WHEN Tourism Malaysia unveiled the sun bears Wira and Manja as mascots of Visit Malaysia 2026, many gushed over their cuteness that could rival pop culture favourites Paddington and Winnie the Pooh.
The smallest and rarest of its kind, these bears have not always enjoyed the spotlight. Even so, their population have fallen victim to poachers, deforestation and industrialisation.
The lack of education on sun bears is the crux of the issue as our ignorance contributed to the negligence of these creatures and the preservation of their habitat.
To learn more about these gentle beasts, theSun sat down with wildlife biologist Dr Wong Siew Te, who has spent his life working to preserve the dwindling population of sun bears.
