When Wong Siew Te began his pioneering studies on the Bornean sun bears in 1998, he had first-hand experience on the two significantly different extremes faced by the smallest sun bear subspecies in the world. Aside from developing passion for the animals while studying them in the wild, he learned about the various roles played by the sun bear in the forest. At the same time, Wong was in for a rude shock – he witnessed sun bears kept illegally as pets in horrific conditions.
The animals were kept in tight cages in private homes and oil palm plantations as exhibitions, among others. Apart from this, the sun bears also faced habitat loss due to deforestation alongside being hunted for their gall bladders, paws and bile. Filled with a burning desire to fight for their welfare, Wong founded the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) in Sepilok in 2008. “It reached a point where I felt I had to do something. If I didn’t, nobody would,” said Wong, who is a wildlife biologist and tropical forest ecologis
Wong Siew Te Bornean Sun Bears Conservation Illegal Pet Trade Habitat Loss Hunting