Borneo Blog

Remote camera planted in Bintulu, Sarawak in Borneo have captured the picture of two Malayan sun bears, the first such discovery in Malaysia.

The Star newspaper reported that:

Two brown Malayan sun bears caught on a remote camera in a planted forest zone in Bintulu Division are believed to be the first such discovery in Malaysia and Borneo.

Sun bears found in Malaysia and Borneo were black in colour, said Grand Perfect Sdn Bhd conservation department’s project officer Belden Giman.

“This first recording of brown sun bears in Malaysia and Borneo is very interesting. The two sun bears are not yet adults,” he told The Star yesterday.

Grand Perfect is the contractor for Sarawak Planted Forest Sdn Bhd, which is in charge of the 500,000ha Bintulu planted forest Zone project.

Beldem and colleagues, Tony Chaong and Nyegang Megom, gave a joint presentation on “Remote camera survey: An essential tool for wildlife monitoring in the planted forest zone” at an international conference in Kuching Hilton that began on Wednesday.

Some 200 participants are attending the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation Asia-Pacific chapter’s three-day conference on the theme “Towards sustainable land use in Tropical Asia.”

Belden said the dramatic photos of the brown sun bears were caught on the remote camera in the plantation area last July. The protected sun bears are the smallest in the bear family.

The remote camera survey (2005 – 2007) also revealed 25 other species of large and medium-sized mammals.

He said since early 2005, a series of camera-trapping inventories had been done in and around the acacia mangium plantation to document the diversity, occurrence and richness of terrestrial fauna.

“Some 20 study areas, including two main conservation areas and the wildlife corridor, were selected.

“Each block (1km sq) will be sampled, at least with two cameras for 30 days in about three years,” he added.

Belden said a five-year sampling period until Aug 2012 was now underway.

The long-term monitoring model was adopted in collaboration with US-based Smithsonian Institution – Conservation Centre.

He said the data and subsequent information from the study would contribute to the understanding of the dynamic population of mammals in the planted forest zone and in Sarawak and Borneo.

Belden said the project also involved the local community in its training and awareness programmes.

[Source: The Star newspaper, April 25, 2008]