Bak Kut Teh is a delicious Chinese soup of Malaysia. Normally pork is used as the main ingredient to be simmered in a broth of spices and herbs, like the one introduced in my earlier blog. When someone told me about the Seafood Bak Kut Teh in Sandakan, I thought it was a crazy idea, “Seafood is fishy. Isn’t it ‘incompatible’ with the smell of herb?” For me, it sounds like someone trying to fry cucumber with chocolate.
I was wrong. Seafood Bak Kut Teh rocks! Bak Kut Teh (肉骨茶 in Chinese) is officially recognised as one of the Malaysia heritage food in 2024 so now you have more reasons to try it.
I’m talking about Nam Chai Bak Kut Teh (Chinese Name: 南財肉骨茶), a Chinese restaurant over 2 decades old in Sandakan city. Its Bak Kut Teh is so good that it’s full during meal time.
I came early so I got a seat. Later more diners come and they have to stand around to wait for their turn. In fact, their loyal customers don’t mind to wait at all.
Pic: the food menu and (old) price list Though their specialty is Seafood Bak Kut Teh, they also sell very good traditional (pork) Bak Kut Teh. You can order rice, noodle and vegetables (cabbage, spinach and mustard greens) to go with your Bak Kut Teh too.
Every morning the owner buy the fresh pork and seafood at market, to ensure the best quality of his food. When you order, they will ask you if you want the soup more spicy. If you say yes, your soup will have stronger pepper flavor.
We order two rabbitfish (Chinese Name: 泥鯭), one bowl of sliced fish (grouper fish) and one prawn. The soup is darker than the traditional Bak Kut Teh and with aroma of pepper.
The rabbitfish of Sandakan is the best in Sabah. Its white meat is sweet and tender. The rabbitfish of other places doesn’t taste as good and I don’t know why. They use pepper, scallions and ginger to remove the fishy smell, and this also enhances the sweetness and freshness of the fish.
Look how big are the prawns. I use a spoon as a scale.
I really can’t describe how satisfied I am with a mouthful of big fresh prawns.
The sliced fish of grouper. Taste yummy too.
Pic: Close-up of the sliced fish
The address of this restaurant is No.1 Block D, Bandar Nam Tong, Sandakan (see Location Map). They open from 9:15am to 1:45pm and 5pm to 8pm, Tuesday to Sunday (close on every Monday). Their phone number is +60 11-65612603.
Probably you had tried grilled and steamed seafood. But Seafood Bak Kut Teh will be a pleasant surprise to you, when your tongue learns another way to appreciate seafood. And you will come back for more again for this taste.
To live happily, we need food for our body, love for our soul, and money for our security. However, one ingredient is always not listed in our source of happiness, though it’s a desire rooted in human genes for 7 million years. In 1984, Edward O. Wilson coined the term Biophilia, which suggests that humans possess an innate tendency to seek connections with nature and other life forms (not Wifi and phone!). Therefore, living without “Vitamin N(ature)” is unhealthy to our mind and body. That may explain why we feel happy after an outdoor activity in greenery. The worrying trend is the increasing “Nature deprivation” when 68% of the world population projected to live in urban areas by 2050.
My travel buddies driven by Biophilia
Camping at Kun-Kun Campsite
Now I know Biophilia makes me wanting to own a villa next to a river with beautiful scenery. I can’t afford to buy one, but Sabah has plenty of natural attractions open to public. Let’s check out Kun-Kun River, which scores high as the location of my dream villa.
A study conducted by psychologists found that creative problem solving can be drastically improved by both disconnecting from technology and reconnecting with nature.
Just kidding. Kun-Kun River (Sungai Kun-Kun) is situated deep inside of Deramakot Forest (in Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia) and has no electricity supply. I travelled there with group of friends by 4-wheel drive (and chased by an elephant) and camped at the river side for a 100% nature experience.
?Nothing makes you feel more childlike than being outdoors.? – Dr. Pamela Peeke, author of Fit to Live.
The jade-color river is so clean and pristine. Even though Deramakot Forest is a logged forest, they practice Reduced Impact Logging, which minimize the negative impact to the environment. For example, they only harvest the forest partially, give logged forest many years to regenerate and have reforestation projects in place.
Biophilia makes Sabahans “itchy” if we are away from nature for too long.
Otherwise, logging will pollute the river and the water turns murky, because the land loses its natural green carpet to filter soil and debris from washing into the river. After some time, the river will become shallower and flood would happen after heavy rain.
Spending more time in nature can greatly benefit our psychological and physical well-being.
The amenities there are very basic. All we got is a camping grassland next to the river, with fire pit, toilet and benches. As this is a protected forest, the nearest village is over 30 Kilometres away, so secluded that some elephants left their dungs here.
Parking our 4-Wheel drive at Kun-Kun
The day was really warm and the crystal clear water is so inviting. In no time everyone went swimming and frolicking like kids.
Natural Jacuzzi in Kun-Kun River
On another end of the camp is a shallow rapid, where we could sit in the water and enjoy the natural Jacuzzi.
A funny flat rock that looks like a big biscuit. Found near the river.
After dinner, without Internet, everyone slept early under the stars and got fully recharged over the night. Disconnect with technology allows us to reconnect with nature to find inner peace and energy.
Everyone seems to sleep well Sleeping next to Kun-Kun River
When we were packing to leave in next morning, we did a silly thing out of curiosity. We burnt some elephant dungs to see if it can work as a fuel like cow dung, and it does. One of our guys was freak out and almost screamed out hey dude what the heck are you doing. Locals believe this would attract elephant. The elusive Bornean pygmy elephant is not famous to be friendly. Anyway, no elephant showed up.
Elephant dung burns quite well in fire
When I’m back to civilization with 4G, my phone kept vibrating and tons of messages came in. Looking at the “999+ Unread” WhatsApp messages, guess what, I ignored them all, except a few from someone close. Our world is just full of meaningless words and it’s safe to disregard most of them.
You may wonder why our DNA programs us to connect to nature. Dr Qing Li, a Japanese Forest Medicine expert and author of the book The Art and Science of Forest Bathing, has the answer. Japanese has been practicing an activity called forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku. Shinrin in Japanese means “forest”, and yoku means “bath”. Forest Bathing can lower our blood pressure, strengthen our immune system, prevent cancer and depression.
Forest Bathing unlocks the healing power of the forest.
Then how to do forest bathing? Bury ourselves under the leaves and wood, or take a shower in the jungle? No. It’s not even an exercise. It is simply being in nature, use our five senses (i.e. sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch) to feel and connect with the nature.
Kun-Kun is an ideal place for forest bathing
Just spend 30 to 40 minutes to explore around forest or nature park casually, aimlessly and slowly. Open all your senses. Look, listen, sniff, touch, and taste the surrounding. Relax your minds and let nature enter through your ears, eyes, nose, mouth, hands and feet, for example, listen to cicada singing, look at flowing water, smell the flowers, lay down to breathe in fresh air, dip your toes in a stream, looking at the swaying trees.
