Best of our wild blogs: 27 Sep 08

Woodpecker feathers?
Help needed with some pretty feathers on the ashira blog

Yellow-vented Bulbul: Who destroyed the nest?
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog

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Scale up efforts to save pangolin

Illegal trade pushing the protected species ever closer to extinction
Fanny Lai, Straits Times 27 Sep 08;

I LIVED in Changi Village in the early 1960s.

Every day after school, I walked past a traditional Chinese medicine hall with row upon row of dried herbs, horns, tiger claws, exotic animal parts and, most noticeably, a stuffed pangolin.

It is known as the chuan shan jia in Chinese, an armoured animal capable of burrowing through mountains.

As a child, I imagined that this animal was the reincarnation of a soldier, clothed in an impenetrable armour shield.

My interest in the pangolin was re-ignited when I joined Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) in 2004. I was surprised that such a charismatic animal still existed in the wild in urban Singapore, and the Singapore Zoo rescues, rehabilitates and releases a few pangolins each year.

Unlike orangutans, tigers, hornbills and elephants, it is not a high-profile species, although it is also endangered.

Like other anteaters, the pangolin is toothless, but its 25cm tongue is the longest among mammals. It has an enormous salivary gland in its chest to lubricate its tongue with sticky ant-catching saliva.

The pangolin has a voracious appetite, eating approximately 200,000 ants per meal, or more than 70 million ants and termites each year.

It is also a master of defence. When threatened, it rolls into a ball with its tail covering the belly and head, so that only its razor-sharp scales are exposed. It can even emit smelly acid.

But it is no match for humans.

Pangolins used to be plentiful in South-east Asia and China, but their numbers have plummeted as their scales are used in traditional remedies to treat a host of conditions like rheumatism, liver and stomach ailments and skin diseases.

In reality, pangolin scales are made of keratin, the same material as human hair and fingernails. Consuming the ground-up scales has as much medicinal benefit as biting your own fingernails.

In southern China, pangolin meat is a popular restaurant delicacy, despite a worldwide ban on its trade.

The wild population of the Chinese pangolin is less than one-tenth of its population of 200,000 a decade ago.

The trade relies on illegal imports from South-east Asia. All specimens are caught wild as there is no known commercial captive breeding facility in the world.

Before the pangolin reaches the dinner table, it would have gone through at least seven pairs of hands. Starting from the poacher in South-east Asia who gets an average of US$3 (S$4.30) per kg, the animals pass through various middlemen, with many of them being force-fed to artificially increase their weight.

By the time the animal ends up on the dining table, it could be priced at around US$160 per kg. But the 'delicacy' is, in reality, unhealthy meat that has gone through a series of criminal channels.

In July, the WRS hosted a pangolin workshop together with Traffic - the wildlife trade monitoring network - to discuss the plight of pangolins in Asia. An action plan to prevent the illegal trading of pangolins was drafted. Enforcement agencies have agreed to take pro-active measures in their respective countries and work closely as a regional team.

There have been some successes.

Last month, Indonesian enforcement officers raided the warehouse of an illegal wildlife trader in South Sumatra, uncovering 14 tonnes of Malay pangolins. The raid is linked to two earlier operations by the Vietnamese Customs authorities that uncovered over 23 tonnes of pangolin meat, or approximately 3,000 pangolins.

Eight illegal traders also stood trial in China's Yunnan province on the charge of smuggling over 20 tonnes of pangolin scales worth US$2.9 million.

But this may be a case of too little, too late. Despite receiving full protection under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, the pangolin continues to be pushed closer to extinction each year by illegal trade.

More must be done if we are to save it. The Singapore Zoo has started a joint project with the National University of Singapore to study the habitats and food preferences of the remaining 50 Malayan pangolins living in our nature reserves. And it is making pangolin conservation a subject in its 'Zoo Goes To School' programme - a talk show that reaches out to 50,000 students annually.

At the Night Safari, a new pangolin exhibit will be opened by the end of the year to educate visitors on this nocturnal species.

Hopefully, the people who grow to know and love this creature will stop buying its products, for this is the only way it can avoid extinction.

The writer is group CEO of Wildlife Reserves Singapore.

Scaly mammal

# There are eight pangolin species worldwide, four in Africa and four in Asia.

# The Malayan pangolin is a Singapore native. The average adult is 75cm to 1m long, (including its 30cm tail), and weighs 5kg to 7kg. There are only about 50 left in forest reserves here.

# The name 'pangolin' comes from the Malay word peng-guling which refers to its habit of rolling up. It rolls up 80 per cent of the time to conserve energy, as well as to protect itself from danger.

# The pangolin is the only scaly mammal in South-east Asia, with its overlapping scales that act as armour and camouflage. Often mistaken as a reptile because of its scaly covering.

# It is a solitary nocturnal animal which actively forages for up to four hours outside its burrow between sunset and midnight. Its long, tubular snout gives it an excellent sense of smell to detect ants and termites. It also has good hearing to compensate for poor eyesight.

# Its formidable front claws are large and strong for breaking open ant and termite nests, but impractical for walking. So it walks on its forepaws or knuckles in a rather clumsy manner.

# According to Malay folklore, this tiny creature is capable of killing an elephant by coiling itself around the trunk.

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Singapore population grew to 4.84 million, boosted by strong non-resident growth

Imelda Saad, Channel NewsAsia 26 Sep 08;

SINGAPORE: Singapore's population hit 4.84 million in June this year, marking a 5.5 per cent increase from a year before. The figure is buoyed by an increasing number of foreigners in the country, boosted by strong economic growth over the past few years.

The number of non-residents grew by 19 per cent, while the resident population went up by a mere one per cent.

The National Population Secretariat said foreigners increasingly view Singapore as an attractive place to relocate.

