Best of our wild blogs: 9 Aug 08

Dolphin carcass on Labrador beach
on the Habitatnews blog

Launch of IYOR Singapore
on the singapore celebrates our reefs blog with more behind the scenes wild stuff on the wildfilms blog

Red-and-white marine life
in celebration of our National Day on the singapore celebrates our reefs blog

Happy National Day from the wild shores people
on the ashira blog

Pedal Ubin 06 September 2008
registration now open on the Toddycats! blog

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Found in Singapore: A new species of sponge

Shobana Kesava, Straits Times 9 Aug 08;

WHAT looked like a bean sprout in the sea here has been identified as a new species of sponge found nowhere else.

The sponge, named Tethycometes radicosa (which translates to sea comet with roots), is only the seventh sponge species described from Singapore.

It was dredged up from the sea bed about 10m from the shores of the Singapore Strait by researchers from the Tropical Marine Science Institute.

Mr Lim Swee Cheng, 31, Singapore's only sponge expert, identified the new sponge.
The last time a sponge was described from Singapore was more than 100 years ago, in 1884.

The new species is a unique, atypical sponge the size and shape of a bean sprout.

And just like the bean sprout, the delicate sponge stands erect with its 'roots' in sandy mud on the floor of the sea.

This is quite unlike typical sponges, which tend to be larger, with a wide range of growth forms either attached to rocks and dead corals, or buried in soft mud or sand.

The new species is also unique in having a partially detached sheath surrounding the stalk, something which has yet to be seen in other sponges.

Tethycometes radicosa is the first among similar species reported from shallow, coastal waters.

Others are known only from deeper waters elsewhere in the world.

Related links

A new species of Tethycometes Sarà, 1994 (Porifera: Hadromerida: Tethyidae) from Singapore on the Raffles Museum News blog

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Rise of the online activists in Singapore

Internet opens up avenue for many Singaporeans to champion causes
Tan Weizhen, Straits Times 9 Aug 08;

THE Internet has made activists of Singaporeans.

Many see social networking sites, forums, blogs and online videos as ways to champion their causes.

The Straits Times has found more than 30 local causes online run by greenies, geeks and everyone in between.

The National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre said new causes run the gamut from groups supporting the rights of migrant workers to those focusing on specific health issues such as glaucoma.

Blessingsinabag.com, for example, was started by a student wanting to clothe poor Third World children.

And iwant2bike2work.org is run by two men who are promoting cycling.

Cyberspace's many communication tools make it 'a very efficient facilitator of what happens offline', said Mr Tan Tarn How, senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, who has researched the Internet's impact on society.

Environmental groups, especially, have exploited the Internet. Of the 30 groups found by The Straits Times, more than 10 belonged to major green groups, whose updates can be found at www.WildSingapore.com, which highlights the best green news and pictures of all the blogs.

They push for everything from saving Singapore's sea shores to a more eco-friendly lifestyle, even using the social networking facilities on Facebook.

Other activists are seeing payoffs too. Dayoff.sg, a cause started by a group of Unifem (United Nations Development Fund for Women) volunteers here, has this message to push: Employers, give maids a day off.

Its online viral campaign - so named because it uses online networks to reach out to the masses - includes videos, websites, a Facebook group and e-mail lists.

'There is not much money, so we go online, which keeps costs very low,' said the president of the Unifem group in Singapore, Ms Saleemah Ismail, 39.

Other than being an economical form of marketing, the Internet is also opening up a platform for alternative groups, as Mr Tan pointed out, 'where they were not allowed to in the physical space'.

The Internet's immediacy and connectivity have a galvanising effect on people, he said. 'It allows people to be emboldened, not only to think but to act.'

The Singapore Queer-Straight alliance (SinQSA) is one such example. Formed last month by heterosexuals to bridge the social gap between gay and straight communities here, it seeks to change misconceptions through dialogue.

The group's four founders met online, and now seek to use the Internet to engage the community.

