The sun bears in Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) are all ex-pets. One of BSBCC’s sun bear, Bintang, has been adopted by us for a year now. She was just 5 months old when BSBCC rescued her from poachers in 2014, and it was believed that she was held captive as a pet after her mother had been killed by poachers.
Within a year, Bintang has shown her skills in recognizing wild food such as termites, grubs, and honey which actually helps to keep the forest healthy by controlling termite populations and keeping trees alive. BSBCC is doing a great job in helping Bintang and the other sun bears regain their forest skills by letting them roam in a large rainforest enclosure with a close monitor to build up the strength and skills they would need to survive in the wild. Since sun bears have a strong defence mechanism such as their claws and thick skin, it wasn’t hard for Bintang to master some important survival skills during her stay at the centre.
They are exposed with random feeding time at random sites to encourage them to forage on their own. This is also to prepare Bintang and the other sun bears for the day when they will finally return in the wild, where they truly belong. She has been doing quite well in the forest and her favourite thing to do is relaxing on the tree branches, which she usually takes two to three hours on the tree canopy chilling, resting or sleeping.
Sun bears are important forest animals that belong in the wild. They should never be kept as pets. If you wish to adopt sun bears through the Share Bear or My Bear adoption programme, you can email to info.bsbcc@gmail.com.
Wonder how Bintang got her name? Check out this blog post!
Want to know more about the other wildlife that we have adopted, read all about them here!