Forest Bathing can reduce the stress hormone cortisol and increase your immune defense system.
Do inhale more fresh air of forest, which contains Phytoncide, an aromatic compounds emitted by plants & trees that can boost your natural killer immune cells to reduce cancer risk.
Phytoncides released by plant can reduce cancer risk
To make the experience more powerful, you can do more things that connect to your happy memory or childhood. For me, it’s listening to rustling leaves, because this was what I liked to do outdoor when I was a kid.
Enjoy the moment without having our eyes glued to the phone
In Japan, they even has the certification program to register a “Forest Therapy Base” and over 62 sites have been registered across Japan. Since over half of Sabah is forest, a qualified Forest Therapy Base is probably just a stone’s throw away from your home.
What a tourist couple did really touched me. I was buying cake in a bakery in Kota Kinabalu City. At the cashier counter, an Australian couple declined to use plastic bag to store their purchase. They explained to their children, “We shouldn’t use plastic bag because if it’s dumped into the sea, turtle would think it’s food and eat it, and that can kill it.” I’m so grateful that foreigners care about our turtles. On the other hand, I feel ashamed that Malaysians generate about 4,000 metric tonnes of plastic waste every day, and these contribute to plastic found on one-third of the coral reefs in the Asia-Pacific region.
Jellyfish is the food of sea turtle, and plastic bag is often mistaken as jellyfish by turtles
Therefore, I see hope when Libaran Island, which used to be a turtle grave, has become a turtle sanctuary and a new tourism attraction now. Before a turtle hatchery was established there in 2012, every turtle egg laid on Libaran would end up in the stomach of villagers and stray dogs on the island. After 5 years, this hatchery has saved more than 27,486 turtle eggs!
Releasing baby turtles to the wild
And Top 4 Reasons to visit Libaran Island? #Turtle #Glamping #Stargazing #Sunset
About Libaran Island
With a population of 450 people, Libaran (GPS: 6.120437, 118.030001, see Location Map) is a 450-acre (about 2 sq KM) island located 45 minutes away by boat from Sandakan, the second largest city of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Though Libaran is only 5 minutes away from the famous Turtle Islands Park (a.k.a. Selingan) of Sabah, unfortunately it is not inside the boundary of this protected park.
Beach of Libaran Island during low tide
If turtle landed on the wrong island, that’s the end of their cycle of life when villagers collected their eggs. Luckily this is changed by Alex Yee, a business-minded conservationist, who creates Walai Penyu Conservation Park with a win-win model for the locals and turtles.
Beautiful mangrove tree in Libaran
Trip to Libaran Island
Turtle sighting in scuba diving is always a delightful experience. This gentle reptile swims gracefully and look really chill underwater. We can’t call a diving destination a top dive site if it has no turtle. Turtle is also the Guardian of Coral Triangle because it maintains the health of marine ecosystems. If turtles are safe, our tourism and environment will do well.
Group photo of divers with the friendly turtle. But we were not allowed to touch it or we would be banned for next dive.
What’s better than looking at the turtle up-close? Malaysia is home to four species of turtles, namely, Leatherback, Green, Hawksbill, and Olive Ridley turtles, all are endangered due to pollution and poaching. When Alex invited me to his Walai Penyu Resort on Libaran Island last month, I said YES x 100 without thinking.
Alex named his boat “Tora” to commemorate his dog
In a sunny afternoon, our boat to Libaran departed from the Sabah Parks jetty located at Sandakan Yacht Club. If you book a tour with Walai Penyu Resort, they will provide boat and land transfer (Walai = Stay Together and Penyu = Turtle in local language).
Stunning red cliffs of Berhala Island
On the way to Libaran, you would pass by Berhala Island, a very beautiful island with distinctive red cliffs. Sadly, its beach is covered by so many junk that it never becomes a tourist attraction. If the locals love their environment more, they would have a nice island for weekend outing now. Rubbish is like karma, we will pay for our wrongdoing.
Approaching Libaran Island
The ocean was calm and we reached Libaran Island after 45 minutes of smooth ride. It’s a fairly densely vegetated flat island, without any high ground and tall building. Turtles love such pristine beach with little development. Too much noise and artificial light will drive mother turtle away.
You can see the corals in crystal clear water
Though we were about 100 Metres away from shore, the water was only knee depth, and I could see the lush corals clearly. Our boat cruised slowly to avoid crushing the corals.
Nesting spots of sea turtles
Finally we landed on the golden beach of Libaran, the cradle of turtles. Their staff already waited for us with wheelbarrow and transferred our bags to Walai Penyu Resort.
Landing track of mother turtle on the beach
Apparently we are not the only visitors here. Tracks and traces of turtle landing are everywhere. We found nesting sites under the shrubs, on the beach and near the camp.
Glamping at Walai Penyu Resort
We check-in to our room. Actually it’s a glamping tent, which is larger than standard camp and spacious enough to fit in two beds and a desk. The camp is very clean and located on the beach.
Glamping ground of Walai Penyu Resort in Libaran Island
Glamping is becoming a trend for travellers who love to be close to nature but stay comfortable with adequate setup. In short, Glamping is a luxury version of Camping. I have done camping many times, glamping is new to me, and it definitely offers a more family-friendly and enjoyable stay than camping.
Glamping is where stunning nature meets modern luxury
To minimise the impact to the environment, there are only 8 dome-shaped tents in Walai Penyu Resort to host up to 16 guests each day. Lighting is kept to minimum to avoid disturbing nesting turtles.
Experience glamping on Libaran Island
Bathroom in Walai Penyu Resort
The tents have side windows covered with mosquito net. You can unzip them for sea breeze or view. As our tents are very near to the beach, it’s quite windy and we could hear sea waves clearly.
Toilet and shower room on the island
The common toilet and bathroom have lot of open spaces that allow good ventilation, so the place is dry, clean and doesn’t smell.
Beautiful Libaran
Turtle usually comes after dusk. It’s still early, so I strolled around the island. With me were three lady editors (Alison, Carmen and San) for China social media. If you want to walk one around of this island, the walking distance is 6.5 KM, which takes about 1.5 hours.
These mangrove trees can prevent beach erosion
Near our glamping site is a few patches of lush mangrove trees. Alex told us that at night we could find fireflies there. The entangled roots of these old mangrove trees are so fascinating, some looks like bonsai.
Little mangrove “island”
I asked Carmen to be my model. Being professional, she didn’t hesitate to climb up and down the tree for some perfect shots (the mangrove root is quite slippery). Of course the outcome is brilliant. Instagram is full of cliche photos on sandy beach, so we are happy to bag many special shots.