One of them, Mr Ho Chi Sam, 25, said: 'Going online beats knocking on doors, especially for our cause. Communication via the Internet is the initiation, the follow-through and the follow- up for most of our discussions.'

Additional reporting by Shobana Kesava

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I rowed freely to Changi

Bintan village headman recalls a past of blurred borders
No passport needed and we used Singapore currency in Bintan
Ng Tze Yong, The New Paper 9 Aug 08;

National Day - a celebration of The Singapore Story. But when did the story really start? With independence, 1965? With Raffles, 1819? Our nation is also part of a collective memory that pre-dates Raffles, stretching much further afield
The wise man snorts and scoffs.

The wise man snorts and scoffs.

No, he says. He is not telling.

Mr Abdul Zaman, 72, is village headman, mystic and medicine man, all rolled into one.

He watches over the tomb of a forgotten queen - a certain Wan Seri Beni.

Wan Seri Beni was the queen who crowned Sang Nila Utama, the 13th-century prince who founded Singapore, and some say she was in love with him.

Mr Abdul, or Pak Atan as he is affectionately known, claims to know an ancient secret passed down through generations of the grave guardians, one that he claims foretells the destiny of the 'sister islands' - Singapore and Bintan.

Pak Atan is no loony.

Every year, thousands from all over the Riau Archipelago flock to his village to seek blessings from the queen.

And Pak Atan is the man they seek. He conducts the rituals. He speaks to the dead queen. Perhaps unsurprisingly then, Pak Atan is also a man who speaks only in parables.

Journalism school does not teach you how to interview a man like this.

So when we asked him an innocuous question about the queen's beauty, and he replied with an analogy of how there can be many different service providers for one handphone, my colleague Zaihan and I looked at each other perplexed - stumped again.

This National Day, we had thought we would do something different.

Search for Singapore's roots. And see what the Singapore Story looks like - from the outside in.

Why? Because Singaporeans often lament the lack of a national identity.

Singapore's history - textbook style - is 1965. It is 1819. Beyond that, there's a cute story of a prince who saw a lion.

There is little else.

But we forget. We are a little dot, yes, but we are a dot in a region of dots - the Riau Archipelago.

The ties that bind reach far back, past independence, past Raffles...

The Singapore Story here is a different one.

Sitting in Pak Atan's house, the flag-flying Chinooks and National Day melodies seemed so far away.

Pak Atan told us about his childhood, how he often rowed his sampan to Changi to visit friends and family (it took between three and 12hours, one way), how his father was Indonesian, but born in Pulau Tekong, and how they used Singapore currency in Bintan before the '60s.

'Then, overnight, you needed a passport,' he said.

Families were stranded on different islands. A line was drawn across the sea, invisible yet unequivocal.

ARCHIPELAGO TIES

Said Mr Gilles Massot, author of Bintan: Phoenix of the Malay Archipelago, which explores the ancient links between Singapore and Bintan: 'In a way, the smuggling of cigarettes and human beings today, the mistresses that Singaporeans keep in the Riau islands... they're all a continuation of this archipelago life.'

Now, Bintan is building itself a new capital.

The city of Bandar Seri Bintan will rise from the forest to replace Bintan's present capital, Tanjung Pinang, as soon as a corruption case that has halted its progress is settled in a Jakarta court.

Pak Atan played a pivotal role, helping to mobilise land resources in the early stages.

'I want to bring Bintan a new beginning,' he said. 'I want Bintan to be the new Singapore.'

He reminded us of the new capital's location: right beside what used to be Bintan's ancient capital, a trading port that flourished before Singapore was founded by Sang Nila Utama.

It is this cycle of rise and fall, he told us, the entwined destinies of Singapore and Bintan that is forgotten.

Said Mr Massot: 'Bintan was always the lesser sister.'

For example, Chinese migrants settled in Bintan first, in the 18th century, before moving to Singapore.

