Four sun bears are released into the wild under the Save The Sun Bear Campaign, and it's bittersweet. The MNS Conservation Division reports about the September event.
This is the bittersweet moment juvenile sun bear Avi is released into the wild, when she seems more interested in getting back to her human caretakers than the life she is meant to live. Behind her is the forest of Terengganu National Park, and in front of her are humans, aboard boats on Kenyir Lake, and Avi heads for the people without fear.
This comes as no surprise to her National Wildlife Rescue Centre (NWRC) caretakers, among whom the word “manja” is used a lot when it comes to this female bear. “Manja” is a wholly Malay word, whose closest English approximation is “affectionate and a bit clingy”, and this describes Avi well. Hand-reared after being found abandoned as a three-month-old cub near the National Zoo, Avi, almost two years old, is the most affectionate of the sun bear rescues at NWRC.
One of the two main keepers at the centre, Cik Mat, smiles as he talks about the release, but this has to be a sad moment. The boats are told to leave, as Avi is not expected to explore her new home with humans present, and Cik Mat is left with two years’ worth of memories – and photographs – of being a surrogate mother to the cub, bottle feeding in his arms like a baby, and then teaching her about being a bear.
This comes as no surprise to her National Wildlife Rescue Centre (NWRC) caretakers, among whom the word “manja” is used a lot when it comes to this female bear. “Manja” is a wholly Malay word, whose closest English approximation is “affectionate and a bit clingy”, and this describes Avi well. Hand-reared after being found abandoned as a three-month-old cub near the National Zoo, Avi, almost two years old, is the most affectionate of the sun bear rescues at NWRC.
One of the two main keepers at the centre, Cik Mat, smiles as he talks about the release, but this has to be a sad moment. The boats are told to leave, as Avi is not expected to explore her new home with humans present, and Cik Mat is left with two years’ worth of memories – and photographs – of being a surrogate mother to the cub, bottle feeding in his arms like a baby, and then teaching her about being a bear.
 Instead of running off, Avi heads down to the water, and the boats, aboard which are her human family  Avi before the release. The juvenile sun bear has hooked the strap used to secure the cages with her sharp claws, and proceeded to play with it. Her keepers' reaction? "Look at that naughty girl, playing with the strap." |  K. Ilangovan: Third Save The Sun Bear release This is the reality of rescue, where success is letting animals live their lives, risks and all, in the wild. The sun bear has a life expectancy of 30 years, and although NWRC – and Cik Mat – is the only home Avi has ever known, it is hoped that the rehabilitation process has taught her enough skills to survive and live out her natural life where she is meant to be. That is the aim of Save The Sun Bear Campaign, a joint effort by Felda Global Ventures Holdings Bhd (FGV), the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia (PERHILITAN), the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). K. Ilangovan, FGV’s head of Sustainability Technical, under the Environmental & Sustainability Division, says the release is the third such activity under the five-year campaign that started last year, concentrating on a three-pronged approach of rescue, rehabilitation and release (3Rs); public awareness; and research. |
The release at Terengganu National Park, through Lake Kenyir. Sixth from right is K. Ilangovan of FGV, seventh is Fakhrul Hatta Musa, PERHILITAN Deputy Director- General I, and eighth is Salman Saaban, PERHILITAN Director, Ex-situ Conservation. They are accompanied by FGV and PERHILITAN officers and staff; NWRC staff and sun bear keepers; members of the media; and representatives of MNS and UKM.
| Three other juveniles brought up from cubhood are also released on this bright, sunny September day, but they run off into the undergrowth as soon as their cage doors are raised. With seven bears released last year and one this past May, this brings to 12 sun bears released under the campaign, with five left at NWRC. However, three are infirm – one is too old, another is blind and the last had lost a paw – with no hope of survival in the wild and will spend the remainder of their days under care. The remaining two are still being rehabilitated, and will be assessed on their suitability to living wild, which includes ability to forage for food, climb trees and avoid conflict with humans.  |   Two other juveniles are released at the Hulu Terengganu hydroelectric dam area (below) |
Fakhrul Hatta Musa, PERHILITAN The choice of location for the release also plays a part, says Fakhrul Hatta Musa, PERHILITAN Deputy Director General I. Avi and a male bear are placed at the Terengganu National Park while another pair are set free at the Hulu Terengganu Hydroelectric Dam, Tembat Forest Reserve, with both spots isolated from human population. While adult bears – seized, captured or surrendered – are released almost immediately, NWRC deals with many cubs aged just months old, surrendered by the public thanks to ongoing education efforts. These cubs are nurtured by humans in place of their mothers, and this might make them unafraid to approach human settlement when free, Fakhrul Hatta says.
This is not a comforting thought when Avi and the juveniles, who are under two years old, already weigh some 30kg and stand at three feet tall. Full adults can reach an imposing five feet and 80kg, with 10cm claws and scarily strong bite force. During the release event, the males already exhibit their aggressive tendencies, growling, grunting and barking their annoyance (their bark sounds like that of a large dog).
And then there’s the ever-present threat of poachers. The Malayan sun bear is listed as Vulnerable under the IUCN Red List, owing to destruction of its forest habitat and uncontrolled exploitation for body parts, for example its paws, claws and bile duct. In Malaysia, there’s also a market for exotic meats, and bear is high on the list of desirable delicacies.
This is not a comforting thought when Avi and the juveniles, who are under two years old, already weigh some 30kg and stand at three feet tall. Full adults can reach an imposing five feet and 80kg, with 10cm claws and scarily strong bite force. During the release event, the males already exhibit their aggressive tendencies, growling, grunting and barking their annoyance (their bark sounds like that of a large dog).
And then there’s the ever-present threat of poachers. The Malayan sun bear is listed as Vulnerable under the IUCN Red List, owing to destruction of its forest habitat and uncontrolled exploitation for body parts, for example its paws, claws and bile duct. In Malaysia, there’s also a market for exotic meats, and bear is high on the list of desirable delicacies.
| As the boats back away, Avi is busy splashing away in the water. Her keepers later joke that given a chance, the bear would happily try to climb aboard one of the vessels to be with the only family she has ever known. This family will keep a watch on the release sites for up to a week, and on Avi and the others via their radio collars for up to a year, but that’s all that they can do. The future is unknown for Avi, the “manja” individual who had taken to suckling her rear paw when stressed, as a child would suck its thumb to comfort itself. However, those who believe in Save The Sun Bear surely have to trust that they are doing the right thing for this Malayan sun bear and her kin, for the future of the species as a whole. |  The future is uncertain for the rescued sun bears, and Avi, seen here suckling her paw as a child would suck its thumb. But those who believe in the campaign have to trust that they are saving the sun bear. |
  Mamat the Tapir, representative of MNS, witnesses the release, as the bear cages are put aboard a boat, powered across Lake Kenyir and finally unloaded onto Terengganu National Park land. |  |
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