Best of our wild blogs: 7 Jun 08

Sentosa walk with the Naked Hermit Crabs
on the adventures with the naked hermit crabs

"See Our Shores in a New Light"
an exhibition, on the adventures with the naked hermit crabs blog

All stars concert at Changi
a galaxy of stars on the wonderful creations blog

More Changi marine life
on the wonderful creations blog

Views of Chek Jawa
by visitors from Bukit Batok on the adventures with the naked hermit crabs blog

TeamSeagrass at Cyrene Reef
on the teamseagrass blog

Cyrene snippets
on the budak blog of star skin and frogfish.

Singapore nature spots
by a young blogger on the nature walks blog

Eurasian Sparrowhawk: Courtship and nesting
on the bird ecology blog

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Sharing secrets of shore life: the Naked Hermit Crabs

Tiffany Fumiko Tay, Straits Times 7 Jun 08;

MOST Singaporeans don't know it, but if they waded out to ankle-depth waters offshore, they would encounter a world teeming with marine life.

So says environmental volunteer group Naked Hermit Crabs, which got its name because 'like hermit crabs without shells, our shores are fragile without nature lovers to protect them', says Ivan Kwan, a pioneering member.

The Crabs, consisting of about 20 students and working professionals, formed last June and is holding a three-day exhibition ending tomorrow at the National Library, called The Naked Truth: See Our Shores In A New Light.

The exhibition, the group's first major one, showcases pictures of the marine life that members have come across along local shores. The members will also give a public talk today.
WHO'S CRABBY NOW?: The Naked Hermit Crabs volunteers included (clockwise from left) Jerald Tang, 19, Ivan Kwan, 26, Sundra Gaytri Merlange, 23, Wong Ley Kun, 46, and Noor Ervyna Mohd Sani, 28.
-- ST PHOTO: LIM WUI LIANG

Amazingly, the photos - their eye-catching subjects include seahorses, clownfish and a species of starfish called the knobbly seastar - were all taken at ankle-deep waters during low tide, not on underwater dives.

'People watch TV documentaries on what's going on in other parts of the world, but they don't know what we have in our own backyard,' declares Kwan.

The 25-year-old trainee teacher with the National Institute of Education recalls: 'I have a friend who saw a picture we took of an anemone shrimp and said, 'I went all the way to Manado in Indonesia to photograph that shrimp and you tell me you shot it at Changi beach?'.'

Some of the pictures were even shot at Sentosa, which most people see as a tourist area with man-made beaches, he says.

'There's a natural beach there that seems like nothing but a pile of rocks, but there are a lot of surprises to be found.'

The Crabs conduct public excursions to beaches here and to neighbouring Singapore islands. These free guided walks are held several times a month, when the tide is low enough to see the creatures. While costs were previously absorbed by members, the group now has the backing of eyewear company Transitions Optical.

Kwan and his fellow Hermit Crabs' passion for marine life stemmed from when they visited local beaches as children.

'Some of those who are working take all their annual leave to go exploring and conduct the excursions,' he says.

The passion of a few is not enough, he says.

'We need to enlist help to address threats such as abandoned fishing lines and nets which trap the creatures, as well as poachers who take so much fish and crabs for consumption that it's not sustainable, and even seahorses and coral for aquariums.'

While Mr Kwan says group members would love to keep the beaches their own little secret, 'wonderful things must be shared'.

Creating awareness of this marine life is a double-edged sword though, as it also alerts poachers, he adds.

'But the more people who know about our marine life, the more eyes of nature lovers there will be to keep poachers away.'

# The Naked Truth: See Our Shores In A New Light exhibition is on until tomorrow at The National Library Plaza in North Bridge Road. The public talk will be held there today at 3pm. Admission is free.

# Visit nakedhermitcrabs.blogspot.com for more information on the Naked Hermit Crabs and guided walks.

Links to more information

• Adventures with the Naked Hermit Crabs blog
• More about our shores and how to visit them
• More about volunteering for our wild places
• Transitions Optical
  

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Why cut down a healthy 17-year-old tree?

Tan May Ping, The New Paper 7 Jun 08;

FOR 17 years, the mango tree grew undisturbed.

But now, it is at the centre of a conflict between a shopowner and the Management Corporation (MC) of an estate in Simpang Bedok.

Mr Gabriel Tan, 52, is trying to prevent the MC of Bedok Shopping Complex from cutting down the tree.

He feels they have not given a good reason to do so.

The MC's lawyers recently sent a letter to Mr Tan demanding that he 'immediately cease and desist from hindering or otherwise obstructing' the contractor from felling the tree.

The MC is made up of owners - elected at the annual general meeting (AGM) - who run the estate, while Kenwood Property Consultants is the estate's managing agent.

On 17 May, Mr Tan said a worker approached him in his shop and asked him to remove his pickup, which was parked under the tree.

He said he saw some workers with a chainsaw, and it then dawned on him that they wanted to cut down the tree.

'When I realised what they were going to do, I refused to move my vehicle,' said Mr Tan, who is authorised to speak and act on behalf of his father, who is the owner.

Mr Tan has run his audio equipment business there for 12 years.

He said he was told by the MC that the owner of the private house next to the tree had complained that the leaves were falling into his backyard.

The police were called in, and it was decided that the tree should not be cut down until clarification was sought from the National Parks Board (NParks). The contractors left after an hour, said Mr Tan.