From Left: Alison, Carmen, San and Alex Yee
Due to low tide, the water was very shallow and tempting, so we walked in the sea water to feel the soft sand and warm water running through our toes.
You can walk to Racket Island during low tide
Less than 2 KM away is Racket Island, where you can find the “tomb” of turtles. You can walk to that island during low tide. But do return before high tide or you have to swim back to Libaran.
Thanks Carmen for climbing up there for a great shot
The beach is long and litter-free. The cleanliness is not by accident. Alex divides the beach into dozens of 100-Metres lot, and pays villagers MYR100/month to keep their allocated slot clean.
This mangrove tree looks like bonsai
Clean beach is not only for tourists, but good for the turtles too. By regularly removing driftwood, plastics and other washed-up trash from the beach, turtles don’t need to crawl over piles of debris to lay their eggs on the beach.
Alex spent 3.5 years to collect 3,500 mineral bottles to build this little house
Alex has been buying plastic bottles from these cleaners for 3.5 years. He showed us his masterpiece he created with these plastic.
Then Alex went back to the camp to prepare other activities for us. We continued to explore other side of the island. There is a garrison on the island. I saw police and dogs patrolled on the beach, so I feel safe.
Peaceful dusk at Libaran
The sea view was ravishing. We forgot the time until dusk was approaching, and the cloud was like in fire. It’s the famous flaming sunset of Sabah. We chased for the sunset view and reached a peaceful fishing village on other end of the island. The friendly villagers smiled at us while busy preparing for the nightfall. This is just an ordinary fishing village, but looks so surreal under the sunset.
Fisherman walking to the sunset
Inspiring Success Story
By the time we were back to our resort, yummy dinner was already served under a canopy. During meal time, Alex shared some stories about his conservation project on Libaran. It wasn’t a smooth sail. If I were him, I would had given up.
Dinner on Libaran Island
Turtles have existed for over 200 million years, but if nothing is done, human can wipe them out in 10 years. Unlike Ninja Turtle, the shell of turtles can’t protect them from human greed. Turtles are fully protected by wildlife act in Sabah and Sarawak only. In some states of Peninsular Malaysia, turtle eggs are sold openly and it’s legal to consume them.
Mangrove seedling
However, without any enforcement on a remote island such as Libaran, the locals were eating the turtle eggs. I’m not saying that the villagers there are bad. Turtle eggs have been the main source of protein for islanders for many generations. Now for conservation, we have to take this away from these poor villagers, so it isn’t hard to understand why they are unhappy.
Variety of corals exposed during low tide
Besides stop eating turtle eggs, we must not harass turtles too. Let me tell you a real case. Rantau Abang in Terengganu used to the most popular nesting location of leatherback turtle. In 1950s, there were more than 10,000 nesting spots. Then tourists came and ride on their back and flipped them over for fun. The consequence is – almost 0 sighting of leatherback there for last 5 years.
Sometimes it’s a bit windy on Libaran
Libaran is blessed because they act soon enough to prevent the repeat of Rantau Abang tragedy there. In 2011, Sabah Wildlife Department sought collaboration with Alex to protect the turtles on Libaran, because the villagers collecting turtle eggs. However, its a hot potato, not cash cow, being handed over to Alex. The former village head didnt support his conservation work and even tried to stop his team from collecting turtle eggs.
Lovely morning of Libaran Island
Deeply dismayed by many challenges and people issues, Alex thought about quitting in Nov 2015. His visit to Libaran in Feb 2016 was supposed to be a goodbye trip. Then a turtle laid 70 eggs in front of his tent. Alex saw this as a sign and decided to continue. Due to his perseverance, Alex has successfully established a new turtle stronghold on Libaran. Its a victory in Sabah conservation.
Alison recording a time-lapsed video for sea tide
Just a trivia. During World War II, about 2 or 3 British prisoners of war escaped the infamous dead march, and one of them was hiding on Libaran until he was rescued by US Navy after the war. Many years later, his son visited Libaran and found that the father of Alex’s employee is the one who rescued his dad.
We still could see starry sky though that night was cloudy
Libaran is also a great place for stargazing, since they keep the light to minimal. I saw many stars in the sky, but it was covered by dense cloud shortly.
Good Night!
Before we went to bed, Alex said, “Tonight it will be high tide. We have good chance to see turtle landing.” And he was right.
Turtle Landing!
Because of the comfortable sea breeze and sound of sea waves, I had a deep sleep until I heard Alex was talking on walkie-talkie around 3:20am. I waked up and saw him standing outside his tent. From his serious expression, I knew a turtle has landed. I followed behind him with a torchlight.
Hawksbill turtle landed on Libaran
There are a total of 401 turtle landing (75% Green Turtle, 25% Hawksbill Turtle) on Libaran between 2013 and 2017.
Turtle laying eggs on Libaran Island
And yay!!! We saw a Hawksbill turtle about 200 Metres away from our campsite, and it laid eggs under a tree near to beach. We were so excited but we had to observe it quietly from a distance. If disturbed, mother turtle would abort the nesting and turn back to the sea. Sabah has the largest population of hawksbills in Malaysia.
Mother turtles only come to land for laying eggs. They will dig a hole with their legs, lay eggs, then cover them with sand. To me it’s bizarre. Imagine human who lives on land, but give birth a baby in the sea.
Moving the turtle eggs to hatchery for better survival rate
This Hawksbill turtle laid 149 eggs that morning, breaking the 3-year-old highest record of 146 eggs! According to Alex, Libaran got one turtle landing every 3 days in average. They prefer to come during high tide, so they don’t need to crawl a long way to the beach.
Turtle Hatchery
After the mother turtle left, the trained staff collected the eggs carefully and moved them to the hatchery near to our camp. This measure can increase the survival rate of hatching up to 90 per cent.
Turtle Hatchery on Libaran Island
Turtle eggs look like ping-pong ball, and are delicious treat for crabs, monitor lizards and birds. Therefore, we have to place a circular wire mesh enclosure around the nest, so these predators can’t dig the nest.
Each nest in hatchery is labelled with date, number of eggs and turtle species
The nest is also labelled with information such as date, number of eggs and turtle species. The eggs will hatch after 45 to 55 days. Do you know that temperature can set the sex of a hatching? Cooler temperatures lead to a male, while hotter sand leads to a female.
This 4-ha hatchery was setup in July 2012 by Alex Yee at the site chosen by Sabah Wildlife Department. It’s named as Taman Hadiah, which means Gift Garden. It hatches about 4,000 eggs every month in average (73% Green Turtle, 27% Hawksbill).
From 2013 until 2017, the hatchery had collected 20,022 Green turtle eggs and 7,464 Hawksbill turtle eggs. On 1 March 2018, they will celebrate the release of 30,000th turtle!
I’m happy to witness the release of a few dozens baby turtles that evening. They usually release them at night to avoid the predators. Once freed, the baby turtles will head to the moonlight and enter the sea.