Most come from neighbouring Asian countries.

There are also more new Permanent Residents (PRs) and citizens. In the first half of this year, 34,800 were granted PRs. That's up by some 20 per cent from the same period last year.

Meanwhile, 9,600 were granted citizenship, up by some 30 per cent, compared to the year before.

And nearly seven in 10 new PRs aged 20 and above had post-secondary qualifications.

Moving forward, the Secretariat said integration would be a key challenge.

It added that the government will also continue to exercise discretion and facilitate the naturalisation of foreigners who can add value and contribute to Singapore socially and economically.

Roy Quek, director, National Population Secretariat, said: "Integration is not just about what the government can do because the government is limited in terms of its ability to reach out to everyone. Integration happens all the time, in our schools at the workplace, in our local community, in the neighbourhoods."

Mr Quek added that a strong non-resident presence in Singapore is also testament to the country's good growth.

"In a way it's a compliment to Singapore that we have a place where others want to come to, that we have economic opportunities, we have enough jobs not just for locals but also for people who are willing to come in to spend time here.

"So the key is not to look at it as competition for jobs but adding value to Singapore's economy and ultimately contributing to a better life for all of us in Singapore," he said.

The number of Singaporeans grew to 3.16 million due to the higher number of citizen babies and more PRs taking up citizenship.

There were some 18,000 births registered in the first half of this year, slightly higher than the numbers registered the same period last year.

So while Singapore is on track for another historic high fertility rate, the biggest concern is still about making babies.

The country's total fertility rate was 1.29 in 2007, far below the replacement level of 2.1.

Mr Quek said: "Of course, it's going to be an uphill task but we are hopeful at least of crossing the 1.3 level at some point in the future."

As for overseas Singaporeans, more are making their homes abroad either for work or study.

As of June 2008, there're about 153,500 overseas Singaporeans compared to 147,500 a year ago.

The countries with a high concentration of overseas Singaporeans are Australia, the UK, US and China.

For a full list of the statistics, you can log on to www.nps.gov.sg. - CNA/vm

Non-residents push up Singapore's population 5.5%
Jamie Lee, Business Times 27 Sep 08;

MORE non-residents coming to Singapore to work and study pushed the population up 5.5 per cent in June from a year earlier, National Population Secretariat (NPS) data released yesterday shows. The population hit 4.84 million, but the surge in the non-resident number is not sustainable, and Singaporeans are making fewer babies, NPS said.

'It is not sustainable or desirable for a population strategy to rely on non-residents for the total population to grow,' said NPS director Roy Quek, adding that while non-residents could make up a potential base of permanent residents (PRs), the inflow of non-residents is tied to the economy, which is expected to post smaller growth in coming years.

'Our biggest concern is fertility,' he said. 'Naturalisation is a supplement. It cannot be the only strategy. The signs point to Singapore becoming a more attractive place to relocate, but we don't want to rely on that.'

The number of non-residents surged 19 per cent to 1.2 million in June compared with a year earlier. Non-residents - mostly from other parts of Asia, such as China, India, and elsewhere in South-east Asia, are often here on work or study passes, NPS said.

At December last year, there were 757,000 non-residents on work permits, 143,000 on employment or S passes and 85,000 on student passes, said Ministry of Manpower divisional director Jeffrey Wong.

With more foreigners from different backgrounds coming to town, Mr Quek said integration remains a challenge and more had to be done to engage the community to accept them.

The number of non-residents has been rising significantly since 2004. In the years from 2004 to 2007, their number rose 0.7 per cent, 5.9 per cent, 9.7 per cent and 14.9 per cent respectively. There are no comparative figures to show how many non-residents take up permanent residence or become Singapore citizens. The number of PRs this year rose 6.5 per cent to 478,200, while the number of citizens was up one per cent to 3.16 million.

These figures exclude about 1,000 Singaporeans that give up their citizenship yearly. The annual growth of Singapore residents has hovered at 1.6-1.7 per cent from 2005-2008, up from 1.4 per cent in 2004, possibly because eligibility to become PRs and citizens was extended in 2004, Mr Quek said.

More Singaporeans are also living abroad. The number of overseas citizens at June this year rose about 4 per cent to 153,500 from 147,500 a year ago, though Mr Quek believes this is an under-estimate. About 40,000 Singaporeans each are based in the UK and Australia, while about 20,000 each are in China and the United States.

Singapore's total fertility rate among residents rose marginally to 1.29 in 2007 from 1.28 a year earlier. There were 18,032 registered resident births in the first six months of this year, compared with 17,325 a year earlier.

The old-age support ratio - the ratio of working-age residents to elderly residents - fell to 8.5 last year, from 9.9 in 2000, and is expected to decline further, said Koh Eng Chuan, acting director of the Department of Statistics' income, expenditure and population statistics division.

Population up a record 5.5%
Biggest increase is among foreigners, the result of a buoyant economy
Li Xueying, Straits Times 27 Sep 08;

THAT feeling of a growing squeeze in shopping malls, MRT trains and hawker centres is now borne out by official figures.

Singapore's population has shot up by a record 5.5 per cent to 4.84 million this June. It is the biggest annual spike since collection of such data began in 1871.

Foreigners are mainly behind the rise.

Drawn here by last year's fast-trotting economy, their numbers soared by 19 per cent to 1.2 million, said the National Population Secretariat yesterday.

But secretariat director Roy Quek was circumspect about the rise in the number of foreigners, saying this is a group that expands and shrinks with the ups and downs of the economy.

'There are levers so we can manage the inflow and outflow,' he added, pointing to measures like the approval of work permits and employment passes.

Latest figures show 757,000 work permit holders, 143,000 on employment passes and 85,000 foreign students.

