Big plans to expand sun bear conservation centre, but funding, manpower remain challenges, says CEO
KOTA KINABALU: There are big plans to see the expansion of the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) which currently houses 42 rescued sun bears, but funding and manpower continues to be their biggest challenge.
BSBCC founder and chief executive officer Dr Wong Siew Te said that since its inception in 2008, the centre had come from a small sanctuary depending on public funding, government assistance to sales of tickets and souvenirs to sustain operations.
Among their biggest supporters were the state Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry, he said, adding that the ministry even helped them raise funds for the Centre to get off the ground in 2008, and gave them a grant for operational costs in 2013.
On his future plans, he envisions a third observation platform, an interpretation centre and new office building, and a captive breeding enclosure.
'I hope the ministry will continue to support our work in the future,' Wong said, adding that for the BSBCC, these construction plans need financing.
Separately, they also need to raise RM1mil to build the Field Office and staff house for the Tabin Sun Bear Project, he stated.
According to him, all the sun bears at the BSBCC had been rescued from illegal pet keeping after their mothers were brutally killed by poachers.
Over the past 17 years, the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) had rescued 70 sun bear orphans and sent them to the conservation centre, Wong disclosed.
Sun bears are a Class 1 Protected Species under the state's Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997.
Other than the ministry, the Sabah Tourism Board (STB), an agency under the ministry, has also assisted BSBCC in many ways to promote the Centre to local and international tourism markets as well.
Earlier, State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Christina Liew said the ministry has nurtured the growth and development of BSBCC since its inception in 2008.
She said BSBCC, the only one of its kind in the world for protection of this endangered species, is a partnership project with the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD), an agency under the ministry, and Sabah Forestry Department.
"Last year, we (allocated RM228,420 for the construction of Phase 1 of the Entrance Foyer, which has since been completed.
'This year saw an additional allocation of RM250,000 for construction of Phase 2 of the Entrance Foyer. Work is expected to start this year," Liew said.
She noted that this 17-year-old tourist attraction, which is home to 42 rescued sun bears, draws local and international visitors like a magnet.
"I was informed by Wong that the Centre received 79,362 visitors in 2024, with an average of 6,613 visitors per month.
'That year, international visitors from 115 countries visited, with the top three coming from United Kingdom, Australia and Italy,' Liew said.
She said the peak season is from July to October, generating the most number of visitors with more Malaysian visitors during the school holidays.
She said educationists, researchers, school children and teachers, wildlife conservationists, animal lovers, and the like make up the composition of visitors and tourists, the majority being nature lovers and nature-based tourists.
'Many may not be aware that the BSBCC is also the main implementing agency for the 10-year State Sun Bear Action Plan,' Liew said.
According to Wong, the main attraction to visitors at BSBCC is watching the sun bears' natural behaviour in their natural habitat, the rainforest.
He said visitors can sometimes see the bears climbing and sleeping high on the trees while random feedings enable the visitors to see them eating as well.
"We try our best to take good care of the bears and rehabilitate them. Thirteen rescued sun bears were successfully rehabilitated and released back into the wild so far,' he said.
'In addition, the latest two rescued sun bear cubs have been sent to Tabin Wildlife Reserve to undergo the 'soft-release' programme,' Wong said.
