation tasks, public told
Muguntan Vanar The Star 1 Aug 13;
SANDAKAN: The man on the street should be more proactive in protecting wildlife habitats and also help centres established for rescued threatened animals, said Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) chief executive officer Wong Siew Te.
These conservation tasks should not be just left to the Government, non-governmental organisations and researchers, he said.
He added that both humans and wildlife were part of the ecosystem and there must be willingness on the part of locals to chip in whenever they can to support the cause of threatened species.
Citing the recent “Big Dreams, Little Bears” event held in this east coast town of Sabah, Wong said BSBCC worked with a group of local volunteers and raised RM443,000, covering almost a quarter of the RM2mil budget for this year to complete a second bear house, create an additional forest enclosure and also to pay for daily costs.
“I hope the people of Sandakan feel ownership to the centre because it is through their involvement, one way or another, that has helped the facility come this far and which will drive it further.
“Once it is opened to the public by early next year, it will become another important eco and nature attraction, allowing Sandakan to do its part for the world in promoting conservation,” he said.
The centre will also lead to greater awareness on the plight of wildlife and also boost the local economy through tourism-related ventures and other spin-off activities.
“We hope to continue encouraging locals, especially the business community, to support sun bear conservation. They can be the driving force behind public opinion on how the species and conservation are perceived,” he added.
The centre promotes sun bear conservation through a holistic approach that involves animal welfare, rehabilitation, research and education.
Big help for 'little bears'
New Straits Times 1 Aug 13;
SANDAKAN: Volunteers here raise more than RM400,000 recently to build a home for bears and meet its operational costs.
In the effort themed "Big Dreams, Little Bears", the sum raised was about a quarter of the RM2 million budget for the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre this year.
Founder of the centre and chief executive officer Wong Siew Te said the funds would be used to build a second bear house and an additional forest enclosure, and meet some day-to-day costs.
"I hope the people here feel like they are a part of the centre because it was their involvement that helped the facility come this far and which will drive it further.
"Once it is opened to the public early next year, it will become another important attraction, allowing Sandakan to promote conservation."
Wong said the task of protecting endangered species should not be limited to the government, non-governmental organisations and researchers.
He said the centre would lead to greater awareness about endangered wildlife and boost the economy through tourism ventures and spin-offs.
"We hope to continue encouraging locals, especially businesses, to support sun bear conservation. They can be the driving force behind public opinion on how the species is perceived."
Volunteers and donors had auctioned photographs and held a Zumba event to raise money.
Chairman of the fundraising event, Anton Ngui, said sun bears were a natural heritage, along with all diverse wildlife Sabah
"We should be proud of our sun bears the way the Chinese are proud of their pandas and the Australians of their koala bears.
"Our children can learn about nature when they visit the centre. Sandakan is known for Sepilok and its orang utans, and, now, it will be known for sun bears, too."
A documentary screening on sun bears a day after the event drew 500 students, teachers and representatives of local associations.
The centre promotes sun bear conservation through animal welfare, rehabilitation, research and education, making it the first facility of its kind in the world for the species.
It was set up in 2008 under a partnership between the Sabah Wildlife Department, Sabah Forestry Department and NGO Land Empowerment Animals People.