Releasing baby turtles to the wild
Another amazing thing happens during the release, these baby turtles will register the magnetic signature of this beach as their “home point”. Even after 25 years, the female turtle can rely on Earth’s magnetic field to navigate back to her exact birthplace to lay eggs.
Only 1 in 1,000 of baby turtles can make it to adulthood
There is one cruel fact I hope I don’t have to tell you. Only one in a thousand baby turtles will survive. So every egg counts.
By the way, if you see any sneaky fellow in Sandakan City that shows you Ok sign in the street, bash him because he is selling turtle eggs illegally (but double check in case he is really a friendly Sandakian).
Leaving Libaran Island with happy faces
In Sabah, anyone caught in possession or consuming turtle eggs could be fined MYR50,000 or be jailed five years, or both, if convicted. That means you are as guilty as seller if you are buying turtle eggs.
Walai Penyu Libaran is one of the few places in Sabah where you can experience glamping
However, due to weak enforcement, these sellers are still around and certainly enjoy good business. I hope the authority will also prosecute the buyers to the fullest extent by law. This will send a strong warning to buyers that buying turtle eggs is also a crime.
How to get there
A visit to this new turtle island is highly recommended to those who want to see the miracles of nature. Day trip and overnight tour are available. For more information or booking, please contact Walai Penyu Resort via the following channels: Facebook:WalaiPenyuResort Website:walaipenyuresort.com E-mail:sales@trekkerslodge.com Phone:+60 16-8310168 (cellphone), +60 88-260263 (office)
View of our campsite after sunrise
At the end, I would like to compliment Alex Yee for his dedication in conservation. What he does far exceeds the scope of Corporate Service Responsibility (CSR). It’s a long term commitment, not a one-time beach clean-up or symbolically planting a few trees. I hope more visitors will visit Libaran to support the turtle conservation there. Please learn from the story of Rantau Abang and don’t be the generation that bully turtles.
Does Sabah have anything extraordinary on world map? Foreigners would not know your favourite celebrity in Malaysia. But when you mention the word “Borneo”, they would reply, “Oh I know, that’s where orangutan lives!” Orangutan is a superstar in animal kingdom and is featured as much as Kangaroo and Panda in nature channels.
Superstars of Borneo: Orangutan, Proboscis Monkey, Pygmy Elephant, Sunbear and Hornbill
However, orangutan, a.k.a. Man of the Forest, isn’t the only wonder in our 140-million-year-old Borneo rainforest (Amazon is only 60 million). Come and meet the “Borneo version” of Playboy, Teddy Bear, Mini Jumbo and Love Bird, which are Proboscis Monkey, Sunbear, Pygmy Elephant and Hornbill respectively, the other four iconic wildlife rule the third largest island on earth. Allow me briefly introduce these charismatic and must-see animals of Borneo:-
1. Orangutan – Man of the Forest
say Hi to your cousin (just kidding), orangutan, is one of our closest relative, as their DNA is 97% resemble to human. If you look at their eyes and expression, you know they are thinking animal. Orangutan probably inspired the making of first King Kong movie, and you may have seen orangutan in movies such as Maurice in Rise of the Planet of the Apes and King Louie in Jungle Book.
Orangutan is only found in Borneo and Sumatra
Orangutan is smarter than Chimpanzee. They know how to use tools, memorizing the fruiting season of different fruit and pass on this knowledge to their offspring. Orangutan is the only great ape of Asia. So please stop calling orangutan a monkey, that’s an insult to them lol.
2. Proboscis Monkey – Playboy of Borneo
This peculiar long-nosed monkey has an amusing nickname, i.e. Orang Belanda (means Dutch Man in Malay language) because of its big nose and beer belly (don’t be offended ok, if you are from Netherlands). Though you would think the long, pendulous nose of adult males is funny, the female monkey think it’s sexy. And strong male proboscis monkey has dozen of wives.
“Huh? Banana? No Thanks.”
Never feed Proboscis Monkey with banana. Their digestion system is meant for breaking down mangrove leaves. Anything sweet will ferment and create lot of gas in their stomach, and that could cause death.
3. Pygmy Elephant – Mini Elephant
Pygmy Elephant is the smallest elephant on earth and only a thousand of them left in Sabah, so they are critically endangered and far rarer than African elephant (with a population of 350,000+ and always reported as “in worrying status” by world media).
Pygmy elephant is the most endangered elephant species
Pygmy Elephant looks like Asian Elephant, but both species separated from each other around three million years ago, and Pygmy Elephant evolves into a smaller subspecies that has longer tail and round baby face. Pygmy Elephants love durian and they swallow it as a whole.
4. Bornean Sun Bear – Teddy Bear of Borneo
About the size of a dog, Bornean Sun Bear is the world’s tiniest bear. The baby bear is so adorable and cuddly that some people keep it as pet illegally. For such a beautiful creature, you might imagine that they live a fairytale life in a candy house filled with cookies.
LOL Bear
Instead, they live in danger every day. Poachers shoot them without hesitation, for their highly priced gallbladder. And their cute baby bears would be kept as pet, but will be abandoned eventually after they grow too big to be handled. Never live in the wild since young, these bears won’t survive.
5. Hornbills – Love Birds of Borneo
Hornbills are monogamous and a symbol of fidelity. I always see them flying in pair. There are 8 species of hornbills in Borneo, each with interesting characteristics. For example, Helmeted Hornbill is called Burung Tebang Mentua (Chop Mother-in-law in Malay language) by locals because of its long eerie call that sounds like evil laughter.
Hornbills of Borneo
During hatching period, female hornbill seals herself inside a tree hole, leaving a slit for feeding by her “husband”. The male can come back and forth as many as 70 times a day to feed. This goes on for months until the chick hatched. If this is not love, what it is then.
Best Place to See Them All?
You can see these “big 5” wildlife in only 2 days in Sandakan, the gateway to wildlife sanctuary of Borneo. Sepilok and Kinabatangan will be your best destinations for wildlife sighting in Borneo. For tour and accommodation, I stayed in the lodges of Nasalis Larvatus Tours which are rated as 4+ stars by TripAdvisor.
1. Sepilok
Sepilok is a a virgin forest reserve about 26 KM away from Sandakan City and highly accessible by public transport. Tourists love this place because they can see Orangutan, Sunbear and probably Hornbill in one trip. The following are three parks that are adjacent to one another in Sepilok.
Founded in 1964, SORC is the most popular tourist attraction in Sandakan. Orphan orangutan is sent here for survival skill training such as climbing and food hunting. They will be released to the wild after they “graduate” from this orangutan school. The best time to see them is during the feeding time at 10am and 3pm daily. The Centre also has a hall where you can see cute baby orangutan playing in nursery.