Citizens and permanent residents (PRs) also added to the population rise, though at a slower pace.

With more births, the number of citizens rose by one per cent. The rise in PRs is 6.5 per cent. Together, they raised the resident population to 3.64 million, from 3.58 a year ago.

Mr Quek stressed that the spike in the population does not mean Singapore is hurtling towards the 6.5 million figure used by government planners as a guide.

It will take 20 to 30 years to get there at the current pace, he said. He expects the resident population to hit 4.8 million by 2030.

The population swell fuelled by foreigners comes at a time when the foreign worker issue is again in the limelight.

Serangoon Gardens residents have been up in arms over the possible siting of a foreign worker dormitory in their residential estate.

Singaporeans interviewed yesterday also expressed concerns over the competition for jobs, as the economy slides.

Accounts executive Iris Sen, 33, said: 'I notice the cleaners at coffee shops and food courts are now mostly young Chinese nationals. What happened to the Singaporean aunties?'

Mr Desmond Lee, 32, who runs a private school, wondered about the 'social costs' of having many foreign workers, citing their tendency to group at void decks to drink.

Mr Quek acknowledged their unease but said Singapore needs the manpower to propel its economy.

He hoped Singaporeans would make the effort to help foreigners integrate even as the Government looks at ways to alleviate their concerns.

As for the Serangoon Gardens uproar, he said it was not possible to isolate all foreign workers on the Southern islands or Tuas.

Meanwhile, on the baby front, the first half of this year saw 18,032 births, 707 more than during the same period last year.

At this pace, the total fertility rate - which was 1.29 last year - may hit 1.3. Still, it is far from the 2.1 replacement rate.

So, Singapore continues to rely on immigration.

The number of citizens and PRs is set to hit a new record this year. In the first half, there were 34,800 new PRs and 9,600 new citizens. The comparative figures for last year were 28,500 and 7,300 respectively.

The statistics show the population's ethnic make-up shifting too. The Chinese proportion has slipped to 74.7 per cent from 76.8 per cent in 2000, while the proportion of Indians inched up to 8.9 from 7.9 per cent.

But Mr Quek did not expect the ethnic picture to change drastically.

Just as more foreigners have arrived, more Singaporeans left to work and study abroad. About 153,500 are now overseas, 6,000 more than last year.

MP Josephine Teo, who is also NTUC's assistant secretary-general, saw common ground between Singaporeans who go away and foreigners who arrive.

'They share a willingness to adapt to different cultures, a certain work ethic and a desire to make good for their families,' she said.

'We need to emphasise the common- ness that draws us closer rather than the differences that pull us apart.'

Additional reporting by Kor Kian Beng

Population Data by Zones
More elderly folk in Outram, Toa Payoh
More young people live in Punggol, Woodlands; Bedok most crowded
Li Xueying, Straits Times 27 Sep 08;

OUTRAM is for the oldies, while Punggol is for the kiddies.

Sitting in an area where Singapore's forefathers landed, Outram has the highest proportion of elderly residents. About one in five - or 21 per cent - of its 17,000 residents are 65 and older.

In contrast, just 4.6 per cent of Punggol's residents are in this silver-haired group.

Instead, this once sleepy fishing village, which has been recently rebranded as an exciting new town, has the highest proportion of toddlers: 12 per cent of its 54,600 residents are four and younger.

This contrasting picture of urban development can be gleaned from the latest population figures released by the National Population Secretariat yesterday.

They offer a glimpse into the profile of Singapore residents - made up of citizens and permanent residents - living in 31 zones, as defined by the Urban Redevelopment Authority development guide plans.

These plans divide areas of the island into different zones, such as Ang Mo Kio, Yishun and Toa Payoh.

The data confirms what is anecdotally known. For instance, Punggol, with amenities like an upcoming waterway, tends to attract young couples, while samsui women and other elderly folk traditionally reside in Outram, which includes Chinatown.

Other areas with a lot of elderly folk include Bukit Merah, Queenstown, Rochor and Toa Payoh. About 15 per cent of their residents are 65 and older.

Those with higher proportions of young residents include Sengkang - Punggol's neighbouring town - Woodlands and Jurong West.

Sociologist Tan Ern Ser said a danger of areas with too high a proportion of elderly residents is that as the old have less spending power, retailers may be affected. Some schools may suffer from declining enrolments, he added.

One way to encourage a better mix of young and old is to give priority allocation of HDB flats to families with old folk, in areas with a preponderance of young people, he suggested.

In those areas with a larger elderly population, build more high-end HDB apartments and condominiums, if construction is part of the game plan, he said.

He added: 'Introduce good-quality nurseries, kindergartens, schools and other amenities that are attractive to young people and families.'

The data also shows Bedok is the most crowded zone, with 285,800 residents, followed by Tampines, with 256,700.

Newton has the fewest (5,900), followed by River Valley (8,400).

The figures also indicate the types of dwelling in each zone.

If dwelling type is used as a proxy for wealth, Bukit Timah residents - unsurprisingly - emerge as the most well-to-do by a wide margin.

Half of its 69,500 residents live in landed property. Another 12 per cent live in condominiums and private flats.

Other middle-class areas include Marine Parade, Serangoon and Tanglin.

At the other end of the spectrum, Outram, Bukit Merah and Kallang have the highest proportion of residents living in one-room flats.

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Heavy rain causes floods and massive jams

Channel NewsAsia 26 Sep 08;

SINGAPORE: Heavy downpour early Friday created havoc with the morning rush hour traffic, causing massive jams and several accidents on the roads.

MediaCorp’s hotline received many calls of water ponding and floods along Desker Road, roads around Jalan Besar, outside SingTel building near Somerset MRT station and along Orchard Road in front of the Marriot Hotel.

