The Malayan sun bear was chosen as the official mascot for VMY2026 in January this year, with the introduction of mascots Wira and Manja aimed at promoting wildlife conservation.

KOTA KINABALU: Nobody is prouder to see the Malayan sun bear being chosen as the official mascot for Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) than conservationist Dr Wong Siew Te, who has spent decades ...

Some also poked fun at the animal's appearance in the logo, saying it looked more like a panda than a sun bear and asking if it was aimed at attracting tourists from China – a goal previously ...