Photos by Sue Chong-Hartley, Text by Ian Hall “We need an ayam jantan bertaji, don’t forget the taji. Taji is important!” Sue instructed me. At first she had asked Wai Pak to help find the cockerel but as a conscientious Buddhist he didn’t want to be complicit in killing an animal. Normally the supply of sacrificial cockerels is not one of my professional services but I liked the idea of the story that I could tell afterward. The Taji is the heel spur or claw that you only find on cockerels; they are an important...

Construction of the Borneo Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) has started. On 29th June the site was formally handed over to the contractor by representatives of the landowners, Sabah Wildlife Department and Sabah Forestry Departement. Our contractor Mee San of Lahad Datu now has 6 months to complete the first phase building valued at MYR 600,000. On completion we will have a new bear house with night time bear dens for 20 animals. Simultaneously we are implementing our Bear Action Teams (BATs) program that forms partnerships...

The Star Tuesday November 18, 2008 By RUBEN SARIO Read original story here KOTA KINABALU: Having established itself as home for wildlife such as the orang utan, Sumatran rhino, Borneo pygmy elephant and proboscis monkey, Sabah intends to give more attention to its population of sun bears. Noting that Sabah’s sun bears were one of the world’s eight bear species, Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman said the state wanted to protect the mammal, which was considered a unique species. Needing care: File photo of sun bear researcher...

From the official website of the Chief Minister of Sabah

Original article at NST Archives New Straits Times - Nov 3, 2008 FOR all the conservation efforts on which Malaysia prides itself, there is surprisingly little that we know of the Malayan sun bear. EVANGELINE MAJAWAT and JULIA CHAN sniff around in search of these elusive creatures and stumble upon a concerted effort to protect this threatened species.A NAUSEATING stench of faeces and rotting food fills the air. In the far corner of a lush garden stands a rusty metal cage - the source of the offending smell.In...