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Caged 76kg sun bear kept as pet rescued from Kuching house

KUCHING – A seven-year-old sun bear was rescued from a terrace housing unit in Kuching on Wednesday (Sept 25).

The sun bear was rescued and sent to Matang Wildlife Centre.

The sun bear was rescued and sent to Matang Wildlife Centre.

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KUCHING – A seven-year-old sun bear was rescued from a terrace housing unit in Kuching on Wednesday (Sept 25).

The 76kg protected species was rescued by the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) enforcement team who raided the house after images of the animal went viral in social media.

SFC Chief Executive Officer Zolkipli Mohamad Aton said although the owner has a valid licence issued by the Controller of Wildlife from the Sarawak Forest Department, he violated certain terms and conditions of the licence.

However, he declined to comment further on why the license was issued in the first place as it is under the jurisdiction of the Sarawak Forest Department. 

Authorities rescued the sun bear from a terrace unit at Demak Laut housing estate in Kuching after a concerned passer-by posted on Facebook, which then went viral. Photo: Facebook/Sarawak Forestry

"Our team rescued the sun bear and it was taken to the Matang Wildlife Centre immediately for medical examination.

"After having been locked up for years, the sun bear needs to undergo some rehabilitation programme before a decision is made on whether it is fit to be released and returned to the wild," he said in a statement on Wednesday. 

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The animal, Mr Zolkipli said, is protected under Sarawak’s Wild Life Protection Ordinance 1998, whereby killing, keeping, selling, buying the animal or its derivatives are prohibited by the law and if found guilty, the perpetrator can be jailed for one year and fined RM10,000 (S$3,287).

He added that licence can be applied but applicants must comply with the terms and conditions.

Mr Zolkipli reminded anyone keeping any totally protected or protected animal illegally to surrender it to the authorities before action is taken against them.

He further expressed his hope that those keeping protected animals under licence to willingly surrender them to the SFC before they become a problem.

The SFC also extended its gratitude to members of the public who have assisted authorities in curtailing illegal wildlife trading as well as illegal logging in Sarawak.  NEW STRAITS TIMES

 

Related topics

sun bear wildlife Sarawak Malaysia

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