A check with the National Environment Agency (NEA) found that the early morning downpour was due to Southwest Monsoon conditions.

The NEA said that widespread showers with thunder and gusty winds are likely for one or two days in the pre-dawn hours and early morning.

The Agency’s forecast for the next two days also calls for morning showers with thunder.

- 938 Live/CNA/yb

Water, water, everywhere...
Straits Times 27 Sep 08;

OFFICE workers in the Central Business District found themselves wading in water calf-deep following a heavy downpour yesterday morning.

Floods were reported along Cross Street, Orchard Road, Cuscaden Road and in Tiong Bahru.

Stockbroker Chia Hin Key was going to work along Cross Street at about 8am and noticed cars had even stalled on the road.

The MRT underpass in Orchard Road was flooded with around 10cm of water, causing many pedestrians to take alternate routes to work.

But engineer Joseph Ho said some people still braved the underpass, one of the busiest in the city.

In Tiong Bahru, the rain uprooted a tree in front of a row of flats along Boon Tiong Road. A nearby storm canal also overflowed, leaving the surrounding area covered in about half a metre of muddy water.

Singaporeans could be in for more of the same weather over the next few days.

The weatherman is expecting morning showers with thunder today and tomorrow.

SUJIN THOMAS

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Cheaper Thai rice next month

Already on downtrend, prices will drop to lowest since Feb
Jessica Lim, Straits Times 27 Sep 08;

A FLOOD of Thai fragrant rice into the market will make the staple cheaper next month.

Thai rice exporters anticipate selling grain at about US$790 (S$1,124) a tonne then, marking the first time it has gone below the US$800 mark since February.

The price of rice has been on a downtrend since June. It is now being sold abroad at about US$880 per tonne, a 25 per cent drop from three months ago.

This is still higher than the US$573 tagged onto a tonne of premium-grade Thai rice in September last year.

The current price will fall further because of new crops that will be harvested late next month, which will add to the already swelling global supply.

The Thai Rice Exporter's Association predicts that world supply of the grain will surge by eight million tonnes next year.

The president of the Bangkok-based association said supply would be boosted by countries such as Vietnam and India lifting export bans, and farmers all over the world harvesting grain sown at the start of the year when prices were sky high.

'Prices will drop by at least 10 per cent when the new harvest comes in,' said Mr Chookiat Ophaswongse.

'This also means weakened demand for the Thai staple as buyers now have more sources to turn to,' he added.

Here in Singapore, four major supermarket chains have cut prices of their house-brand rice by 5 to 23 per cent over the past three months.

Supermarkets are monitoring the global prices and conducting price surveys to ensure that their prices remain competitive.

Said an NTUC FairPrice spokesman: 'We are monitoring the situation and will be the first to drop prices when appropriate.'

In the meantime, rice prices are also experiencing a temporary drop due to a fall in sales of Thai rice to the Middle East during the month of Ramadan.

Traders said the Middle East is likely to resume buying early next month.

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9,300 pets dumped in just 1 year

SPCA teaming up with animal welfare group to educate owners in exhibition
Judith Tan & Liaw Wy-Cin, Straits Times 27 Sep 08;

'BARKING too much.'

'Too hyperactive.'

'The maid is gone.'

These are some of the silliest reasons pet owners have offered for dumping their furry friends, said Ms Deirdre Moss, the executive officer of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) here.

But they are why 9,328 animals - cats, dogs, rabbits and hamsters - were left at the SPCA between July last year and June this year.

Of this number, more than 3,000 were dogs. And among abandoned dogs, over half were pedigreed.

To stem this flood, the SPCA gives talks at schools - from primary to tertiary - to spread the message about responsible pet ownership.

It is an attempt to tackle the problem at the source - the SPCA lacks the space and resources to care for every animal left at its premises in Mount Vernon Road.

Of the more than 3,000 dogs it received from July last year to June this year, over 2,000 had to be put down.

All licensed pet dogs are required to be micro-chipped, but the SPCA still finds 80 'lost' dogs each month with no information on them.

Barely one in 10 of all animals the society gets is adopted or claimed by owners.

Action for Singapore Dogs (ASD), a non-profit organisation which rescues stray and abandoned dogs, has a no-kill policy, but it has to rely on its network of 20 to 30 dog owners to help look after them temporarily.

The ASD has close to 100 dogs at its adoption centre in Lim Chu Kang and elsewhere.

Its president Ricky Yeo, 40, said: 'Many of these dogs are abandoned when young couples move on to start a family or break up.

'Couples will fight over the house, but no one wants the dog. One was even tossed out from a moving car.'

The Cat Welfare Society, a charity run almost entirely by volunteers, said many cats are dumped on the streets when they outgrow their 'kitten cuteness'.

Said committee member Ang Li Tin: 'There are many who take stray cats home, let them roam and mate with other cats in the area, and then dump the kittens in carparks or dumpsters.

'The kittens either starve, get abused or survive on the streets, while contributing to more cats being born to live on the streets.'

Mr Goh Shih Yong, a spokesman for the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority, said the only long-term solution is to teach people responsible pet ownership.

Many people are willing to pay between $650 and $2,000 for Maltese puppies 'because they are cute, white and fluffy'.

But this breed ranks high in the statistics of dumped pedigree dogs - 106 went unclaimed in the first eight months of this year.

'Education is key to arresting the pet abandonment and stray animal problem in the long run,' Mr Goh said.

The message is getting through to at least some tertiary students, who have stepped forward to promote animal welfare.

People for Animal Welfare (PAW), formed in 2005 by a group at the Singapore Management University, is doing just this.

It will team up with the SPCA to mount an exhibition on the issue at the East Coast Parkway on World Animal Day on Oct 5.