An intellectual movement started in 19th-century Penyengat before spreading to Singapore.

And it was from Bintan that Sang Nila Utama set sail.

The things we heard from Pak Atan, as we chatted over tea and beef rendang, were strange, yet familiar.

The Singapore Story I know comes from National Education. It gave me dates to remember, names, heroes, villains, the reasons for things - ultimately, it gave answers.

Here, from the outside in, the Singapore Story is clouded by myth.

Why bother?

'Myth' is a word that has taken on a negative connotation,' said Mr Massot.

'But myths help us understand reality. There are secrets encrypted in them.'

The myth of Sang Nila Utama goes much deeper than explaining how Singapore got its name.

'It is about the links between Singapore and its cultural and historic hinterland,' said Mr Massot.

Associate Professor John Miskic, who teaches Southeast Asian archaeology at the National University of Singapore, said Singaporeans should not forget the span of history between Sang Nila Utama and Raffles.

'What sane person would cut out three-quarters of their memory?' he said.

HISTORY IS REALITY

The depiction of the Singapore Story as a freak event harms the national psyche, he said.

'It creates insecurity and rootlessness,' said Prof Miskic. 'Conversely, the longer the tradition, the clearer the identity.'

National identity - it's the holy grail for young Singaporeans like me.

Perhaps it explains why we manufacture Merlions - mammoth ones with laser eyes and baby ones to fit as keychains - but cringe when Miss Singapore parades as one.

Perhaps it is why Singaporeans travel all over the world, but are afraid to go to Johor.

It might be why, too, looking back a mere 20years is enough to get Singaporeans all nostalgic about lost heritage.

Here, however, we were on a journey going back centuries. And we were hopelessly lost.

Today, the search for paradise goes in the reverse direction. Hordes of tourists head to Bintan's spas and cheap golf courses, crossing the same straits Sang Nila Utama crossed centuries ago.

Tourists, resorts, and the construction of the new capital - a wise man watches all this from beside an ancient tomb.

He knows the Singapore Story, too. But his is one that is harder to comprehend, to box in.

We leave confused. We cannot see beyond our sunny island. We cannot see past the familiar story.

Pak Atan laughs, the all-knowing laugh of someone with a secret.

Stay a year, he invites us gently. He may tell us one day.

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Croc shows our rivers are healthier now

Letter from Raizal A. Jalil, Straits Times 9 Aug 08;

I READ with interest about the crocodile spotted in Pasir Ris Park. It seems the authorities are out to trap the crocodile in the name of public safety, but we need to pause to think about the implications.

The coming of the crocodile into the river is a clear and vindicatory signal that our river systems are recovering from past neglect and the ecosystem is well on its way to re-balancing itself. A crocodile is an apex predator and its presence in a river system can only mean there is an abundance of underwater life that can sustain it.

I remembered old grandmother stories told by my elders that our rivers once did sustain crocodiles but they disappeared when we began our extensive national housing development. This inadvertently resulted in many rivers, with their natural banks, being turned into concrete canals. They are not pretty but necessary to ensure better flood control. With the return of the top predator, life has turned full circle and nature has once again triumphed over the the innovation of Man.

Back to trapping the crocodile. The authorities should conduct a risk assessment study of having a crocodile in our rivers. If the solution is to trap every crocodile spotted, this could be expensive and manpower-intensive. Not to mention that we need trained people to do this. Perhaps it would be better to educate the public on the natural biology and ecology of the crocodile. This is to ensure the public knows what to do if a crocodile is spotted.

Crocodiles naturally do not prey on humans but will attack if provoked. It would be better to find a way to coexist with them rather than forcibly remove them. After all, the river was once their home. We were the ones who intruded into their living space.

I am excited about a crocodile in our rivers. It is a symbol that things are righting themselves. It seems like nature is forgiving us for all our past neglect and abuse. May more forgiveness be forthcoming.

