Bottom yard
Our first project for 2026 is renovate and improve the fence of an old outdoor enclosure at Samboja Lestari called Bottom Yard, which was built about 25 years ago and which is now not safe for keeping bears in. The budget to do this is about USD 6.500. Any donation to help with this project would be greatly appreciated.
Another project we have for 2026 is to build two 5 Ha forest enclosures at Samboja Lestari. These enclosures would be built away from all the human activity and would serve as a transitional home for the sun bear release candidates. The objective is to have the future cubs go from “forest school” to one of these large enclosures where they would spend a year or two with minimal human contact before being brought to a release site as young sub adults.
As I write these words on 20 February 2026, the pre-release enclosures project is still under discussion and waiting for approval.