KUALA LUMPUR: Across airports, digital billboards and tourist hotspots nationwide, the grinning faces of Wira and Manja, the official mascots for Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026), enthusiastically welcome the world as the vibrant new faces of national tourism.
Yet, more than a thousand kilometres away in the dense rainforests of Sabah, the real-life inspirations for these characters face a far grimmer reality, struggling to survive amid shrinking habitats, poaching and the illegal pet trade.
The world’s smallest bear species, classified as “Vulnerable” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, is facing a steep decline across South-East Asia, with experts warning that habitat fragmentation in Borneo and Sumatra will accelerate its disappearance.
For Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre founder and chief executive officer Dr Wong Siew Te, the VM2026 mascot campaign represents a long-overdue victory for a species he calls the “forgotten bear”, compared with the Malayan tiger and orangutan, which often dominate conservation headlines.
“Its scientific name is Helarctos malayanus. ‘Hela’ in Latin means sun, ‘arctos’ means bear, ‘malayanus’ means Malaya. It has an identity as something Malaysian. This is not a Sumatran rhinoceros or anything – this is Malayan, like the Malayan tiger,” Wong told Bernama when met at the centre, located in Sepilok.
The 57-year-old Penang-born wildlife biologist explained that, as a species entirely dependent on forests, sun bears require vast, undisturbed habitats – something that is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain across South-East Asia.
“When the human population increases, we need more areas for housing and agriculture, such as palm oil and rubber plantations.
“As a result, we are forced to compete with and encroach on wildlife habitats, including those of sun bears. So, is the population of these bears increasing? No. The fact is, our forest areas are decreasing every year,” he said.
Wong explained that forest clearance triggers a vicious cycle, pushing displaced bears into human conflict and rendering them vulnerable to poachers, who target adults for their parts and capture cubs for the illegal wildlife trade.
He revealed that this dark trade often involves poachers slaughtering protective mother bears to snatch their cubs – a reality exemplified by Amaco, a rescued sun bear who languished in a small cage on an oil palm plantation in Lahad Datu for 18 years.
Wong shared that Amaco’s years in captivity left the animal so deeply traumatised that it lost all natural survival instincts, eventually preferring the safety of a concrete floor, meaning it could never be returned to the wild.
With official estimates suggesting only 300 to 500 sun bears remain in Peninsular Malaysia, Wong views the VM2026 campaign as a critical opportunity to raise awareness.
“Since this honey bear is used as a mascot for Visit Malaysia 2026, the government is very active in promoting it to the public. This helps me as a conservationist to raise awareness because, in conservation work, you must first know the species. That is the first step,” he said.
With the species finally in the national spotlight, Wong is pushing for tangible solutions, including the development of large-scale wildlife corridors and the integration of conservation into the national school curriculum, while lauding the Sabah state government’s commitment to protect 30% of its land mass as forest by 2025.
While the Bornean Sun Bear Action Plan for Sabah highlights the urgent need for forest connectivity to ensure safe migration and breeding, Wong stressed that conservation efforts must also address the human element by providing local communities with alternative livelihoods through nature-based tourism to deter poaching.
Despite the grim challenges, he remains hopeful, driven by significant victories such as the centre’s soft release programme in the Tabin Wildlife Reserve, where he recently observed a rehabilitated bear named Tenom slowly readapting to the wild and spending days foraging in the jungle without returning to the enclosure.
“He is ready anytime he doesn’t want to come back anymore. One day, he will be able to be 100% independent,” Wong said, describing the exhaustive rehabilitation process as incredibly rewarding.