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The Star
8 hours ago
- The Star
Big plans to expand sun bear conservation centre, but funding, manpower remain challenges, says CEO
KOTA KINABALU: There are big plans to see the expansion of the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) which currently houses 42 rescued sun bears, but funding and manpower continues to be their biggest challenge. BSBCC founder and chief executive officer Dr Wong Siew Te said that since its inception in 2008, the centre had come from a small sanctuary depending on public funding, government assistance to sales of tickets and souvenirs to sustain operations. Among their biggest supporters were the state Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry, he said, adding that the ministry even helped them raise funds for the Centre to get off the ground in 2008, and gave them a grant for operational costs in 2013. On his future plans, he envisions a third observation platform, an interpretation centre and new office building, and a captive breeding enclosure. 'I hope the ministry will continue to support our work in the future,' Wong said, adding that for the BSBCC, these construction plans need financing. Separately, they also need to raise RM1mil to build the Field Office and staff house for the Tabin Sun Bear Project, he stated. According to him, all the sun bears at the BSBCC had been rescued from illegal pet keeping after their mothers were brutally killed by poachers. Over the past 17 years, the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) had rescued 70 sun bear orphans and sent them to the conservation centre, Wong disclosed. Sun bears are a Class 1 Protected Species under the state's Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997. Other than the ministry, the Sabah Tourism Board (STB), an agency under the ministry, has also assisted BSBCC in many ways to promote the Centre to local and international tourism markets as well. Earlier, State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Christina Liew said the ministry has nurtured the growth and development of BSBCC since its inception in 2008. She said BSBCC, the only one of its kind in the world for protection of this endangered species, is a partnership project with the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD), an agency under the ministry, and Sabah Forestry Department. "Last year, we (allocated RM228,420 for the construction of Phase 1 of the Entrance Foyer, which has since been completed. 'This year saw an additional allocation of RM250,000 for construction of Phase 2 of the Entrance Foyer. Work is expected to start this year," Liew said. She noted that this 17-year-old tourist attraction, which is home to 42 rescued sun bears, draws local and international visitors like a magnet. "I was informed by Wong that the Centre received 79,362 visitors in 2024, with an average of 6,613 visitors per month. 'That year, international visitors from 115 countries visited, with the top three coming from United Kingdom, Australia and Italy,' Liew said. She said the peak season is from July to October, generating the most number of visitors with more Malaysian visitors during the school holidays. She said educationists, researchers, school children and teachers, wildlife conservationists, animal lovers, and the like make up the composition of visitors and tourists, the majority being nature lovers and nature-based tourists. 'Many may not be aware that the BSBCC is also the main implementing agency for the 10-year State Sun Bear Action Plan,' Liew said. According to Wong, the main attraction to visitors at BSBCC is watching the sun bears' natural behaviour in their natural habitat, the rainforest. He said visitors can sometimes see the bears climbing and sleeping high on the trees while random feedings enable the visitors to see them eating as well. "We try our best to take good care of the bears and rehabilitate them. Thirteen rescued sun bears were successfully rehabilitated and released back into the wild so far,' he said. 'In addition, the latest two rescued sun bear cubs have been sent to Tabin Wildlife Reserve to undergo the 'soft-release' programme,' Wong said.
Rakyat Post
9 hours ago
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Subscribe to our FREE Picture this. The year is 1956. Malaysia was a word no one had coined yet. Independence was still a year away and no one knew what the future would hold. A young girl from SMK Zainab (1) in Kelantan, Jawahir Haji Ali , was about 17 years old, and could not possibly have imagined that her fellow countrymen would be discussing her achievements on social media some eight decades later. At the time SMK Zainab was known as Zainab School, a government English school for girls. Jawahir spoke fluent English at the time and while not much information can be gleaned about her early years, what is clear is that she was a brilliant young lady. In 1956, Jawahir binte Haji Ali represented Malaya as a youth ambassador at the Herald Tribune World Youth Forum. As part of this international programme, she spent three months in the United States experiencing American life — attending high school, going on site visits, and meeting political figures. The footage you're watching is from a broadcast series that aimed to promote global understanding by showcasing selected youths from around