Malaysian Nature Society national council member Musa Musbah, who is also MNS Miri chairman, said on Tuesday that he had received an SOS from a member of the public over the case."I have spoken with my MNS counterparts in Kuching and also with the forestry authorities. Apparently, the Sarawak Forest Department issued a licence to the resident to keep the sun bear."At the national and state levels, sun bears are totally protected and cannot be captured.
"The sun bear in this case is clearly in distress. I have ground contacts who went to the scene and saw the sun bear in great distress," Musa told reporters. He said the information he received was that the sun bear had been kept locked up like that for more than seven years."I pray that the state authorities will rescue this poor animal. Sarawak must stop such cruelty to animals," he said.
The Star has forwarded Musa's comments to the Sarawak Forestry Corporation, which is the enforcement arm of the wildlife laws. It is a separate agency from the Sarawak Forest Department, which is a state government agency responsible for licensing.