Feeding time at Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre
Located just next to SORC, BSBCC houses and rehabiliates over 40 bears rescued from illegal zoo and pet owners. BSBCC won the Best Nature Attraction in Sabah Tourism Awards 2017 and its founder Dr. Wong is named as one of the CNN Heroes in 2017.
A sleeping sunbear high on a tree
The bears roam in a confined forested area for tourists to observe them from a rised platform. You will be amazed by their tree climbing skill and playful behavior. Some staffs are around to share the story of each bear. Their sad stories could make you cry, but sun bear gets far less attention than Polar Bear and Panda.
RDC is a beautiful forest park with tall tropical trees, lake, nature trails and exhibition hall. You can walk on their 15-Metre high sturdy walkway to see everything at canopy level.
Canopy walkway of Rainforest Discovery Centre
This place is also an ideal bird-watching location where you would find hornbill, kingfishers, pitta, and Bornean Bristlehead, the superstar endemic bird of Borneo. If you are a tree hugger, check out the Sepilok Giant, an estimated 800-1,000 years old Ironwood tree in the park.
Nature Lodge Sepilok
For accommodation, I spent a night in Nature Lodge Sepilok (GPS: 5.875559, 117.950068, see Location Map) in Sepilok and able to make a day trip to all 3 parks near the lodge.
Nature Lodge Sepilok is near to Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, Rainforest Discovery Centre, and Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre
Below are some photos of Nature Lodge Sepilok.
Nature Lodge Sepilok is a family friendly accommodation
The lodge is constructed in smaller scale to give more privacy and tranquility to tourists. They don’t want a big lodge with hundred of noisy tourists.
Rooms of Nature Lodge Sepilok
The room is nice and clean with air-conditioning. It is as comfy as a 3-star hotel room. The pictures above shall give you an idea.
The open bathroom of Nature Lodge Sepilok
And the toilet and bathroom is a little surprise. It’s a backyard garden with bath and toilet area partly concealed by plant. There is no tall building around, so don’t worry about your privacy. In fact, taking bath and doing my business in semi-open area is oddly satisfying. One of my friends found bird nest in her bathroom.
Cute & friendly cats at Nature Lodge Sepilok
Every time I walked around the lodge, I always ended up with cat fur all over me. The cats there are so cute and friendly.
Mango Garden Cafe of Nature Lodge Sepilok
Breakfast at Mango Garden Cafe of Nature Lodge Sepilok
The food in Mango Garden Cafe of Nature Lodge Sepilok is delicious and rich in variety. They even look yummy in photos. Every meal time is a happy time for me.
Delicious food in Mango Garden Cafe of Nature Lodge Sepilok
By the way, you can buy almost every necessity in their shop, e.g. raincoat, soft drink, instant noodle, snack, toiletries, sunblock lotion, insect repellent, drinking water.
Little shop in Nature Lodge Sepilok
Nature Lodge Sepilok is really a great place for a relax and leisure vacation. For booking, you can reach them at: www.insabah.com or Phone:+60 16-8302038
2. Kinabatangan River
Let’s keep it short, Kinabatangan River is simply the best place to see orangutan, proboscis monkey, pygmy elephant and hornbills in the wild. You need a bit of luck to see pygmy elephant and orangutan though, as they are always on the move (please note this is not a zoo).
Kinabatangan River is the longest river of Sabah
No matter what, I can assure that you won’t be disappointed with your trip in Kinabatangan, because there are so many other amazing wildlife to look at.
Nature Lodge Kinabatangan
Seeing wildlife in their natural habitat is a more exciting experience, so I visited Kinabatangan and stayed in Nature Lodge Kinabatangan (GPS: 5.494785, 118.204908, see Location Map) at Bilit Village, which is in upstream of Kinabatangan.
We stopped at Kedai Kopi Santa of Kinabatangan Town for lunch. Their Soto (Beef soup) is one of the best in Sandakan.
Arrived Nature Lodge Kinabatangan
It took about 2 hours of road trip from Sandakan City to Bilit. The Lodge is located about 30 Metres away from the Kinabatangan River.
Nature Lodge Kinabatangan is a highly ranked accommodation in Tripadvisor
Sunset river cruise
After we checked into our room, we started our sunset river cruise and saw a baby crocodile on the river bank right away.
Kinabatangan River is one of the best bird-watching sites in Borneo
There were many birds along the river. I saw Purple Heron (many!), Little Heron flying next to our boat, Black & Red Broadbill, Lesser Adjutant (known as Burung Botak locally, means Bald Bird), Rhinocerous Hornbill, Oriental Pied Hornbill, Brahminy kite, and Oriental Darter (Snake Bird).
Long-tailed macaques in alert
Then we saw a group of Long-tailed macaques in commotion. They stood up looking at a pile of log, probably there was a monitor lizard or crocodile hiding in there. The highlight is a few herds of proboscis monkey on the trees.
Sunset river cruise at Kinabatangan River
Pygmy elephants at Kinabatangan
After the interesting river cruise, we had our buffet dinner in the lodge. We enjoyed some fresh vegetables planted in their garden.
Buffet dinner at dining hall of Nature Lodge Kinabatangan
The activity didn’t stop there. We went for a night walk in the forest around 8pm. If this adventure is too much for you, you may stay back at the lodge to join some fun activities such as local dance.
Critters we saw in night walk
With the help of our guide, we spotted a few nocturnal animals in the dark. A jewel-color kingfisher slept like a fluffy ball on a twig, so cute. A researcher put up a white sheet to attract insects with light. We went busybody there and checked out the bug. Near the end we saw a number of big flying foxes foraging on a cotton tree. It’s quite a thrilling experience.
Nature Lodge Kinabatangan is in the forest of Kinabatangan
After day long of playing, I went back to my lodge to rest. The lodge is inside the rainforest. It’s a special feeling to sleep in a forest, so peaceful and quiet, almost like a therapy.
Nature Lodge Kinabatangan at night
They also have dormitory if you prefer backpacker style accommodation.
Reading room in Nature Lodge Kinabatangan
Room of Nature Lodge Kinabatangan
My room is quite spacious and comfortable. I love big space as it makes me more relaxing, so I’m really happy with my room, and it has air-conditioner.
Misty morning of Kinabatangan River
The next day we waked up around 6am for a morning river cruise. Though it’s really early and I was sleepy, the sighting was very rewarding. The morning was cool and refreshing with a bit of mist on the river.
We spotted an Orangutan on top of a Durian tree
We were so lucky to see an orangutan waked up from his nest high up on a durian tree. Another trophy is Storm’s stork, which has only around 200 left in the world, and Kinabatangan is their stronghold.
River cruise is the best way for wildlife sighting at Kinabatangan
Wild Proboscis Monkey is quite common here. You can easily see about 20 of them here.
Both Nature Lodge Sepilok and Nature Lodge Kinabatangan are operated by Nasalis Larvatus Tours, a licensed travel agent of Malaysia.
