KOTA KINABALU: A female sun bear that escaped illegal captivity was finally recaptured by staff of Sabah Wildlife Department on Monday afternoon in Kampung Pangkalan Abai, Kota Belud.
The department was alerted by the public on Friday afternoon about the escaped sun bear which was said to have happened on Thursday last week.
Attempts by the owner to recapture it turned ugly when one of his workers who were pursuing it was instead attacked by the sun bear.
The department sent a team to recapture it on Saturday morning and after much effort to locate it in a nearby forest, the sun bear was finally recaptured by darting it with tranquiliser.
The bear is now being kept at the Lok Kawi Wildlife Park clinic.
According to initial investigation, the 37-year-old owner had been keeping the sun bear in a metal cage behind his house for more than a year.
He obtained it from a friend in Keningau when the animal was still a cub.
Sun bear is a totally protected species and illegal possession is a offence under Section 41 of the Wildlife Conservation (Amendment) Enactment 2016 and is punishable with a fine of not less than RM50,000 and not more than RM250,000 and with imprisonment for a term of not less than one year and not more than five years.
Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga reminded the public not to keep totally protected species not only because of the heavy penalty imposed for such offence but because it would further cause the species to become more endangered in the wild in Sabah.
“Keeping protected species such as sun bear can potentially pose a danger to the public when they attack people if the animal escapes captivity,” he said, adding that the owner would be charged for illegally keeping the animal.