CHUKAI: The sight of two sun bears roaming near Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Seberang Tayor here has sparked concern among students and staff.
The school’s gardener, Azmi Yaakob, 52, said the bears were first spotted near the garden and school fence around 8.30am on Monday (July 21).
He said that at the time, students and teachers were occupied with sports practice on the school field.
"After spotting the bears, the teachers immediately instructed the students to disperse and return to their classrooms.
"The bears lingered near the fence until about 11am. After that, they climbed over the fence and entered the orchard behind the school before disappearing into nearby bushes,” he said when contacted on Tuesday (July 22).
Azmi said the bears were likely searching for food in the school’s orchard, which has rambutan, mangosteen and cempedak trees.
"This is the first time I’ve seen sun bears up close. They were quite large, coming up to about thigh-height when on all fours.
"The school lodged a report with the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) yesterday, and Perhilitan officers came to survey the area and set up traps,” he added.
Terengganu Perhilitan director Loo Kean Seong said two traps had been in place since May in a village near the school. – Bernama