Flight to Sandakan
You can fly to Sandakan City by Malaysia Airlines or AirAsia from Kota Kinabalu City (KK)(50 min flight) or Kuala Lumpur (KL)(2 hours 50 min). Flight is available every day. If you book at the good time, you can get really cheap round-trip ticket like about MYR200 for KK-Sandakan and MYR400 for KL-Sandakan flight. You can use Google Flights to check the fare prices from all airlines. Nasalis Larvatus Tours also can pick you up at Sandakan airport.
Famous Spring Noodle and Century Egg Dumpling of Sandakan
By the way, Sandakan is the second largest city of Sabah and also a foodie paradise, do try some yummy local food such as spring noodle when you visit Sandakan!
You can tell a lot about the lifestyle of local people by visiting their market. Just take a stroll in Sandakan Central Market (Pasar Umum Sandakan), after browsing hundreds of stalls with thousands of colourful items on display, you will learn what Sabah people eat and wear.
Building of Sandakan Central Market
In the morning, you will see hundreds of locals buying fresh vegetables, fruits, meat and fishes at Sandakan Central Market. Actually this Market has been a tourist attraction for many years, as it is convenient and has almost anything.
Entrance to the Market
Family travel groups also come here to purchase food supply. The stalls of Sandakan Central Market open from 3am onwards and is the most active in the morning.
Ground floor of Sandakan Central Market
Ground Floor
In ground floor are hundreds of neatly and well organized vegetables and fruits stalls. You can find many other Sabah food for sale here too.
Fruits and Vegetables stalls
The market is a busy place in the morning
Salted seafood for sale
Amplang fish cracker
Tarap fruit
The fish market is concentrated at the end of the market. Sandakan Central Market is one of the most important seafood landing ports of Sabah. There are variety of seafood such as fishes, crabs, rays, prawns, seashells and squids sold here. The thing that shocks me is sharks are traded openly here.
Fish market in ground floor
Stingrays for sale
Sandakan Central Market is one of the important port for seafood landing
Barracuda for sale
Cat wants seafood
Edible seashell
Tiger Prawns
Stingray with funny duck face
Fresh seafood in fish market
More fishes
Crabs from the sea
Sharks with fins removed
Small sharks for sale
Sharks are sold openly in Sandakan Central Market
First Floor
On first floor is the food stalls of halal food (for Muslims), and rows after rows of small cubicles selling handicraft, souvenirs, clothing, T-shirts, bags, shoes and other household items. This place is called Hanging Market (Pasar Gantung) because most merchandises are hanged on the wall or air.
Food court on first floor of Sandakan Central Market
Clothing and accessories for sale on first floor
Tourists can find T-shirts, local crafts and other souvenirs here easily. The sellers would say to you, “Come. I give you discount.” Bull Sh*t. Don’t be afraid to slash 50% of their so-called discounted price.
T-shirt and souvenirs for tourists
They also call this place hanging market because merchandise are hanged
Second Floor
On the top floor (second floor) are 30 food stalls mainly run by Chinese. These stalls are simple and have nothing fancy, but many best local food are found here, one of them is Kueh Teow Noodle with Deep-fried Pork.
Food stalls in top floor
Sandakan Central Market is located in Old Slipway of Sandakan City Centre (see Location Map), which is also a few minutes walk away from Sandakan Harbour Square, the largest shopping mall of Sandakan.
Let me tell you what are the must-do things when you go to Sandakan City. First thing is Eat, second thing is also Eat, third thing is… well, you know. I may sound like joking but there are really a lot of delicious Sabah food you must not miss in Sandakan.
Sim-Sim Water Village
One of the best places for eat out is Sim-Sim Water Village, which is about 3 KM away from city center of Sandakan and along the main road Jalan Buli Sim Sim. Sim-Sim Water Village is built by hundreds of wooden stilt houses on the sea and has over one century of history. Travel agents always bring tourists here for sightseeing.
Going for lunch at Sim-Sim
The water village is really a big maze. It is divided into over 20 zones and each zone is accessible by a “bridge”, which is a long concrete or plank walkway extending a few hundred meters to the sea and flanked by houses and shops. The famous dining area is on 7th and 8th bridge.
Walking on 8th bridge of Sim-Sim Village
7th Bridge (or Lorong G)
If you want to taste iconic food of Sandakan, go for Spring Noodle and Century Egg Dumpling (弹弓面 and 皮蛋饺 in Chinese) at 7th Bridge of Sim-Sim Water Village. Actually these two food are also available in other places of Sabah (even in Kota Kinabalu City) due to their increasing popularity, but 7th Bridge serves the most original and authentic version.
Spring noodle (left) and Century Egg Dumpling of Sandakan
The highly recommended restaurant for both dishes are Kau Kee (九记) at G68 of 7th Bridge. This coffee shop opens from 6am to 11am daily, but the food can be sold out before 10am, so you better be there early.
Century Egg Dumpling
The texture of Spring Noodle is dense, thereby nearly doubling the flavor and aroma of yellow noodle, and a small bowl can make you full. As its name implies, the noodle is springy and a bit chewy. Eat it with savory deep fried pork and enjoy their lusciousness bounced in your mouth.
Century Egg Dumpling is a must-try at Sim-Sim
Oh boy, next one is my favorite, the Century Egg Dumpling. The cook mixes the pork with century egg (jelly-like preserved egg), giving this dumpling a meaty taste blended with rich and creamy yolk flavor. However, some westerners might think the smell of century egg is repulsive. If you are first-time trying, you can order small quanity to sample, and order more if you really like it.
8th Bridge
For seafood lovers, head to 8th Bridge, which is just next to 7th Bridge.
Seafood restaurants of Sim-Sim Water Village
When you reach the end of 8th Bridge, turn right to Sim-Sim 88 Seafood Restaurant (Chinese Name: 森森海上风味餐厅). This Chinese restaurant doesn’t serve pork but it’s not truly halal, though some Muslims think it’s acceptable.
White-bellied sea eagle statue of Sim-Sim 88 Seafood Restaurant
Sea view at Sim-Sim 88 Seafood Restaurant
You can enjoy sea view and breeze while having your meal.
Sim-Sim 88 Seafood Restaurant
The opening hours of Sim-Sim 88 Seafood Restaurant are 6:30am-3:30pm and 5:30pm-9:30pm. Address (see Location Map): Kampung Sim-Sim, Off Jalan Buli Sim-Sim, 90000 Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia Tel: +60 89-226558
They accept payment by credit card.
Steamed fish of Sim-Sim
Sandakan City is one of the most important landing ports of seafood, so the restaurant is never short of fresh seafood such as fishes, crabs, prawns, squids, lobsters and seashells.
Sandakan is never short of big fishes
Great variety of seafood dishes at the restaurant
There are many ways to cook a seafood, e.g. steamed, fried, broil. You can always ask the waitress to recommend the best way to enjoy it.