He then went on the Internet and found Mr Joseph Lai, who is actively involved in the conservation of trees.

He contacted Mr Lai to ask for advice on how to handle the issue.

Mr Lai, a trained botanist, told The New Paper he inspected the tree and found that it was 'perfectly healthy' and posed no danger.

Mr Tan sent faxes to the managing agent appealing to them not to cut down the tree.

Then, on 31 May, he got a shock when he received a lawyer's letter threatening legal action if he continued to hinder the removal of the tree.

The letter said the MC had approved the felling of the tree by a majority vote, and had obtained the necessary clearance from NParks.

But when contacted, an NParks spokesman said its approval is not required as the tree is in a private compound, and not within a tree conservation area or on vacant land.

When contacted by The New Paper, the MC chairman declined comment.

The estate, which is also known as Bedok Market Place, consists of shophouses and a central marketplace.

The owner of the private house next to the tree said he was surprised that the management had decided to remove the tree.

The retiree, who declined to be named, said the tree had not been pruned for three years and was getting 'heavy on top'.

He said he had not asked for the tree to be cut down, adding: 'Last October, I asked the MC to prune the tree. That's not the same as felling the tree.

'We have overhead electricity cables and if the branches fall on the cables, we would have no electricity until they are repaired.'

Mr Tan said several businesses do not want to get involved, but gave him their support.

One of them, a restaurant owner in his 40s who did not want to give his name, said it would be a waste to cut the tree down.

He said: 'It gives joy to many people. During our breaks, we like to sit outside under the shade of the tree.

'The tree also bears so much fruit and you can see the smile on people's faces when they pluck the fruits.'

Mr Tan said he would bring the matter up at an upcoming AGM.

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Smaller steps to a better fin-ish?

Letter from Peter Tan, Today Online 7 Jun 08;

I READ with dismay the commentary by Liang Dingzi “Of sharks’ fins and high rollers” (June 5). While the writer applauds Resorts World at Sentosa (RWS) for its decision to take sharks’ fin off its menu, he poisons his praise by calling RWS’s decision to serve high-rollers “hypocritical”.

Liang Dingzi does not see the wood for the trees. I say far better for companies to take smaller steps than expect each one to go all the way.

We should celebrate that 90 per cent of sharks’ fin will not be consumed at RWS, rather than lament the10 per cent that may be. In the end, the number of bowls of the delicacy consumed by high rollers at RWS will pale in comparison to the thousands served at wedding dinners acrossSingapore.

Let’s have local hotels follow RWS’s example and take sharks’ fin off their wedding banquet menus, for supermarkets not to stock shark fins, and, dare I add, for media companies not to publish advertisements that promote sharks’ fin menus and products.

One man’s foie gras is another man’s poison
Letter from Teo Puay Kim, Today Online 7 Jun 08;

I REFER to “Of sharks’ fins and high rollers” (June 5) by Liang Dingzi.

I would like to propose the banning of the French delicacy foie gras in Singapore.

We should be writing to all French restaurants to remove this distasteful dish that involves a high level of cruelty to ducks and geese.

Foie gras is French for “fatty liver” or the liver of a duck or goose that has been fattened by force feeding.

Chicago and California have already banned foie gras.

The following can be found on the Wikipedia website: “Animal rights and welfare groups such as Peta, Farm Sanctuary andHumane Society of the United States contend that foie gras: production methods, and force feeding in particular, constitute cruel and inhumane treatment of animals.

“Specific complaints include liver swollen to many times their normal size, impaired liver function, expansion of the abdomen making it difficult for birds to walk, death if the force feeding is continued, and scarring of the esophagus.

“Peta also claims that the insertion and removal of the feeding tube scratch the throat and the esophagus, causing irritations and wounds and thus exposing the animal to risk of mortal infections.”

Liang Dingzi is right. Compassion is not a tradeable commodity :—: we should be fair to the ducks and geese as well.

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Amid the business and science of water, a splash of fun

Lin Yanqin, Today Online 7 Jun 08;

BEYOND the new technologies to be introduced, deals to be struck and issues to be discussed, there will also be a chance to enjoy the resource that is the focus of Singapore International Water Week (SIWW).

Apart from programmes for the delegates, members of the public will get to participate in activities such as kayaking, dragon boating, free banana boat rides and water-skiing performances on June 26, as part of SIWW’s Water Festival.

Said Mr Yap Kheng Guan, director of the Public Utilities Board’s 3P Network Department: “There are opportunities for the industry, but there are also opportunities for the man on the street to be part of it.”

He hopes that once involved in the festivities, the public will appreciate the level of water management needed to create an environment conducive to such activities.

“You see this beautiful body of water, where people can have fun because the water level is stable, it’s clean and calm,” said Mr Yap. “It reflects how we have managed our water.”

Added Mr Michael Toh, general manager of SIWW: “The global water crisis is a serious issue, but at the same time we want people to enjoy and appreciate the water resources we have ... and remind Singaporeans our water bodies and waterways are worth preserving and protecting.”

More than 5,000 delegates from20 countries are expected to attend the inaugural SIWW. Overwhelming response meant that another 2,000 square metres of exhibition space have had to be added.

“I think we have a very interesting, comprehensive mix of events, and people see the opportunities,” said Mr Yap.

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