KOTA KINABALU, Oct 21 — A nine year old sun bear has died in captivity from stress of training at the Borneon Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC).
BSBCC founder Wong Siew Te said this was the first time the centre has lost a bear due to fence training that was meant to prepare it for release.
“Kukuton's passing happened during his fence training. This is a very routine training that Kukuton and all bears go through to ensure they recognize the electrical fence before they are released to the forest enclosure.
“Unfortunately this particular fence training event was stressful for him which unknowingly exacerbated his underlying health issues and it led to cardiac failure,” said Wong.
His keepers were observing him during the training and immediately attended to him, but Kukuton did not respond to resuscitation.
Wong said it was unusual for bears to die of stress, but explained that Kukuton had been unique due to his background.
Prior to the centre, he had been kept in small cage and suffered malnourishment and underdevelopment.
“Kukuton was known for his traumatic past of being kept in a small cage for seven years which led to him arriving with a lot of self harming stereotypic behaviours and an obvious small body size.
“Even with his past, Kukuton was always a gentle soul, very kooky but had soft inquisitive eyes. He brought joy to all who knew him, and his absence will be deeply felt,” said Wong.
Wong said Kukuton was making progress during his training and was a model of strength and resilience, who entertained keepers with his silly antics.
“However hard life was for him, he was still the sweet bear his keepers loved him to be,” said Wong.
The Sandakan-based centre now has 42 bears left.