Butter Prawns
Clams
Big oyster of Sandakan
You can find many positive reviews on the Internet that Sim-Sim 88 Seafood Restaurant offers yummy seafood at affordable price. I won’t say it’s very cheap but it’s great value for money. The best seafood is fresh seafood. They don’t even need to use MSG.
Juicy big oyster
If you want only quick and simple meal for one person, you can order the following items too.
Seafood noodle
Fresh seafood with noodle
Crispy seafood noodle (香底米粉 in Chinese). The noodle absorbs all the broth from seafood.
Milky seafood noodle soup with sour pickle, very appetizing
Want to have some “snack”? You will love their fried baby squids. It’s crispy and chewy but you will enjoy its fragrant smell.
Fried baby squid (with dark soy sauce) goes well with beer
Close-up of fried baby squid
Piranha in fish tank of the restaurant. Can order? 😀
Other Sandakan Food
As I mentioned, Sandakan City is great for a gastronomic tour. The following are more Sandakan food to make you happy:
How much can things change in 75 years? Even 20 years can change our look and city a lot. However, there are something that are better left unchanged, because they have become a heritage. I’m talking about a noodle in Sandakan City at East Coast of Sabah. It’s as delicious as 75 years ago, like what our grandparents and parents used to enjoy.
Sandakan Central Market
The hawker stall which sells this noodle is located in Sandakan Central Market (Pasar Umum Sandakan in local language) of city center (see Location Map). Before World War II, Sandakan was a prosperous capital of North Borneo (now Sabah) and called the Little Hong Kong because many Chinese were living here. They developed the city and also introduced localized version of China food.
Only locals know this great place for breakfast
When you walk up to level 3 (top floor) of Sandakan Central Market, you will see many food stalls. The place is quite clean. Though you won’t see many tourists eating there, this market is one of the important stops of traditional food trail for food hunters.
Their noodle would be sold out before noon, so be there early
Then look for the stall with sign that reads “家傳正宗炸肉大粉 Since 1940, The Original Homemade Kueh Teow with Deep-Fried Pork”. Also known as Kuy Teav or Kway Teow, Kueh Teow is flat rice noodle that looks like fettuccine, but it’s white, smooth and soft. This Chinese food stall opens from 5am to 11:30am every day, but be there early because the noodles could be sold out before 10am.
Kueh Teow with deep-fried pork (dry and noodle soup)
You have two ways to eat this noodle, i.e. noodle soup or dry style. Both taste good so it’s just a personal preference.
Kueh Teow noodle soup topped with deep-fried pork and sliced Chinese fritters
The Kueh Teow noodle is topped with deep-fried pork, slices of Chinese fritter and minced spring onion. The flat noodle has absorbed the savory soup and I like its smooth texture. The coarse fritters add an interesting contrast.
Kueh Teow noodle soup with deep-fried pork
The pork is well-marinated and deep-fried to have a slightly-burnt, aromatic and crisp outer layer. It has “condense” savory taste of meat, a bit chewy and not as oily as roasted pork.
Kueh Teow with deep-fried pork (dry)
Each bowl of noodle costs only RM4.00 (less than US$1.00, no tax, price as of Aug 2015). The serving isn’t much though. I was 73.58% full and wish to have more.
Kueh Teow noodle topped with deep-fried pork and minced spring onion
So I ordered second bowl, the dry version which has no soup and enhanced with lard. Just kidding. It belongs to my friend.
Hawker stalls on level 3 of Sandakan Central Market
Started in 1940, this Kueh Teow food is as old as McDonald’s. Instead of becoming a franchise with fancy shop decor, this stall keeps the setting basic, the way their loyal customers like to enjoy a traditional noodle from the oldest China town of Sabah.
Cuteness is a curse to wildlife. You would think so after seeing the Sun Bears of Borneo, which are also known as Beruang Madu (Honey Bear), Malayan Bear, or Dog Bear. As the smallest bear in the world, Bornean Sun Bear looks just like a walking teddy bear. Its cub is as adorable as a puppy, so many people keep it as pet.
Bornean Sun Bear is a sub-species of Malayan Bear
However, when sun bear grows up, it’ll become a predator about 120-150cm tall and weigh up to 60 Kg. With long claws and big canine teeth that can rip apart a coconut in seconds, it’ll be very intimidating to its owner, then it would end up spending the rest of its life in a small cage, or being abandoned.
Sun Bear is Kungfu Panda of Malaysia
Bear cub, which is used to living with people, will lose its ability to survive in the wild. Some even forget that they are bear. When they are free, they will look for people and cause a commotion in village nearby. This is a sad but typical story of a sun bear, whose mother was probably killed by poachers and it was kept as a pet.
Named as Fulung, when this male sun bear is curious, he would stand up on his hind legs like a human.
Sun bears are found throughout South-East Asia, but Bornean Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus euryspilus) is a subspecies half the size of Malayan Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus malayanus) and found only in Borneo.
Bornean Sun Bear is the smallest bear in the world
Due to illegal poaching and deforestation, there are probably less than 10,000 of Bornean Sun Bears left. I’ve seen orangutan many times in the wild but saw sun bear only once, they are highly endangered, I believe.
Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Center (BSBCC)
In 1998, a journey to Sabah changed the life of Mr. Wong Siew Te (黃修德), a wildlife biologist from Penang (Malaysian state). He studied the ecology of sun bears in Borneo rainforest and fascinated by this smallest, most arboreal and least researched bear, and he was heart broken to see the suffering of captive sun bears everywhere.
Sun bear in cage of a mini-zoo
He always calls sun bears the forgotten bears, because they are not getting the same spotlight and protection like Polar Bears and Panda. Sun bear is a favorite target of poachers because of its highly priced gall bladder. Wong knew, if he didn’t do anything, the only fate of this beautiful creature is extinction.
Gate to Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Center (BSBCC)
In 2008, Wong started Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Center (BSBCC) in Sandakan, for conservation and rehabilitation of Bornean sun bears. After some years of fundraising and support from government, public and NGOs, BSBCC was fully operational and open to public in 2014. This brings new hope to our sun bears because they receive attention that they long deserve.
Wong Siew Te, the founder of Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Center (BSBCC)
“The world is not changed by people who sort of care. …The world is changed by people who passionately, relentlessly care– sometimes, unreasonably so.” -Sally Hogshead
Layout map of Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Center (BSBCC)
Visitors only need to walk about 5 minutes to enter the visitor center and observation platform of BSBCC from orangutan sanctuary.
