14/04/2026
What happened to the little bear rescued six years ago?
Her name is Itam.
In 2020, someone heard dogs barking non-stop in an orchard. When they went to check, they found a small bear. She was only 7 months old, without his mother. She was very weak, with visible bite wounds from dogs.
She was brought to a conservation centre. When she first arrived, she weighed only 11kg, and was found to have serious dental issues, possibly from being kept in a cage where she had repeatedly bitten the metal bars under stress.
Itam was very timid. She liked hiding in a basket, peeking out just a little, carefully observing the world outside. She would keep his eyes wide open, always alert to everything around him.
In the wild, young bears usually stay with their mothers for two to three years, slowly learning how to survive. But Itam didnโt have that chance. She had to relearn everything: how to find food, how to climb trees, how to be a bear again.
The documentary Itam: A Sun Bear Story captures this journey. From rescue, to recovery, to gradually adapting back to the wild. Itam is just one among many sun bears.
Sun bears are the smallest bears in the world, yet they quietly play an important role in maintaining the rainforest ecosystem.
However, due to habitat loss and human activities, more and more bears like Itam are being rescued. Across Borneo, there are people working tirelessly on this. Sun bear conservationist Dr. Wong Siew Te has spent years rescuing, rehabilitating, and releasing these bears back into the wild.
If you would like to hear from the director of Itam, Raymond Tan, and sun bear conservationist Dr. Wong, join us for a conversation. Letโs talk about the story of a sun bear, from rescue to returning to the forest.
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Date: Tuesday, 21 April 2026, 7:00โ9:00 PM
๐ Venue: The Prinsep Gallery (30 Selegie Road, 188351)
๐ Sign up via Link on Bio or at Wildspace.sg/joinconvos
Photos courtesy of Bornean Sunbear Conservation Centre
