Help Save the Sun Bears!

Sun bears are the least know bears and a forgotten bears species. I have dedicated my life to studying them and helping to protect them from poaching and habitat degradation. There is so much work to do and only about five people in the world who have studied to learn about the sun bears.

Sun bears live on the island of Borneo, which is divided into three regions: Indonesia’s region, called Kalimantan; Malaysia’s region, called East Malaysia or Malaysian Borneo; and the independent nation of Brunei. I work in the Sabah region of Malaysian Borneo, in the east. Sun bears face many dangers, mostly from poachers and deforestation. As awareness increases about sun bears and the threats that are pushing them toward extinction, people are taking action to get involved in conserving them. This past November a coalition of concerned citizens and artists raised $400,000 to build the first phase of a sun bear conservation center. We will raise money for phase two in 2009. It's all very exciting and I fee like for the first time since I've been working with sun bears they may have a chance. Once people learn about sun bears they really start to love them and want to help.

To raise additional awareness about conserving bears from around the world, a film crew came to Borneo to film rare sun bears in the wild. The sun bear is just one of the eight species the documentary explores. I went with the film crew into bear country, otherwise they wouldn’t have known where to find the mysterious sun bears in Borneo. The film, Beartrek, is gripping and will captivate you if you watch it because you will discover the threats facing bears in the wild, and meet the dedicated people who are racing to save them from extinction. And more good news. Actress Joanna Bessey will host a travel documentary on Malaysia produced by BBC that will be aired on the worldwide network sometime in January. The documentary will include information about the need to conserve sun bears. I am happy the sun bears are finally getting some notice. Public attention is the one thing that may save them from extinction, because people who care will make some noise. Watch the movie trailer for Beartrek

Thank you for your help. We need you!