Ticket Fees
BSBCC opens from 9am to 3:30pm to public daily. Visitors can just walk in and buy a ticket to enter the Center. The following is the rate of ticket (can be used on same day for multiple entry). The prices have included 6% GST (or VAT) Tax:
Malaysian
Foreigner
Adult (18 years old & above)
RM5.30
RM31.80 (≈USD$8.50)
12-17 years old
RM2.10
RM15.90 (≈USD$4)
Children (Below 12)
Free
Free
Senior Citizen (above 55 years)
Free
RM31.80 (≈USD$8.50)
This is not a zoo, so be kind to the bears. Feeding, calling and disturbing the bears are prohibited. You are welcome to take their photos but please don’t use camera flash.
Information board about Sun Bear (available in English, Chinese and Malay languages)
Besides conservation of sun bears, BSBCC is an educational site to show visitors the mysterious life of Bornean Sun Bears. A few information boards with info and photos of sun bear are erected along the stairway to sun bear viewing area. By the time you reach the observation platform, you already have basic knowledge about the bears.
Tourists checking out the sun bears
The Observation Platform is where tourists can see the sun bears exploring and foraging in a forest enclosure. As I mentioned, sighting of sun bear is very rare in the wild, but you can see 4 or more of them at the Center. With short, sleek, dark brown or black fur, they look like big dog.
You can take photo of the sun bears, but no flash and don’t call the bears
Between the bears and visitors is a high wall with a few electrical wires running across it. The 5,000-volt wire can deliver a painful but harmless shock to sun bears which try to climb over the wall. After being zapped a few times, all bears are quick to learn to avoid touching the fence.
Sun bear also builds nest and sleep on tree
Sun bears are forest dependent species and male sun bear needs 15 Sq. KM to find enough food. Sun bears are omnivorous and this natural forest is a good training ground for them to learn to survive in jungle, before they are released to the forest. Sun bears are excellent tree climbers too, and honey and durian are part of their favorite menu.
Telescope to observe sun bear on tree
44 Bears 44 Stories
Most bears in BSBCC are victims of illegal captive and pet trade. So far BSBCC has rescued 44 bears, and all of them have a sad story in the past.
Sun bears in forest enclosure
The first bear (named Natalie) was rescued from an illegal pet trade in 2010. She has “graduated” from rehabilitation program of BSBCC and released to her natural habitat on 17th May 2015. The latest member is a 3-month-old cub (Name: Tan-Tan) coming from Paitan in Aug 2015.
This looks like a relaxing pose but the bear is actually under stress
The rich expression and cute actions of sun bears really amused us. However, according to BSBCC staffs, some of the adorable behaviors are probably a sign of stress, for example, relentless pacing and obsessive grooming. One of them pacing back and forth at the same spot, it was used to do this when locked in small cage, but still carry on this stereotypic movement disorder in forest.
Cute sun bear is always being kept illegally as a pet or show animal in zoo
Another bear, Mary was captured by poacher and kept as pet in Ranau. Because of malnutrition, she has smaller body. She grew up with human so she forgot that she was a bear. Luckily, after mixing and learning from other bears, she is no longer walking on hind legs like human. Damai is probably another bear that thought she was a human. She wandered in residential area of KK after being abandoned by her owner.
Group photo with Risnayati, Environmental Education Officer of BSBCC. When talking about bears, her eyes sparkled, as if she was talking about her children
At BSBCC, the experience is more than just looking at playful sun bears. BSBCC staffs and volunteers are always around the tourists, and they are beary passionate in sharing the individual story and amazing facts about the sun bears.
Bornean sun bears are half the size of Malayan sun bears
Same as Orangutan, Sun Bear is totally protected under the Sabah Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997. Hunting or selling them and you could be fined up to MYR 50,000 (USD 16,000) and/or being jailed up to 5 years.
Sun bears at the Center are free to explore the natural forest
However, poachers will still pull the trigger because each sun bear is valued over RM1,000 for its gall bladder (expensive ingredient of traditional Chinese medicine) and meat. You can contact Sabah Wildlife Department or BSBCC to report the offense.
Sun bear sleeping on tree
The forest enclosure could be the first natural environment that some captive sun bears exposed to. A few of them were so afraid of walking out of their bear house to explore. Therefore, it’s great to see some bears such as Debbie is making progress. Debbie was saved from becoming a delicacy in a restaurant in Kota Marudu. She loves to climb high up to the tree for a nap and don’t mind others laugh at her drooling while asleep.
Sun bear is an excellent tree climber and it loves honey
Climbing is an important skill for sun bears to reach the fruits and honey bee hives on tall trees. Sun bears also build nests on tree to sleep in, which is a dryer and safer resting place to avoid leeches and clouded leopard. Sometimes the staffs have to play the role as a surrogate mother to train sun bear to climb.
The tongue of Bornean sun bear can reach 20-25 cm long, an adaptation for licking honey and eating termites
Only in outdoor, sun bears have the opportunity to use their sickle-shaped long claws to dig and ripe apart decayed wood to reach ants, termites and beetle grubs, the important protein source when fruits are scarce. Sun bears also help to build nesting hole for hornbills and flying squirrels after they dig a cavity in the tree for termites and honey.
Feeding time for sun bears
BSBCC also feeds the bears every day so they can enjoy a balanced diet. The Center currently houses 36 rescued sun bears in two houses and a quarantine facility. Rescued bears will go through health check, quarantine, indoor & outdoor rehabilitation, a series of evaluation on fitness, before they are reintroduced to natural habitat. These processes can take a few years.
Bornean sun bears (Helarxtos malayanus euryspilus) are only found in Borneo
One of the characteristics of sun bear is its beautiful chest mark from cream to orange color with spots. Every bear has unique chest mark like a finger print. Below is a video of BSBCC to see sun bears in action:
Giving a Bear Hug
There are many ways to help Bornean Sun Bears. For example, you can adopt a sun bear, donate money, join their 2 or 4-week volunteer program, or visit the Center.
Souvenir corner in Visitor Center
In Visitor Center, you also can buy some souvenirs / snacks / drink, or make a donation at the mini shop. They have sun bear T-Shirt, caps, toys, postcard, stickers, etc. for sale.
Tourists watching a video about Sun Bear Conservation
Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Center (BSBCC) is located 25 KM to the west of Sandakan City and next to Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center. Public transport to Sepilok is available readily and the journey takes about 45 to 50 minutes one way.
By Bus
The following is the departure time of regular shuttle between Sandakan and BSBCC. The bus fare costs RM4 (≈USD$1) per person one way: Sandakan City → Sepilok: 9am, 11:30am, 2pm, 5pm Sepilok → Sandakan City: 6:30am, 10:30am, 12:30pm, 4pm Tel:+60 12-8067067, +60 17-8632684
Or you can take the mini-bus (route: Batu 14) near to the bus terminal of Nak Hotel in Sandakan.
Sometimes orangutan is seen at Visitor Center of BSBCC
By Taxi
You can hire a taxi for a return trip for about RM100 per car (≈USD$28)(negotiable). There is also a taxi stand in car park of Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center.
