Villagers worried due to large sun bear sightings

VILLAGERS at Kampung Kemat in Kuala Berang, Terengganu, are on edge after a large sun bear was seen roaming around, Harian Metro reported.

Kamaruddin Ali, 61, said the animal had been spotted at least five times over the past week, wandering around the village.

These sightings happened mostly during the night.

“The first person who saw it was a school canteen operator on his way to work at about 4am,” he said.

Two days ago, it was spotted by political party workers who were returning home after putting up election posters and flags.

He said villagers had informed the Wildlife Protection and National Parks Department.

“We hope the wild animal can be caught and moved elsewhere so that it does not become a threat to villagers,” Kamaruddin said.

> Utusan Malaysia highlighted Fatimah Romli of Perlis who has spent five decades making kekabu pillows.

Fatimah, 61, said she had picked up the craft from her mother’s pillow-producing business and wanted to pass the tradition on to her own children.

“I first learned how to make these pillows at the age of 10 when my mother decided to start the business in 1972,” she said.

Her mother is now 80 years old.

The price of the pillows ranged from RM20 to RM40, she added.

She can sell up to 40 pillows every month, with sales peaking during the school holidays.

Fatimah, a mother of three, said she started to let her 26-year-old daughter Diana Abdullah take over the business.

Natural kekabu pillows are stuffed with a unique fibre found covering the seeds of a mature fruit from the kapok tree.

“This fibre produces a softer and cooler sleeping experience while also lasting up to five years compared with modern synthetic pillows,” Fatimah added.

> Actress-singer Anis Al-Idrus announced she has parted ways with her husband of six years, Sinar Harian reported.

She said she had no hard feelings over the divorce.

“As the pages of my life turn, I stand tall, ready to embrace a new chapter with open arms.

“Life has its twists and turns, but I’m grateful for the path that led me to where I am now, riding solo.

“I’ve come to realise that everything in life happens for a reason,” she wrote in an Instagram post on July 28.

She got married at the age of 29 in 2017.

● The above article is compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with this ‘ >’sign, it denotes a separate news item.