There will also be a photo gallery of animals available for adoption. T-shirts and calendars will be on sale to raise funds for the society.

Ms Moss said: 'Because we take in so many animals, we are not able to find homes for all of them. Keeping a pet is a life-time commitment, and not just for the novelty.'

100 dogs looking for a place to call home
Liaw Wy-Cin, Straits Times 27 Sep 08;

IF YOU do not mind messes, smells and some noise, and if you have plenty of room in your heart for a life completely dependent on you for the next 15 years or so, Mr Ricky Yeo, 40, wants to meet you.

He has 100 unwanted dogs, each looking for a home, and is also looking for short-term 'foster parents'.

Some of these dogs were abandoned; some were abused strays rescued off the street. Although the sick and injured among them could have been put down, it is not how Action for Singapore Dogs (ASD) - which Mr Yeo heads - operates.

The eight-year-old group gets 10 to 20 calls a day from people wanting to give up their dogs, or those who have spotted a dog in need of rescue.

Mr Yeo said the ASD does not take in every dog. If it gets calls from people wanting to give up their dogs, it counsels them and tries to get them to change their minds or help them work out a solution.

If it gets a call about a stray, it will ask whether the dog is sick, injured or at risk of being captured by the authorities. It has also been told that some strays are in danger of ending up on dinner tables at construction sites.

The 10 dogs the ASD takes in every month are housed temporarily at the group's shelter in Lim Chu Kang or in the homes of foster families until permanent homes can be found for them.

The shelter, set up just last year, is run by the ASD's four caretakers.

Twenty to 30 volunteers also help out at the shelter or with fund-raising.

It costs $15,000 a month to run the shelter - the rental, utilities, food and medicines for the dogs and the caretakers' salaries - with the money coming from the ASD's fund-raising. But the number of dogs in distress exceeds the number of willing adopters. Only three to five dogs find new homes every month.

This may not be surprising given their state: Many are missing a leg or two, or paralysed following accidents at the construction sites where they used to live. Others have skin problems, are blind, deaf or nursing injuries from abuse.

Mr Yeo said of these crippled canines: 'If you look into their eyes, you can see they are still alert, there is still a good quality of life. And as long as they have that, we will take care of them.'

Much as the ASD hopes more people will ask to adopt or play foster parent to its dogs, it does not release its dogs to anyone who shows up. It screens all potential adopters and caregivers and arranges for a 'meeting' with the dog 'to see how they react to the dog and how the dog reacts to them'.

The ASD also makes a home visit a few months after an adoption to see how the dog is getting on with its new masters.

Mr Yeo's love affair with stray dogs began years ago, when he and his wife visited the animal shelter Noah's Ark.

He recalled: 'There were many stray dogs there and when I looked into their eyes, there was an instant connection. The dogs I previously had were lap dogs, so I never knew what it was like for stray dogs, how tough life was for them.'

And with the authorities culling stray dogs, he knew he 'had to do something'.

From among the many stories of miserable lives at the shelter, some happy ones do emerge. A stray named Will has one such story to tell.

The ASD's website, where he is featured, said he was found in 2006 in a drain, with infected testicles and stumps for hind legs. His rescuers named him for his sheer will to survive, but these days, he goes by the name Sayang.

Meaning 'love' in Malay, it was given by his new masters who took him in, never mind his being two legs short.

Left for dead, crippled mutt gets new lease of life
Straits Times 27 Sep 08;

TWO years ago, Sayang was found in a drain on Jurong Island, emaciated, riddled with infections and his hind legs missing.

Now, the three-year-old mutt is busy chasing after his four-legged playmates in his new home at Upper Thomson.

Sayang has a wheelchair - imported from the United States by dog rescue organisation Action for Singapore Dogs (ASD) - and pulls himself around on his now-muscular front legs.

'He is very happy now. He gets around really fast,' said his owner, Ms Ng Choong Leng.

The 44-year-old adopted Sayang a year ago after a security guard found the dog lying in a drain.

'He was probably just surviving on drain water because he couldn't move,' said ASD president Ricky Yeo, 40.

No one knows exactly how Sayang lost his legs, though Mr Yeo suspects the dog could have been run over by a truck or been a victim of abuse.

After ASD volunteers rescued him, Sayang had to have his testicles removed because of an infection. He now wears diapers because he has no control over his urine and bowel movements.

When he first arrived at Ms Ng's home, Sayang was afraid of people. Over time, however, he has grown used to the presence of people and is now affectionate. He even sticks up for himself around Ms Ng's other dogs.

'Now he is very feisty and fights with the other dogs over food, and he stands his ground,' she said.

Sayang is the Malay term for love and affection.

'When we were nursing him, dressing his wounds, we would address him as 'sayang' to soothe and comfort him, so that name stuck,' said Ms Ng.

LIAW WY-CIN


World Animal Day
Straits Times 27 Sep 08;

WORLD Animal Day began in 1931 in Florence to draw attention to the plight of endangered species.

Oct 4 was picked to mark the day, as it is the feast day of St Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.

Since then, World Animal Day has widened into a day to celebrate all animals, endangered or not.

It is now observed across the world - from Australia to Malta, Singapore and Lithuania.

The day will be marked at the Singapore Zoo next Saturday.

Zookeepers will be on hand to show visitors how a simple toy can keep animals physically and mentally active.

World Animal Day will also be celebrated by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), which will hold an exhibition at East Coast Park the following day.

It will showcase the work of the

SPCA and spread the messages of kindness to animals and responsible pet ownership.

Read more!

NUS hosts celebrated environmentalist

Business Times 26 Sep 08;

AS Singapore revs up for its first Formula One race and thousands of locals and visitors converge on the circuit from today, at least one person is looking at the whole experience of burning rubber, noisy fast cars and food and material waste through green eyes. Green for the environment, that is.

