'Burglar' footsteps turn out to be sun bear foraging in housing area
SEREMBAN: Footsteps heard in a residential area in Taman Tuanku Ja’afar around midnight on Sunday were initially mistaken for those of a burglar, but turned out to be a sun bear foraging for food.
Seremban residents heard what they thought were burglar footsteps in the early hours of Sunday night. A TikTok video posted by a local showed a sun bear rummaging through a hut's roof around midnight. Negri Sembilan's wildlife and national parks department (Perhilitan) received reports of the animal on September 19 at the 15th Royal Malay Regiment (RAMD) camp in Senawang, adjacent to the residential area.
The department set up a bear trap on September 21 after the sun bear had damaged stingless bee hives at the camp. The nearby forest is connected to the Angsi Forest Reserve, which is the animal's natural habitat. Perhilitan will investigate the situation further and relocate the trap if necessary to ensure the bear's safe capture and relocation.
The sun bear, the world's smallest bear species, is a protected species under Malaysia's Wildlife Conservation Act 2010. The public is advised to report sightings to Perhilitan without attempting to capture the animal.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
