Night herons in Selangor under threat from poaching

Lim Chia Ying, Photos courtesy of Dr Ahmad Ismail
The Star 13 Nov 09;

BLACK-crowned night herons are in danger of disappearing if the authorities do not act fast enough to do something for the birds.

These herons can be seen flying and roosting by the thousands at a plot of private land in Kuala Garing, Rawang.

Earlier, the birds had nested at a nearby site but were forced to move after sand-mining were carried out at the initial nesting ground.

A recent visit to the site by the Selangor Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) and Associate Professor Dr Ahmad Ismail from Universiti Putra Malaysia’s Biology Department, however, showed that there was a cause for concern.
A group of Ahmad’s students who had visited the site to carry out research had been shocked to discover the mutilated carcasses of some of the birds.

Photos taken by the students prompted Ahmad and Perhilitan law and investigation unit head Ab Jalal Kasim to visit the site for themselves.

In May, StarMetro reported that three Vietnamese poachers had been caught stealing the eggs and chicks of the night heron, which is a totally protected wild bird under the Protection of Wildlife Act 1972 (Act 76).

They were found guilty of three charges and were fined RM5,000 each.

Ahmad said despite Perhilitan’s efforts, there were still people bold enough to slaughter the birds.

“Perhilitan is doing what it can to raise awareness among the locals. However, after seeing what had happened, we hope that a permanent location for the birds to nest would be found.

“Areas like those under electric cables can be preserved and maintained as a habitat for the birds and we can later develop this as an eco-tourism and educational site,” Ahmand said, adding that this would help safeguard the birds.

Ab Jalal said this was the second breeding season of the year for the birds and a lot of people were out to steal the eggs and kill the birds.

“Our men are monitoring the situation, but we cannot be here throughout the day,” he said.

“We have also enlisted the help of local people we can trust, like M. Sadasivam who lives nearby, to tip us off if he notices suspicious characters trying to prey on the birds.

“Sadasivam has been a great help and we need more such people.

“We also hope that the state government will help identify a breeding site for the herons so that they do not need to continuously migrate as their breeding grounds are disturbed by human activities,” he added.

Selangor state environmental committee chairman Elizabeth Wong said she was open to suggestions and advice on how to move the birds to an appropriate location.

“Space is not an issue, as we have plenty of land at the various forest reserves and state parks. The only problem is the technical and logistic side of it, as the birds might not want to move to the new site.

“It depends on the kind of habitat they need and it should not be too far away, so the birds would feel more comfortable,” Wong said, adding that she hoped Perhilitan would step up its monitoring of the site.

Wong was also ready to discuss the matter with the relevant parties to see if land under electric cables could be provided for the birds.

“I welcome any kind of feedback that the interested parties can give me so that we can start discussing the issue,” she said.

Ahmad, however, reiterated that the state government should take the lead by showing its commitment to the issue so that other related agencies would act accordingly.

“It is good if Perhilitan, the forestry department and the land office can come together for this project.

“Birds like herons are very sensitive to disturbances.

“Proper management is a must. There are also many other birds like migratory shorebirds and hornbills in various parts of the state that we hope the government can look into,” he said.