The sun bear rescue and rehabilitation centre in Sandakan, which Wong heads, would normally receive five to six cubs a year, mostly from poaching incidents or those which had been illegally kept by people.
“We did not receive any bear for one-and-a-half years and we were happy about it. Although we cannot be 100% sure it meant there was less poaching,” he told FMT.
But the situation has changed since, and he thinks poaching is on the rise due to the lockdown following the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The lockdown, especially the first one, caused people to lose their jobs and with no income, they had to ‘balik kampung’ (go back to their villages). And of course, they have to take whatever resources they can to survive, including from the forest through hunting or poaching.”
In July 2020, they received two cubs, comprising a male they later named Kipaku and a female called Itam. Subsequently, in August, they received another cub, which they named Betung.
All the cubs BSBCC received were handed over to it by the state wildlife department which had in turn received it from villagers in interior locations.
The cubs’ previous owners all claimed to have found them wandering in the forest area and had decided to keep them as pets.
For instance, Kipaku, is believed to have been orphaned after a forest fire in the jungle in Tambunan.
Presently, 43 bears are being cared for at the centre. BSBCC has released three bears back into the wild since July last year.
Wong said they were planning to release another but was unsure when they could do so due to the movement control order (MCO).
“Because of this MCO, release efforts have been really difficult as we cannot travel across zones, so in the end we have to play it safe,” he said.
He worries that because the economy is bad, more people may turn to make a living through forest resources, including wildlife meat.
He reminded people that sun bears were a totally protected species.
“Wildlife should be wild, don’t exploit, hunt, consume or keep them,” Wong said, adding that people risked “another Covid-19-like situation” if they continued to exploit the forest and wildlife.
“We don’t know what viruses lie dormant in deep jungles and wildlife. These viruses may have the ability to jump hosts.
“We have to respect nature, be harmonious with the animals. If we are greedy and don’t think about the future, then one day we can find ourselves losing everything.”