Compiled by MARTIN CARVALHO, C.ARUNO and R.ARAVINTAN
SOME 500 villagers in Felda Seberang Tayor in Kemaman, Terengganu, have become a little fearful after having spotted a sun bear loitering around their village, Kosmo! reported.
The bear is said to have been feasting on fruits from the villagers’ orchards, showing a particular fondness for durians.
Resident Johari Ariff, 49, claimed he stumbled upon the bear climbing a durian tree last week.
“I steeled myself to chase the animal down from the tree. But I was shocked that it had such long claws and sharp teeth,” he told the Malay daily. “Thankfully, I managed to run off to save myself.”
Another villager, Nazli Derani, 47, said the bear had also encroached into jackfruit and coconut orchards and is believed to have become active during the fruiting season.
Aside from suffering losses, he also said villagers are now afraid to venture out at night.
“Our children aren’t allowed to play outside unless accompanied by an adult,” Nazli added.
Terengganu state Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) director Loo Kean Seong said that the department has set up traps and will monitor the situation until the bear is caught.
> Singer and actress Abby Abadi can’t recall why she left the popular ’90s girl group Elite, but she’s looking forward to performing with them again in their first concert in over 25 years, Harian Metro reported.
“I wasn’t annoyed with anyone. I’m not sure what led me to leave Elite, but it was a decision I made wholeheartedly,” the 48-year-old said.
“It also wasn’t because I wanted to pursue acting either. In fact, I can’t even recall exactly when I left Elite.”
Abby, whose real name is Arbaiyah Abdul Manan, said she only remembers starting her acting career in 2000 when she landed a role in the police action drama Gerak Khas.
Elite, formed in 1996 under the KRU music label, saw Abby involved in two albums – Catwalk and Tamparan – before her departure. She was later replaced by Fiza.
Abby also said she didn’t keep up with Elite’s progress after stepping away, as she felt it was no longer relevant to her.
The group is scheduled to perform their first reunion concert Elite Live ’25 at the Plenary Hall, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) on Sept 20.
Besides Abby and Azza, the concert will feature Shasha Saidin, Watie Sadali and Linda Rafar.
(The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.)
