KUCHING: The Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) enforcement team yesterday afternoon rescued a sun bear that was kept at a residential house in Demak Laut housing estate here following a public tip-off and after images of the bear had gone viral on social media.
In a statement yesterday, SFC said that an inspection was carried out at the house. The owner was found to have a valid licence issued by Controller of Wild Life, Forest Department Sarawak (FDS) to keep the sun bear but he had violated certain terms and conditions of the licence.
SFC despatched its Swift Wildlife Action Team (SWAT) to the house to ‘rescue’ the animal.
The bear was then sent to the Matang Wildlife Centre for medical examination and eventual rehabilitation.
Sun bear is protected under the Sarawak’s Wild Life Protection Ordinance, 1998; killing, keeping, selling and buying the animal or its derivatives are prohibited by the law. The perpetrator can be sentenced to a year’s jail and fined RM10,000.
Any individual can apply to obtain a licence to keep the animal but the licence terms and conditions must be fully complied with.
Those with information on similar illegal activities are urged to call SFC hotlines at 016-8565564/019-8859996 (Kuching), 019-8883561 (Sibu), 019-8223449/019-8332737 (Bintulu) and 019-8290994/018-9799778 (Miri).
