Best of our wild blogs: 29 Dec 08

Stars on Sembawang Beach?
on the wild shores of singapore blog

It hurts...
on the annotated budak blog

Pacific Golden Plover catching a crab
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog

Solar-powered green sea slug steals ability to photosynthesise from algae
from Not Exactly Rocket Science

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40,000 in Singapore sign petition to end animal cruelty

Singaporeans do care
40,000 sign petition to end animal cruelty –the most in Asia so far
Esther Ng, Today Online 27 Dec 08;

THE feat surprised even animal rights activists here: Singaporeans have become the first in Asia to put 40,000 signatures to the Universal Declaration for Animal Welfare (UDAW).

The petition, begun by nearly 200 animal welfare groups worldwide, will be presented to the United Nations once 10 million signatures are collected. So far, 1.8 million have been amassed. In the Asia Pacific, Singapore is second only to Australia (140,635), scoring more signatures than New Zealand (36,545) and Thailand (29,734).

Mr Louis Ng, executive director of the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres), which is behind the campaign here, called this a “pleasant surprise amid all the bad economic news”.

He said when Acres started campaigning for UDAW two years ago, holding more than 130 roadshows, it did not expect to garner so much support from Singaporeans. He puts the success down to “personal touch” and “the work of a bunch of passionate volunteers”.

“Unlike online petitions where you go and click a button, our volunteers at our roadshows explain to people why animals matter and why animal cruelty has to end ... Many (afterwards) sign the petition. It shows that Singaporeans do care for issues of no economic value,” said Mr Ng.

That Singaporeans are becoming more aware of animal welfare issues, and taking a more active role in supporting these, should not come as a total surprise.

Over the last 10 years, a number of Singaporeans have started their own animal shelters, taking in abandoned dogs and cats.

Action for Singapore Dog’s (ASD) president Ricky Yeo reckons “at least 20 to 30 individuals or groups have sprung up, just by the number of people that come to us for help or advice”. He said: “You could say the Internet, the green movement help make people more aware about animal cruelty and want to do something about it.”

Many of these animal welfare groups run educational and sterilisation programmes that could have contributed to increased awareness among Singaporeans. For instance, the Cat Welfare Society’s “trap-neuter-release-and-manage” programme of neutering strays and managing the cat population is run by a network of volunteers which number in the hundreds.

Then there are individuals like Ms Lynn Lam, who started a network of some 300 cat welfare volunteers in the west and east of Singapore — as well as the Singapore Zoo’s educational and conservation programmes over the decades. These, too, have contributed to the overall consciousness of animal well-being.

In 2005, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong recognised the growth of animal welfare groups in Singapore in his Budget Speech and urged Singaporeans to donate to causes like this. The Government has also decided to broaden the definition of charitable activities to include sports, environment protection and animal welfare.

Acres, meanwhile, is not resting on its laurels — it will continue campaigning for UDAW at its monthly roadshows at shopping centres next year.

Laws make good progress: Acres founder
Today Online 27 Dec 08;

ACRES founder Louis Ng has been highlighting the problem of endangered wildlife trafficking for the past seven years, so, when the Singapore Government last year tightened the law on this, he was elated.

The fine is now $50,000 per animal, a jail term of up to two years, or both. Previously, it was only $5,000 per species.

“This change in legislation shows that the Government is taking a strong stand on trafficking,” said Mr Ng, when asked to give his take on where Singapore stood in terms of animal welfare-friendly laws.

While the maximum penalties for animal cruelty have increased from a $500 fine and/or jail term of 6 months, to a fine of $10,000 and/or jail term of 12 months, animal activists say the law is feebly enforced.

They cite the case of serial animal abuser David Hooi, who upon being released from jail after a month, went on to kill another kitten.

The penalty for abandonment of an animal is $10,000, a jail term of 12 months, or both, but according to ASD president Ricky Yeo, there has yet to be a case “where a person has been prosecuted for abandonment”.

Last year, the AVA introduced stricter licensing rules for pet farms to regulate the sale of pets. Activists think more can be done as this has not reduced the number of dogs abandoned. Instead, they say the number of animals sold in pet shops or through backyard breeders has increased.

“I’ve had Australia animal welfare groups telling ASD that Australian puppy mills are exporting puppies to farms in Singapore,” said Mr Yeo.

More links

• About Acres on their website
• Animal Matter to Me petition on http://www.animalsmatter.org/

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HSBC bankrolls marine conservation project with S$600,000 donation

Ali Smith, Channel NewsAsia 28 Dec 08;

SINGAPORE: Pulau Semakau may be Singapore's only remaining landfill. But if an ambitious environmental conservation project pays off, there are hopes the island could someday be upgraded to a marine park.

The three-year project is a S$600,000 community initiative bankrolled by HSBC.

Volunteers will be crucial to the success of Project Semakau.

It aims to mobilise over 3,000 volunteers to survey and collect data on the 350-hectare island's inter-tidal shores.

"I hear about the loss of corals because of global warming and I think it's important to preserve our marine life here," said Jen Wong, one of the volunteers.

Dhavalakshmi Palanivelu, another volunteer, said: "We have very little natural landscape left here in Singapore, so we should preserve what we have left."

At the project's launch, HSBC handed its S$600,000 commitment to the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research.

So far, about 50 volunteers have been trained by science experts from the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research.

They will begin leading groups at the inter-tidal shores early next year to teach them the value of the island as a conservation site.

Volunteers will include the public and university students who will spread the message of balancing urbanisation with conservation.