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Pasir Ris crocodile: If not a threat, don't trap, most locals say

Ang Yiying, Straits Times 9 Aug 08;

SINGAPORE has at least two 'permanent resident' crocodiles, which make their home in the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.

The National Parks Board (NParks) has confirmed identifying these crocodiles, which are usually spotted in the water or mudflats, out of reach of visitors.

NParks has taken a non-interventionist approach to its pair of 'resident' crocodiles. It says it will act only if the reptiles move on the boardwalks or the walking trails in the park. But so far, it has not needed to take any action.

At Sungei Buloh, signs are in place to alert visitors to the presence of crocodiles. Visitors are also advised to keep to designated trails.

Few mangrove swamps, which support the survival of crocodiles, now exist in Singapore. The largest designated wetland reserve here is Sungei Buloh. It is not clear if the two crocodiles at Sungei Buloh are the only ones to have made their home there.

Photography enthusiast Jeffery Teo, 37, has had 20 sightings of crocodiles over the past two years, though he could not be sure how many crocodiles there actually were.

Experts say the recent sighting of a 1m long crocodile at Pasir Ris Park, which was first photographed on Aug 3, is unlikely to indicate the presence of a family of crocodiles there.

Mr Francis Lim, curator at the Singapore Zoo, said that baby crocodiles, which are 30cm at birth, are usually eaten by predators and have less than 1 per cent chance of survival in the wild.

Even a 1m crocodile can be eaten by large monitor lizards and pythons.

Mr Biswajit Guha, assistant director of zoology at the Singapore Zoo, added: 'For the social context, they don't stick to family groups.'

Reacting to news of traps being set at Pasir Ris Park, nature lovers said Singapore's wild crocodiles should be left alone, unless their presence poses a risk.

Mr Peter Loh, 44, who owns a shop at Downtown East in Pasir Ris, near where the specimen was seen, said: 'Being a nature lover, I feel that they should be left alone. Only if they are going to be in a site where they pose a danger, the authorities can consider removing them.'

Mr Adrian Pereira, 61, a Pasir Ris resident, said it was about time 'we educate people to learn to live with and accept animals', especially since Singapore is developing its waterways into centres of recreation.

Another call for public education came from Mr R. Subaraj, who chairs the Nature Society of Singapore's Vertebrate Study Group. He said people should understand that estuarine or saltwater crocodiles are native to the region.

But he added that the existence of a crocodile in a place like Pasir Ris, where 'the ecosystem is too small and too close to places inhabited by local population', would always be a concern to the public.

Madam Nancy Huang, 35, a freelance graphic designer, who was near the Pasir Ris Park mangrove area with her seven-year-old son, had not heard of the crocodile sighting.

She said in Mandarin: 'Children may be very curious and very active and if they go near the crocodile, it's hard to tell what will happen. They may be eaten up. '

Three crocs seized in last two years
Ang Yiying, Straits Times 9 Aug 08;

THE Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) has seized three illegally kept crocodiles in the last two years, including two from HDB flats.

The two high-rise-living crocodiles were kept in aquarium tanks. One was a caiman crocodile seized in 2006, and the other, a saltwater crocodile seized last year. Both were 40cm long.

The owner of the caiman had bought it, while the owner of the saltwater crocodile got it as a gift from a friend.

The third crocodile seized last year was a 1.5m-long saltwater crocodile kept on a fish farm. The owner adopted it after catching it from a drain on the farm premises.

The offenders were fined between $500 and $1,500, with the severity of the penalties depending on how endangered the seized animals were.

Mr Gerald Neo, AVA's senior wildlife enforcement officer, said confiscated wild animals may be sent to designated centres like the Singapore Zoo, Jurong BirdPark or Underwater World on Sentosa. Of the three seized crocodiles, two were sent to the zoo and one died.

Keeping wild animals without a licence is punishable under the Wild Animals and Birds Act. The maximum fine is $1,000. Those who keep endangered species may be charged under the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act and may be fined up to $50,000.