the world, while reminding American audiences that, despite their differences, young people everywhere shared common hopes and challenges. Unfortunately, Jawahir didn't get much airtime in this particular broadcast. It's a real shame, especially since many of us today (nearly seven decades later) would've loved to hear her thoughts on Malaya and the world's youth in the 1950s. From what I could find online, Jawahir was from Kelantan and later pursued a PhD at University College London in the 1980s. Her thesis explored how native English speakers and Malaysian learners differ in their understanding of word categories, and what that means for teaching English as a foreign language. Surely someone out there remembers her. If you do, please share this. It would be wonderful if this video eventually reached her family, and maybe even helped complete the rest of her story. 📽️Source: Indiana University Bloomington She was not the only one. Two years later, Lee Hup Suan from Anderson School (now SMK Anderson) Ipoh, Perak would follow in her footsteps, making her way to the World Youth Forum. The forum, organised by the New York Herald Tribune was a gathering of high-schoolers from all over the world. They were not randomly selected but they were all winners of a nationwide competition held by the ministries of education in their respective countries. Teenagers like Jawahir and Lee beat all the other entries in Malaya at the time to earn their spot in the forum which took them abroad for a few months. Based on the old black and white footages, we know that the forum took them to New York, USA and Lee's group had also proceeded to Berlin, Germany. Thanks to these old footages, we can see the joy in the faces of these teenagers, who were possibly abroad for the very first time in their young lives. Dr Jawahir Haji Ali, Kota Bharu – Kelantan Jawahir said while she knew it would be winter in New York prior to arriving, the cold still took by her surprise. This is of course to be expected for a girl from Peninsular Malaysia as we don't get four seasons here. Not much can be found of Jawahir's later life online but it is learned that the she pursued a doctorate in London. According to a comment by Suraya Supian on TikTok, claiming to be her niece, Jawahir had dedicated her life to academia, English lingustics specifically. 'She had a flair in expressing herself, always so eloquently, witty and humorous too. She was known as Dr J among her students,' Suraya said. This is backed by a thesis paper we found in the University of London Another TikTok user Jamal Ali left a comment saying he is Jawahir's son and that his mother passed away in 2005. Clearly the short clip of Jawahir speaking confidently impressed many, with one user likening her speech to the flow of a gentle stream. Her voice drifts like a gentle stream…Tender in tone, yet deep with meaning. Each word falls with quiet elegance, her English a reflection of both intellect and grace. Badli Shah What is equally as impressive as her English is her confidence. There was neither pause nor stutter in her mannerism, a clear indication of a well-educated and bright young woman, able to hold herself high in a time women's voices were not quite loud. And to do all that at just 17. Lee Hup Suan, Ipoh – Perak It was the same for Lee, who attended the forum in 1958. In a Not only that, Lee was the only one among 25 Malaysians who passed the chartered accountancy examination in London which she sat for in 1965. At the time, she was also a chartered secretary. Lee had gone to London under a scholarship from the Perak state government in 1960. In the Straits Times article, Lee spoke about her three months in the US for the World Youth Forum in 1958. She won the spot thanks to her essay titled 'The World We Want'. I wrote in my essay that I wanted a world in which there is tolerance, cooperation and friendship. Lee Hup Suan, Singapore Straits Times, 3 April 1966 World Youth Forum As part of the Youth Forum, participants are involved in a National Educational Television series titled 'The World We Want'. These are the footages we are seeing today. Most of them can be found in the Based on our search, the Herald Tribune's forum ran from 1947 to 1972. Writer Catherine Bishop The forum gathered 30 teenagers in each edition and they would spend three months in New York. They experienced life with American families, American schools, went on television and discussed topics rangin from world conflicts to human rights. Bishop noted that these teenagers also had the opportunity to chat with US presidents and met stars like Harry Belafonte and Ingrid Bergman. The Herald Tribune World Youth Forum was both an idealistic attempt to create a better, more peaceful postwar world and an exercise in Cold War soft power diplomacy. Catherine Bishop While the forum showed these teenagers the world beyond their home countries, Lee remained a true Malayan. When asked if she would rather be an American than a Malayan, she confidently replied no. Because in spite of all the formality and rigidness that we are subject to, I am sure the Malayan way of life has more to offer me and has more variety than the American. Lee Hup Suan Share your thoughts with us via TRP's . Get more stories like this to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter.
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