Camilla Hall is better known as the woman behind the entertainment and food entrepreneur Michael Ma of IndoChine fame. But behind the scenes, Ms Hall is a passionate greenie.

She is always fighting for the time, and a listening ear, of the slick set that patronises her chain of outlets to ponder the environment amid the partying.

Expecting lots of influential people here over the weekend, Ms Hall has brought a renowned environmentalist to Singapore to speak on sustainable development during the high-octane charged race week.

With the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy of the National University of Singapore, Ms Hall's Diane Fay social network will host Ashok Khosla, a man whose first course on the environment at Harvard University is said to have inspired former US vice-president and Nobel laureate Al Gore to be an environmentalist.

Dr Khosla, a former director of the United Nations Environment Programme and president of the Club of Rome, will speak on The Future of Business and the Business of the Future, at a public lecture today at 4pm at the NUS Law Faculty Lecture Theatre at the Bukit Timah Campus.

Dr Khosla is the founding chairman of Development Alternatives Group, a consortium of organisations whose mission is to create technologies, enterprises and markets for large-scale generation of sustainable livelihoods.

He was awarded the 2002 United Nations Sasakawa Environment Prize, the 'Nobel Prize' of the environment world, and the Schwab Foundation's Award for Outstanding Social Entrepreneur in 2004.

An anxious Mrs Ma told BT yesterday she will be 'extremely satisfied if even a handful of the visiting bigwigs go home with a better understanding of the need to protect the world's resources and work towards sustainable development in their respective industries'.

Those interested in attending the lecture can contact the organisers at sppnsh@nus.edu.sg or call 6516-4767.

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Green move for F1 suite

Jessica Cheam, Straits Times 27 Sep 08;

WHILE Formula One is not exactly known for its environmental qualities, one company here has taken the step to prove that eco-friendliness has a place alongside high-revving race cars.

The Singapore FreePort company has installed an 86 sq m solar canopy on top of its skylounge hospitality suite at the Fullerton Hotel - believed to be the only one of its kind erected for this weekend's race.

Mr Christophe Inglin, managing director of Singapore-based Phoenix Solar, said the solar panels his firm installed will offset more than half the carbon emissions used by the suite this weekend. They will also generate about 250 kilowatt-hours of electricity over a seven-day period.

'This is enough to power the equivalent use of a typical bungalow in Singapore over the three-day event, avoiding 125kg of carbon emissions,' said Mr Inglin.

Singapore FreePort president Alain Vandenborre said the suite's eco-theme was in keeping with the $60 million Free-Port facility now being built.

The ultra-high security space for storage, display and trading of high-priced collections of art and antiques and other valuables will also be a green building, boasting solar power, water recycling and energy-efficient features, he said.

Contemporary French designer Jean de Piepape transformed the firm's hospitality suite for the race into an 'Eco Art Home' by fusing luxury, ecology and technology.

About 250 race guests will be entertained in the suite, which is on the eighth floor of the Fullerton - a prime viewing spot for the track - and will be a 'showcase' for Singapore's environmental initiatives, added Mr Vandenborre.

The Singapore FreePort will donate the solar installation to a local educational institution after the race, he said.

FreePort shareholders include the Singapore National Arts Council and the National Heritage Board.

The facility is modelled on the Swiss FreePort.

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Brazil plans to cut Amazon deforestation to zero by 2015

mongabay.com 26 Sep 08;

Brazil aims to cut net deforestation to zero by 2015 according to a plan that will be released by the government next week.

"It's a bold plan, with voluntary and sectoral targets that together represent the reduction by hundreds of millions of tons of carbon dioxide a year, be it through reducing waste, improving energy efficiency or the progressive reduction of deforestation and planting of native and commercial forests," Environment Minister Carlos Minc said in a statement.

The plan will apparently rely both on reforestation and reductions in deforestation, although it is presently unclear to the extent that industrial plantations will count toward its goal.

The government is weighing a proposal allow landowners to include oil palm plantations as part of their legal forest reserve. Brazilian law requires landowners in the Brazilian Amazon to maintain 80 percent of the forest cover on their land and the change could allow ranchers and farmers to legally covert up to 30 percent of their holdings for the oilseed, which is used to produce palm oil. An emphasis on plantations in the plan would be significant in that they are deficient in terms of biodiversity and carbon storage relative to natural forests.

Brazil says the plan will help the country reduce its greenhouse gas emissions — 70 percent of which result from deforestation. Brazil is the world's fourth larger CO2 emitter when land use is included in the emissions tally. Since 2000 more than 160,000 square kilometers of the Brazilian Amazon has been cleared.

Brazil recently announced the creation of a $21 billion "Amazon Fund" for preserving Earth's largest rainforest. The fund relies on donations from foreign governments and private entities. Norway said it would commit up to $1 billion dollars depending on Brazil's success in reducing deforestation.

Brazil unveils deforestation plan
Tim Hirsch, BBC News 26 Sep 08;

The Brazilian government has pledged to end net deforestation by 2015.

It is one of the key commitments in a draft climate change plan, which stops short of setting specific targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The plan - setting out how Brazil will help prevent climate change, and how it will adapt to it - was promised nearly a year ago by President Lula.

But the environmental group Greenpeace criticised it for simply highlighting existing proposals.

It said the draft did not explain how they would be brought into action.

Aggressive plan

In the provisional version which will go for public consultation before being finalised, no specific targets are set for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions amongst Brazil's industrial sectors.

But with deforestation accounting for 75% of the country's emission, it sets out a timetable to reduce forest loss to a point where by 2015, more Brazilian trees are being planted than are cut down.