The AVA said it does not issue licences for keeping crocodiles as pets. Crocodiles are also protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, to which Singapore is a signatory.

Other illegally kept and traded wildlife that have been seized by the AVA include star tortoises, iguanas, tarantulas, scorpions, hedgehogs and monkeys.

The AVA receives two to three tip-offs each month on suspected illegal trading and keeping of wildlife.

Those with reliable information may call the AVA on 6227-0670. All information will be kept confidential.

A crocodile hunter's tales
Meet Robin Lee, the 'official' trapper of stray reptiles
Ang Yiying, Straits Times 9 Aug 08;

MEET Singapore's crocodile hunter, Mr Robin Lee, 33. On normal days, he manages Long Kuan Hung Crocodile Farm in Kranji, which was started by his father.

But when the alert for a wild crocodile sighting is sounded, he goes into stakeout mode and moves in to trap the reptile.

He has caught two of these reptiles since 2000, the bigger one measuring 3.2m and the other, 2.5m. Both females, they are are now among the 8,500 'residents' at his farm.

He told The Straits Times that he is on standby, following the recent sighting of a metre-long specimen in the waters of Sungei Tampines near Paris Ris beach.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority confirmed that Mr Lee is the one agencies turn to for help in catching crocodiles. Mr Lee said of his mission: 'I just try to remove the animal from the public because I have the experience. I don't want accidents to happen.'

Having practically grown up with saltwater crocodiles, he has a healthy respect for these largest of living reptiles, which can hit lengths of 8m in the wild.

He first met them as a child, when he used to feed them on his father's farm. By the age of 16, he was collecting eggs from the nests of the farmed crocodiles.

'I don't feel scared at all. You get used to them,' he said.

When he turned 20, he started working full-time with his father on the farm, which breeds the reptiles for their skins and meat.

An only son, with two older sisters not involved in the family business, Mr Lee made crocodiles his career in 1993, just when his parents were deciding on relocating the farm from Seletar East to its present Kranji site.

How did he, as a crocodile farmer, come to take on a hunter's role?

Mr Lee would rather not say too much about how the authorities first approached him, some time in the last decade.

He explained that he launches a hunt only after collecting enough information on sightings, so he can be sure that a particular reptile has indeed moved into a particular location.

The hunt that ended with the capture of the 3.2m specimen was captured on film by photography enthusiast Jeffery Teo, 37. The pair declined to have the pictures from that encounter published.

Mr Lee recalled that the crocodile was still, submerged in the water near the edge of a pond. He slipped a rope into the water and looped it around its neck.

He also used 'equipment' which he is secretive about. The contraption was designed by his now-69-year-old father. He said: 'In roping and with the equipment, there is no direct contact. You don't need to jump on the crocodile.'

But the job requires full concentration and cold-blooded instinct honed by experience in dealing with these beasts.

'I know how to handle crocodiles. I have been handling them my whole life.'

But he added: 'The moment you lose respect for them, accidents will happen.'

He said he has never been bitten, but to this day, even after close to 20 years with them, his heart rate speeds up when he collects eggs at the farm.

'Females are most ferocious after nesting. They charge at you to kill you.'

The eggs go into incubators for about 82 days. When the nestlings hatch, he helps some of the babies to emerge by cracking the shells.

Mr Lee, who is married and father to a 21/2-year-old son, said he does not expect the boy to share his passion.

'I made the commitment and it's something I will fulfil. My passion is there.'

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By our powers combined, this is Green Singapore

Jamie Lee, Business Times 9 Aug 08;

KIDS in the 1990s grew up to Captain Planet, a TV superhero who was bent on protecting the earth against eco-villains such as Hoggish Greedly, an evil-doer of 'pig-like proportions' that devoured natural resources with a 'love for overconsumption'.

While the show was a satire that poked mainly at companies that were harming the planet with severe deforestation and dumping of toxic waste, the cartoon series hit home the message that more had to be done to protect the planet from indulgent use.

