I am saddened that the Kelantan Wildlife Department may resort to setting traps to capture sun bears which have been entering an army camp in Jeli in search of food.

We must take a look at the situation in its entirety before we take such drastic action. The sun bears have been roaming the forest way before humans encroached into their habitat. Therefore, we must remember that it is we that have invaded and deprived them of their habitat and food source which resulted in the bears' intrusions into human settlements.

The sun bears are totally protected and are listed on Cites: Appendix I. They are the smallest bears in the world and are only found in Southeast Asia. These bears suffer from a severe habitat loss and poaching. When their natural food sources start to disappear, the sun bear is forced to scour neighboring farms and plantations for food, where they are usually shot or trapped by angry farmers.

As clearly stated by department Director Pazil Abdul Patah, the sun bears were harmless and would not likely attack the soldiers. Hence, the sun bears are merely just a nuisance to the army camp. Although the nuisance should be managed, there are other bear-friendlier options than the easy way out of trapping and releasing them.

Trapping the bears are equivalent to treating the symptoms rather than addressing the cause. Therefore, the first step should be eliminating the purpose of the bear visits - to find food in the camp. This can be achieved by proper garbage disposal and securing their camp's food supply. These bears can be 'taught' not to wander near humans by scaring them off with firecrackers.

We should take great pride in the Malayan Sun Bears (Helarctos Malayanus) not only because they were named after our country but also for the fact that they are magnificent creatures - our natural heritage that should be protected for our future generations to appreciate.