KUCHING, Sept 24: World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia (WWF-Malaysia) is calling for a sun bear, currently kept in captivity in a residential area here, to be surrendered to the authorities for rehabilitation.
WWF-Malaysia Sarawak Conservation Programme head Dr Jason Hon encouraged all to appreciate and respect that wild animals belonged in the wild.
“Wildlife are not domesticated animals and therefore should be left in their natural habitat,” he emphasised in a press release today.
“The sun bear should not have been kept as a pet in the first place. Sun bears require a large space for their daily activities, and can be active during the day and night. A small space restricts their movements and can be stressful for the animal,” he pointed out.
Hon was responding to media queries on a social media post highlighting a resident keeping a sun bear in Taman Demak Laut here.
He also emphasised that it is really difficult to meet all a sun bear’s physical and physiological needs when it is confined in a cage as the animal often does not receive the correct nutrition.
“It can never be content with such living conditions. As it grows into adulthood, it may become extremely stressful, aggressive, frustrated or may bite, leading to property destruction or personal injury,” he cautioned.
“Furthermore, sun bears display erratic behaviours at times, and can be unpredictable. Therefore, we should never keep this animal near to human populated areas.”
Hon also stated that animals that were kept in non-conducive environments should be surrendered to the authority, and not released anyhow into the wild.
“It is best to surrender wildlife that has been kept in captivity to a rehabilitation centre where there is some semblance of a natural habitat.
“More importantly, there is a group of people who is working on habitat enrichment for wild animals that were once kept in captivity in such centres.”
He explained that mammals like bears that have been kept in captivity could not be released into the forest directly as there could be behavioural issues such as lack of survival skills, potential disease carrying and transmission, and hunting pressure.
“By this time, it may be too late to teach the captive wild animal survival skills, or social behaviour appropriate for the species,” he said.
Hon added that although the resident might have a licence to keep the sun bear, the welfare of the animal was also important.
He also stressed that it was time for the Rules and Regulation of the Wild Life Protection Ordinance 1998 to be reviewed, given the fact that wildlife in the state and globally is facing so much pressure these days from illegal pet trade and hunting to habitat loss and climate change. — DayakDaily
