Meet Malaysia’s “Papa Bear”, Dr. Wong Siew Te who’s fighting to save the Malayan sun bear | Going Places magazine

Under threat from poaching and habitat loss, there are fewer sun bears than there are orangutans in Borneo today – this is the story of one man’s commitment to keep them alive

Wildlife biologist and ecologist Wong Siew Te has the honour of being Malaysia’s “Papa Bear”, a moniker earned by his commitment to the Malayan sun bear. Sporting wire-rimmed glasses and a smile that lights up his face when he speaks about his life’s work, the Penang-born biologist is the founder of the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) in Sandakan, Sabah.

The BSBCC is the world’s only sun bear sanctuary and works closely with the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) to rescue, rehabilitate and eventually release captive bears illegally kept as pets or displayed in recreation parks, mini-zoos and crocodile farms across Sabah. Today, over 40 rescued sun bears reside in its sprawling 25,000m² facility within the Sepilok-Kabili Forest Reserve.

At the BSBCC, a typical day sees Wong feeding and tending to the rescued bears, giving visitors an educational tour of the rainforest premises and their rehabilitation efforts, creating content on its social media pages, engaging fundraisers – and this is just scratching the surface of the various hats he wears as a conservationist and wildlife biologist.

Full story on Going Places: https://goingplaces.malaysiaairlines.com/wong-siew-te-saving-sun-bears/