Wong Siew Te
Wong Siew Te (born 16 May 1969) is a Malaysian wildlife biologist and conservationist best known for his work with the Malayan sun bear. He grew up in Bukit Mertajam, Penang, helping on his family’s fruit orchard and caring for animals. He studied veterinary science in Taiwan and then wildlife biology at the University of Montana, earning a BS in 1997, an MS in 2002, and completing his PhD research in 2011 on bearded pigs in Borneo.
From 2002 to 2005 he co-chaired the IUCN Sun Bear Expert Team. In 2004, after seeing sun bears kept in poor conditions, he began planning a rescue centre, inspired by the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. In 2008 he founded the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) in Sabah, with phase one opening in 2010 for 12 confiscated bears.
He leads the BSBCC in rehabilitating sun bears and raising awareness of their important role in the rainforest ecosystem. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he launched virtual tours and an adoption program to support 44 bears. He has received numerous awards, including the Outstanding Alumni Award from National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (2014), an Honorary Doctorate from the University of the Sunshine Coast (2016), and CNN Hero recognition. A stick insect genus, Planososibia siewtei, was named in his honor in 2018. A biography, Saving Sun Bears, was published in 2020. He is married with two daughters.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 05:49 (CET).