KUALA LUMPUR – Growing up, it was common for Che Wan Zulkurnain Che Wan Derahim’s neighbours to peek over his fence.
It may seem intrusive, but they only wanted to check out his pet sun bear, Awang.
Che Wan Zulkurnain, 44, was born in Kg Kuala Jengal in Dungun, Terengganu. The oil and gas employee said he fondly remembers having Awang as a pet in the 1980s.
Keeping a sun bear as a pet is now illegal due to the species’ protected status throughout Malaysia barring Sarawak, but back then, there were no such regulations, and no one advised Che Wan Zulkurnain’s family against it until much later. Education and awareness on the danger that humans pose to wildlife were also not as widespread.
“My father was a police officer stationed at the village. We were surrounded by a forest, and there were no roads. The only way out to the nearest towns was by boat through a river near our house,” Che Wan Zulkurnain told The Vibes.
Not your average pet
With his elder sister and brother, Che Wan Zulkurnain lived a typical kampung life until 1982, when he was only 5.
Like many rural folk, their father would sometimes go into the jungle with a friend to hunt. It was during one of these trips that Che Wan Derahim encountered Awang, when it was still a cub.
“One day, during their hunting trip, my father and his friend heard noises and went to investigate. They saw a female sun bear running up a hill, leaving her cub behind. Given that it could die without its mother, my dad brought home the baby bear, which was less than a foot (0.3m) long,” said Che Wan Zulkurnain.
The rest of the family were shocked when Che Wan Derahim returned home with a wild animal, “cute” as the creature may be.
Giving lost cub a new family
Che Wan Zulkurnain admitted that in the beginning, his family were scared to even touch the cub.
“We had no one to guide us on how to care for a sun bear, so we used a dog chain to tie him to a wooden pole outside. For about a month, Awang seemed disoriented and depressed.
“So, every morning, to help Awang feel better, the first thing we’d do was go outside to find him.”
Che Wan Zulkurnain, being only 5, would play with Awang only if the cub approached him first. His elder siblings, being physically bigger and stronger, were the ones able to handle the bear at first.
“We weren’t too familiar with how bears played. Besides me sometimes riding on Awang’s back, we’d get a tin with a rock inside, tie a string to it, and pull. Awang loved chasing the noise.”
Bear necessities
It was trial and error when it came to feeding Awang, with Che Wan Zulkurnain recalling that his mother initially tried giving the bear cooked fish.
They finally found out that Awang loved rice and condensed milk the most. And when the family had some extra money, the bear would get honey.
“If Awang got a plate of honey, getting the plate back from him was a challenge. He’d lick and hold the plate with so much force that it would get damaged,” said Che Wan Zulkurnain.
The bear was never allowed inside the home, as its feet were frequently dirty with mud or from stepping on its droppings. Therefore, bathing Awang was a necessity.
“We’d walk him with the chain, or if my brother was around, he’d hold Awang by the hand and guide him to the river. Awang loved playing in the water and swimming. He loved it so much that it was difficult getting him back home,” said Che Wan Zulkurnain.
The great escapes
Given that the village was near a forest, the family’s neighbours were not too bothered about Awang – until the bear learnt how to break its chain, which happened more than once.
“Sometimes, we’d notice that Awang was gone, and we’d go out to find him. We were usually able to locate him when we heard screams,” said Che Wan Zulkurnain.
“Awang was gentle. He would not hurt humans. But, he liked chasing and playing with chickens. The problem is, he’d end up slapping the chickens and putting pressure on them with his paws, killing them.”
The only time a family member was hurt by the bear was during a flood, when Che Wan Zulkurnain’s mother was carrying Awang to safety. Upon seeing the rising water, a panicked Awang bit her shoulder, leaving a bruise.
Costly pet to keep
Che Wan Zulkurnain said Awang eventually grew to about 1.7m tall.
“Even my brother could not handle Awang alone. My sister and father had to help because he was so strong.”
Che Wan Derahim’s police friends then started saying that keeping the bear could court unwanted attention from the authorities.
Fortunately for Awang and the family, the Kuala Krai zoo was willing to adopt him in 1988.
Besides the dangers of keeping a wild animal as a pet, it was also expensive looking after Awang. The cost of feeding the bear tripled from when it was a cub, taking a financial toll on the family.
“The cost started getting too high, as Awang had to eat three meals a day. I tried to convince my father not to send him to the zoo, but he explained that it was getting really tough,” said Che Wan Zulkurnain.
“When a truck came to take Awang away, he was calling for us. After that, sometimes, I would come home from school thinking that I’d see Awang, only to realise that he wasn’t there any more.”
Things also changed for Che Wan Zulkurnain at school, as the attention from his classmates, curious about how the bear was doing, went away.
Bittersweet visits to zoo
Despite Awang no longer living with them, the family never forgot their beloved bear. They would visit the zoo almost every month, bringing their former pet its favourite meal of rice and condensed milk.
They were the only humans that Awang would approach and touch.
“When we headed home, Awang would call for us to come back, and I would cry. Now, I look back at pictures of Awang and think, if we had the money, maybe, we could have gotten more land and built a better enclosure for him,” said Che Wan Zulkurnain.
“We could even charge a small fee for people to see Awang, and that could cover the cost for his care.”
In 1997, the Malayan sun bear, the smallest Ursidae species, became totally protected under the Wildlife Conservation Enactment. Offences such as hunting or keeping one can result in a five-year jail sentence and a fine of RM50,000 to RM250,000.
Awang always part of family
“Awang died in the early 2000s, when he was around 28 years old. The zoo informed us. My father told us, and I was sad to hear about it,” said Che Wan Zulkurnain.
“Because it had been a very long time since we last saw him – my siblings were working, and I was furthering my studies – it wasn’t too painful.
“But of course, we miss him still.” – The Vibes, June 27, 2021