According to the Environment Minister Carlos Minc, this will be possible through an aggressive programme of restoring native forests, as well as further crackdowns on illegal logging.

Other measures outlined in the document are incentives to improve energy efficiency and to encourage renewable energy sources such as wind power.

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"Extinct" Frog Found in Honduras, Experts Say

Ker Than, National Geographic News 26 Sep 08;

A rough-skinned frog species thought to have gone extinction more than 20 years ago has been found alive in a Honduran rain forest, experts said.

Craugastor milesi—also called the miles' robber frog—was considered "locally abundant" in Honduras until the 1980s, when attempts to find the frog proved unsuccessful.

The culprit was thought to be a chytrid fungus called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), which now threatens to wipe out numerous frog species worldwide.

While trekking last year through Cusuco National Park in Honduras, Jonathan Kolby, a senior herpetologist with the conservation group Operation Wallacea, stumbled across a frog that he had never seen before.

"I knew it was different," Kolby said. "By then I was pretty familiar with what should and shouldn't be there."

Kolby failed to nab the frog that first time, but after returning to the same spot this past June, with funding from National Geographic's Conservation Trust, he spotted and collected a very similar looking species.

"Uncanny"

"It was uncanny. It was basically one foot (30 centimeters) away from exactly where it was sitting last year," Kolby said.

"It's easy to say that it may have been the same frog, but I'm hopeful that it's not."

Kolby sent the specimen to Florida-based James McCranie, an independent expert on Honduran frogs, who identified it as the miles' robber frog.

The adult male specimen Kolby had captured showed no signs of Bd infection. This was surprising, because Kolby's previous research had shown that the stream where the frog had been found was rife with Bd-infected amphibians.

That the frog was an adult is also significant. "If he was a juvenile, you could say maybe he just beat the odds so far," Kolby said. "For it to be an adult and to be sitting in proximity to infection all around him really implies resistance."

Kolby suspects that a population of miles' robber frogs was already immune to the infection before it struck. Or perhaps the resistance later developed in individuals that had survived the initial outbreak of the fungus.

"It's kind of hard to say at this point," Kolby said.

Cautious Optimism

Mike Sears, an ecologist at Southern Illinois University, called the news "very exciting indeed." But he added that it's still an open question as to how some frogs can survive amid Bd.

It could be that some species have evolved to be resistant, Sears said. Or it could be that some animals "use parts of the habitat which are not favorable to the growth of and infection by Bd, such as warmer and drier places."

Zoologist Karen Lips, of Southern Illinois University, said "I think its great that they found one."

"Hopefully there are others and they're reproducing. If we're lucky, [frogs] will really adapt and deal with this fungus," said Lips, who was not involved in the study.

Lips warns, however, against assuming that miles' robber frogs are now in the clear.

"Every time somebody finds a frog or something that hasn't been seen in quite some time, the media rushes to press and says it's not extinct," she said. "Well, it was never extinct. It was just really rare, and it's still really rare."

Unless the surviving population of miles' robber frogs is reasonably large and genetically diverse, the species is still in danger of vanishing completely, Lips said.

"You can hold out for a while, but you're really susceptible to random, chance events, such as a bad year of weather or a big outbreak of the disease again," she said.

"Bd never goes away. It's always there."

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Malaria battle given $3bn boost

BBC News 26 Sep 08;

Gordon Brown, Bill Gates and U2's Bono at the summit

World leaders and philanthropistshave pledged nearly $3bn (£1.6bn) to fight malaria at a summit in New York.

The meeting, at the UN, is looking at ways of meeting the Millennium Development Goals - targets on reducing global poverty by the year 2015.

Donors hope the money will be enough to eradicate malaria by that time.

The money includes $1.1bn (£598m) from the World Bank and $1.6bn (£870m) from the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

The British government and private organisations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have promised the rest.

Malaria still kills more than a million people each year, according to the World Health Organization.

The funding, will be used to support rapid implementation of the first ever Global Malaria Action Plan (Gmap).

Long-term effort

World Bank President Robert Zoellick said in a statement that the extra money would help "sharply reduce the numbers of malaria-related deaths and illness" in the next three years.

According to Gmap's projections, more than 4.2 million lives can be saved between 2008 and 2015, if its plan is put into action, and the foundation can be laid for a longer-term effort to eradicate the disease.

The BBC's Heather Alexander says leaders are focusing on eradicating malaria to counter criticisms that the millennium targets will not be met.



British Prime Minister Gordon Brown joined the presidents of Rwanda and Tanzania as well as the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to reassure the world that their goal is achievable.

Alongside the offers of money came reassurance from African leaders that efforts are working.

President Paul Kagame, of Rwanda, said malaria deaths have fallen by more than 60% in his country.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is to provide $168.7m (£91m) to fund a Malaria Vaccine Initiative for research on a new generation of anti-malaria vaccines.

Microsoft founder Mr Gates said: "We need innovation, new drugs, and the most dramatic thing we need is vaccine.

"If we build on this momentum, we can save million of lives and chart a long-term course for eradication of this disease."

Britain's Department for International Development pledged £40m ($73.5m) to support the Affordable Medicines Facility for Malaria.

It also pledged to increase its malaria research funding to at least £5m ($9.1m) a year by 2010 and supply 20 million of the 125 million bed nets still needed in affected areas.

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Donors pledge $6.1 billion to climate change funds

David Lawder, Reuters 26 Sep 08;

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Industrialized countries pledged more than $6.1 billion on Friday to international investment funds aimed at helping developing countries adopt cleaner technologies and mitigate growth in greenhouse gas emissions, the World Bank said.

The first projects to benefit from grants, highly concessional loans and loan guarantee instruments from the Climate Investment Funds are expected to be announced in early 2009, the World Bank said.

