World’s only sun bear sanctuary turns 10
Published on: Wednesday, January 17, 2024
By: Winnie Kasmir
From right: Wong, Frederick and Hussein cutting the ribbon during launching of the new Gelugob Bridge.
SANDAKAN: The Borneo Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) at Sepilok, near here – the only sun bear conservation centre in the world – celebrated its 10th anniversary on Tuesday.
In conjunction with the occasion, a new bridge which also has a new path that is wheelchair user-friendly was launched.
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Its founder and chief executive officer, Dr Wong Siew Te, said initially, the centre wanted to replace a 12-metre walkway known as the Gelugob Bridge, that led to a flight of stairs to the centre’s entrance, but decided to make a new route that would make BSBCC accessible to visitors with disabilities, especially those who require a wheelchair to move about.
“Part of BSBCC’s objective is to provide education and awareness on sun bear conservation, and that includes people from all walks of life,” he said at the launch of the bridge.
The sun bear
Wong expressed his thanks towards the Finance Ministry for its support and Yayasan Sime Darby for helping BSBCC secure enough funding to rebuild the RM440,000 bridge that was completed on Dec 20.
The bridge, which stretches 68m with wood plastic composite flooring and a structure using heavy duty materials, was launched by Sabah Chief Conservator of Forests Datuk Frederick Kugan.
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“The new Gelugob Bridge was built in replacement of the old Gelugob Bridge built by Raleigh International volunteers in 2009, using reclaimed Belian planks from fences built for Sumatran Rhinos at the Rhino Breeding Centre that was set up here in Sepilok during the 1980s.
“The bridge was named after a female Sumatran Rhino known as Gelugob and known as being the oldest Sumatran Rhino in captivity, but died at 37 years old due to age-related illness in January 2014,” he said.
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Wong also thanked the Government for not only supporting BSBCC’s efforts, but also in playing an important role of bringing in tourists to the State, especially to Sandakan.
“Since BSBCC opened to the public in January 2014, a total of 553,760 visitors were received with international visitors contributing 60 per cent of the total number.
“In addition to that, the centre also received 397 local and international school groups comprising 15,174 students and educators,” he said.
Frederick said the new bridge was timely as to accommodate the increasing number of visitors to Sepilok, which made BSBCC a compliment to other nature centres in the vicinity, namely the Sepilok Orang-utan Rehabilitation Centre and the Rainforest Discovery Centre, to provide awareness and education to the public.
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