Sun bear (photo from West Sumatra BKSDA document)
padanginfo.com-AGAM- The sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) has re-emerged in the community village. This time the animal chewed sugar cane and damaged plantations in Nagari Matua Mudiak, Agam Regency, West Sumatra Province (Sumbar), Indonesia, Monday (7/3/2022).
While early, last January, a sun bear also appeared in Agam. The incident made people afraid to leave their homes. People saw the bear chewing durian, jackfruit, and destroying sugar cane.
The head of the West Sumatra Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) Ardi Andono said the intensity of the appearance of animals in the last month was quite high. His party has been monitoring the movement of the sun bear which is troubling the community
Coconut Natural Resources Conservation Resort (KSDA) Maninjau, Agam Ade Putra Regency, his party has installed a trap cage in the sugarcane plantation area which was damaged by sun bears. It is impossible to get rid of the officers who have been dispatched, given the appearance of bears in community settlements.
"We installed the trap cages in the gardens and the trap cages were installed with the assistance of the Baringin Nagari (Pagari) Patrol, Palembayan District, West Sumatra Muhammadiyah University (UMSB) students and the surrounding community," he said.
The Maninjau KSDA Resort has been handling conflicts between humans and animals protected by Law Number 5 of 1990 concerning Conservation of Biological Resources and Their Ecosystems since January 2021.
Handling conflicts in the form of interviews with eyewitnesses who saw sun bears, field identification, monitoring the presence of animals from feces, scratch tracks and food scraps.
Even the Maninjau KSDA Resort has also installed two camera traps, a trap cage and a patrol.
"We have made efforts, but have not succeeded in evacuating the sun bears," he said.
Ade asked the public to be careful when leaving the house or doing activities, for fear of being attacked by a bear (*/ak)