Representatives of 10 countries -- Australia, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland Britain and the United States -- attended a donor conference hosted by the bank on Friday.

The United States has pledged $2 billion over three years, while Britain announced a commitment of 800 million pounds ($1.47 billion). Japan pledged up to $1.2 billion.

"These funds are all about demonstrating that low-carbon development and climate resilient development can happen," Andrew Steer, director general at Britain's Department for International Development, said in a statement. "They will allow us to get on with helping developing countries with their efforts on climate action."

Two trust funds are being created under the Climate Investment Funds, which will be administered by the World Bank and by multilateral development banks.

The Clean Technology Fund will invest in projects and programs in developing countries that contribute to the demonstration, deployment, and transfer of low-carbon technologies. The projects or programs must have a significant potential for long-term greenhouse gas savings.

The idea behind this fund, promoted heavily by U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, was to bridge the cost gap between newer, cleaner technologies, such as wind farms in the power sector, and cheaper, but older and dirtier technologies, such as coal-fired power plants.

The second fund, the Strategic Climate Fund, will be broader and more flexible in scope. It will serve as an overarching fund for various programs to test innovative approaches to climate change.

The first program under the strategic fund will work with several developing countries to study and develop strategies for dealing with the current effects of climate change, such as drought, tidal surges and agricultural problems. The research will help these countries better prepare for climate change in their future development, the World Bank said.

(Editing by Mohammad Zargham)

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California invites countries to carbon cap meeting

Reuters 26 Sep 08;

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California plans to host a meeting of several countries in November to discuss ways to limit greenhouse gas emissions, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said on Friday.

The governor's office has invited China, India, European countries, Australia, Canada and Mexico to a meeting ahead of international climate talks the following month in Poland. Details still are being worked out.

Schwarzenegger aims to reach out to certain Chinese states, for example, on emissions limits because the federal government there, as in the United States, was not acting fast enough.

"We know that Washington is asleep at the wheel. We cannot look for leadership there," he told San Francisco's Commonwealth Club to mark two years since California's own legislation to cap emissions and set up a market for carbon credits. "We are not waiting for the federal government."

On Thursday, 10 Northeastern states kicked off the first U.S. cap-and-trade market under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). Schwarzenegger hoped more would join the separate Western Climate Initiative (WCI), but worried about a patchwork of rules and wanted to see a global market develop.

The WCI, including California, six other states and four provinces in Canada, aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent from 2005 levels by 2020, while the RGGI will lower its emissions cap 10 percent from current levels by 2019.

Separately, Schwarzenegger reiterated his opposition to drilling off the coast of California, just days after the federal government passed legislation that will allow a national ban on offshore drilling to expire next week.

(Reporting by Braden Reddall; Editing by David Gregorio)

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Financial turmoil no bar to climate deal: U.N.

Gabriela Baczynska, Reuters 26 Sep 08;

WARSAW (Reuters) - Global financial turmoil should not hamper a new world climate deal because high energy prices remain an incentive to improve energy efficiency, the U.N.'s top climate official said on Friday.

Some analysts have said the current crisis sweeping financial markets may leave no money for investments in limiting greenhouse gas emissions amid U.N.-led talks aimed at clinching a new international deal to tackle global warming.

"I have personally not seen an economic analysis that shows the current credit crisis is having a bigger impact on the global economy than current oil prices," Yvo de Boer, head of the Bonn-based U.N. Climate Change Secretariat, told Reuters.

But he said the uncertainty generated by the credit crunch and the lack of trust in financial markets were obstacles to developing green energy projects despite the spur of oil prices around $100 a barrel.

"In spite of what's happening at the moment, I don't have the impression that lack of capital is the issue. It's investment uncertainty that has created the nervousness out there. And I think, if governments are clear in terms of climate change, that could help reduce some level of this uncertainty."

"Because if you are about to build a 500 million euro power plant and you don't know if your government will go for greenhouse gas emissions cuts of 5 percent or 50 percent, then that's a very risky decision to make," he said in an interview.

INVOLVING U.S., DEVELOPING NATIONS

Contrary to many analysts, De Boer expressed optimism on the chances of the United States joining a new global warming accord, which is due to be agreed in Copenhagen in December 2009 to succeed the Kyoto Protocol, which runs to the end of 2012.

"I think it is perfectly possible the United States will sign up to the Copenhagen agreement," said de Boer, who visited Poland to review preparations for December climate talks here.

But de Boer added that the reasons Washington did not buy into Kyoto -- mainly its fears the protocol would damage the U.S. economy and the lack of targets for developing countries -- were "as relevant as they were in 1997 (when Kyoto was signed)."

Kyoto binds 37 industrialized countries to limit greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 5 percent below their 1990 levels by 2008-12. It sets no target for developing countries.

To entice the United States, which is being overtaken by China as the world's top greenhouse gas emitter, the United Nations has to engage developing countries.

De Boer said that was only possible by safeguarding their economic growth and cutting ambitious climate policy costs.

One way to attract developing countries is the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which allows an industrialized country to boost its own emission quota if it invests in clean energy technology in a developing economy.

U.N. talks have been split on whether the CDM should include coal power plants with the ability to store carbon dioxide.

"That debate is still going on, but my personal view is that for coal-based economies, like China and India, carbon capture and storage would be critical," de Boer said. "And I believe that there are safe ways of storing CO2 underground, like for example storing it in empty gas fields."

De Boer said the talks scheduled for December in the western Polish city of Poznan involving environment ministers of the 192 U.N. member states could pave the way for a deal in Copenhagen to replace Kyoto, despite widespread skepticism.

(Editing by Gareth Jones and Charles Dick)

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