Palangka Raya, C Kalimantan (Antara Bali) -- The Natural Resources Conservation Agency of Central Kalimantan (BKSDA) highly appreciated a local resident for saving a stranded baby honey bear from a forest and handing it over to them.
"The baby honey bear will soon be transported to Nyaru Menteng rehabilitation center, where the condition of its health will be examined," Head of the Conservation Division of the BKSDA Yusuf Trismanto said here on Wednesday.
The animal protection center for rehabilitation will also decide whether the baby honey bear can be released directly into its natural habitat, he added.
According to Trismanto, the local resident's initiative to hand over the endangered animal to the conservation agency was highly appreciated.
Moreover, Johanes Jenito, a coordinator of the Telapak national environmental organization, stated that the local resident found the baby honey bear when he was looking for rattan fruit (jernang) in the area surrounding the tropical rainforest near Tumbang Habangaio village.
The animal that the local resident found was identified as a baby honey bear by the orange fur around its chest. In addition, the area where it was discovered is widely known as a habitat for honey bears, he pointed out.
Jenito further noted that the protection of honey bears in Central Kalimantan province should be tightened because these animals faced the threat of extinction as a result of hunting and the presence of concessions for production forests. (WDY)