Captain Planet certainly took the right long-term view. Today, his message bears greater resonance in Singapore and elsewhere in the world, thanks in part to the spiralling oil prices that have hit the pockets of companies and consumers.

Singapore's strategy is two-pronged - the country has been promoting energy efficiency, seeing it as a low-hanging fruit ripe for picking. It has introduced subsidies such as the Green Mark for property developers, which carries a cash grant of up to $3 million that is used to encourage developers to incorporate green features into their building designs.

Its second strategy is its $350 million investment in the solar energy market. Out of this, $17 million has been devoted to research and development (R&D) efforts - a testimony to Singapore's emphasis on developing technology that would push down the prices of green features such as photovoltaic panels, which are used to extract energy from the sun.

While industry players laud Singapore's push into R&D, they worry if this would create a sustainable market for the country because R&D must be complemented by a robust manufacturing sector. The government's reluctance to implement a feed-in tariff system has also put a dent in encouraging production of solar energy.

Observing the need to hear the people, the Singapore government has also opened the discussion space on sustainability to the general public, following its consultation with the private sector in earlier focus groups. But anecdotal evidence suggests that the general public has placed the environment movement on the lower rung of priority.

Suffice to say, teething problems remain for Singapore, as it works to engage the private and people sectors in building a sustainable environment. Thus, bringing all players to a level of comfortable compromise over the next few years will be key.

After all, as the cartoon superhero puts it: 'By your powers combined, I am Captain Planet.'

What green energy players say
Business Times 9 Aug 08;

'We have a small market for all clean energy systems but Singapore is an excellent central and convenient location where all these technologies can be viewed as demonstration or model plants, test bedding plants and in certain cases pilot plants to validate the many technologies available in this sector. Singapore can also be a showcase for energy efficient industries and buildings and with the current push and initiatives of the inter-ministerial committee on sustainable development be a model eco-city very soon.'

- Edwin Khew, chairman, Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore, CEO of IUT Global, and Nominated Member of Parliament

'Boosting R&D and manufacturing is just one facet of the clean energy industry. A solid and sustainable strategy for growth is dependent on push-factors, such as investor incentives and expertise development. At present, clean energy certifications and programmes are emerging in Singapore - but the threat of a 'brain drain' syndrome is imminent. In any successful economy, human capital will inadvertently gravitate towards market activity and right now, there is minimal market activity in Singapore.'

- Stefan Mueller, managing director, Asia-Pacific, Conergy Renewable Energy Singapore

'R&D by itself has very little direct impact on the market but its value increases when we can combine it with manufacturing, and with a market from which to get user feedback. Well-aimed and executed R&D can give Singapore-based manufacturers and PV contractors a vital edge over foreign rivals. Singapore has well-established strengths in high-tech manufacturing and R&D, as well as pro-business government policies. We are still looking forward to a well-articulated vision for the integration of PV technology in our electricity infrastructure.'

- Christophe Inglin, managing director, Phoenix Solar

'Sadly one of our greatest collective failings so far is the absence of an eco-conscious population. Singapore may be clean and green but Singaporeans are far from being clean and green. We are not even at the level where we are civic-minded enough to clean up our own tables at hawker centres and food courts despite generations of campaigns and fines. How are we going to tackle more large-scale and long-term environmental challenges such as global warming as a nation? We can never achieve sustainability as a nation without an eco-conscious population, though I meet a lot of young Singaporeans who are doing something positive about improving our environment.'

- Geh Min, ex-president, Nature Society of Singapore.

'Government incentives can only provide the 'carrot' for developers to begin their eco-journey and the Green Mark scheme provides a useful benchmark to determine how green or efficient a building is designed and built. It is a platform for good practices. However, from our experience, we have found that in order to be successful in sustaining the development of eco-friendly properties, it requires eco-consciousness to be embraced as a corporate culture and at all levels of its operations and supply chain.'

- Kwek Leng Joo, managing director, City Developments

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