SANDAKAN: Montom, the rescued Sun Bear is now free in the wild!

Borneon Sun Bear Conservation Centre founder Wong Siew Te announced at his Facebook page about the exciting news today(July 9) on releasing the rehabilitated Sun Bear.

“Today is exciting as we prepared ourselves to release Montom who has been rehabilitated over the last few years.

“After the final health checks, it will be transported in a truck for a journey of between 10 and 12 hours to be released,” he said in several short clips documenting the final processes at the centre here.

Health checks including taking blood samples, vital signs and measurements were conducted by a team of veterinarians including several staff from Sabah Wildlife department.

Wong also said that the 6-year-old Monsom, has been fitted with a GPS collar a few weeks ago and the frequency is also adjusted for the team to keep monitoring its movement after release.

“Montom” means black in Dusun language. The bear gets its name from previous owner who surrendered it to the authority.

Sabah Wildlife Rescue Unit took Montom from kampung Melangkap in Kota Marudu on Jan 18, 2015 and sent to the centre three days later.

It is learned that Montom was kept as a pet and fed with human food for a year after its mother ran away after being chased by a dog.

For more information, visit Borneon Sunbear Conservation Centre Facebook page.