Professor Leo Tan, National University of Singapore's director for special projects, said: "We can have the biggest buildings and the highest ships and so forth and we can have a great economy, but unless the air is clean, the water is clean, the food is clean, we are not going to have any future at all."

- CNA/ir

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Bicycle rental a hit in Paris: Singapore considering similar set up

Straits Times 29 Dec 08;

ACCOUNTANT Michel Lepaulnier no longer battles the crowds on the Paris Metro during the early morning rush hour.

Instead, he hops on a rented bicycle near his home in the bohemian area of Montmartre on the right bank of the River Seine and cycles to his workplace about 7.5km away.

The 45-year-old pays nothing for renting the bicycle if he completes his journey within 30minutes, which he usually does.

Paris' bicycle rental system, called the Velib, has become a popular means of transport for both locals and tourists.

The success of the system, which has reduced congestion in the city and improved the environment, has the Singapore authorities considering a similar set-up here.

Last month, the Land Transport Authority said it was looking into setting up bicycle kiosks at MRT stations to provide bicycles, and bike-washing and parking facilities.

The Velib, which was started by the Paris town council last year, counts more than 20,000 bicycles spread across 1,450 stations located outside restaurants, on side streets and at tourist attractions, among other places.

The stations are spread across the entire 86.9sq km of Paris and serve two million people. The stations are no more than 300m apart and each has space for 20 to 35 bicycles.

'It's wonderful... I don't have to invest in a bicycle and it's really good exercise,' said Mr Lepaulnier.

Cyclists who hold on to the bike for more than 30 minutes pay ¥1 (S$2) for the first additional half hour, ¥2 for the second, and ¥4 for the third onwards. Commuters can also buy an annual subscription for ¥29.

To ensure that the system is not abused, cyclists have to wait a few minutes after returning their bicycles before borrowing another one. They must also register their credit card and put up a ¥150 deposit, which is deducted if the bike is not returned within 24 hours.

A Straits Times check found the system easy to use as it is available in languages other than French, including English.

Cycling in the city is also a breeze as cars do not try to squeeze cyclists out of the lanes. Some parts of the city have bicycle-only lanes or lanes allowing only bikes and buses.

In land-scarce Singapore, providing such cycling facilities may pose a problem. Another obstacle here is the hot and humid weather.

In Paris, the Velib has been instrumental in reducing congestion on the roads, greenhouse gases, and is also a welcome means of exercise.

But some issues raised by cyclists there include not being able to rent helmets, and having to circle around to find a station to return their bikes to when the one they want fills up.

MARIA ALMENOAR

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Asia appetite for turtles seen as a threat to Florida species

The reptiles, especially softshell turtles, are prized in China as food and as a source for traditional medicines. U.S. experts fear the trade could lead to extinctions.

Kim Christensen, LA Times 27 Dec 08;er 27, 2008

The turtle tank at Nam Hoa Fish Market is empty, but not to worry: The manager of this bustling Chinatown store says he has plenty in back.

"Big ones," he says, spreading his hands as wide as a Christmas turkey.

He nods to a worker, who slides a large, waxed-cardboard box from a stack behind the counter and strips off the lid. Inside is a squirming burlap bag, from which he dumps two 15-pound softshell turtles that hit the concrete with a clop, then flail helplessly on their backs.

"Miami," the shopkeeper says of the reptiles' origins. "All from Miami."

Fresh off a plane at Los Angeles International Airport, one of the hubs of the sprawling international turtle trade, the critters will help feed a huge and growing appetite for freshwater turtles as food and medicine.

The demand pits ancient culture against modern conservation and increasingly threatens turtle populations worldwide. As Asian economies boomed, more and more people began buying turtle, once a delicacy beyond their budgets. Driven in particular by Chinese demand, Asian consumption has all but wiped out wild turtle populations not just in China, but in Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and elsewhere in the region. Now conservationists fear that the U.S. turtle population could be eaten into extinction.

"It's insatiable," says Matt Aresco, a Florida biologist and director of the private Nokuse Plantation conservation reserve in the Florida Panhandle. "If we harvested every single turtle in Florida and sent every single one to Asia, there would still be a demand for more," he says. "That's how scary it is."

Federal law prohibits the capture of endangered or protected species. But it does not cover common turtles such as Florida's softshells, whose widely varying population estimates range from 4 million to 20 million. Softshells also abound in other, mostly Southern, states, some of which, including Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama and Mississippi, have banned or severely limited commercial harvests. Until recently, Florida had no limits on softshell harvests.

In Chinese communities around the world, turtles are coveted for their meat, which is thought to enhance longevity and sexual prowess. They're also used to make tonics believed to boost the immune system, and for other traditional medicines intended to treat an array of ailments, including cancer, arthritis and heart disease.

Carl Chu, the author of "Finding Chinese Food in Los Angeles," recalls growing up in his native Taiwan and watching as turtles' heads were cut off and their blood mixed with alcohol, then drunk as an aphrodisiac. It's one small illustration of an age-old Chinese belief that all kinds of food are therapeutic, he says.

"Anything that can be eaten is eaten to obtain some medicinal effect, and that includes turtles," he says.

Helen Nguyen, who has owned Nam Hoa Fish Market for 26 years, says that many of the turtles she sells for $6.99 a pound, before butchering, end up as soup in Chinese restaurants in Alhambra and Monterey Park, communities with large Asian populations.

The big, brownish-green softshells are most desirable because a 12-pounder will yield about half its weight in meat, she says. Its leathery shell also can be steamed and eaten.

"Most often, older people eat it," Nguyen says. "For the body. For the health. Makes you healthy."

In 1999, an international consortium of biologists and others estimated that the Asian turtle trade had grown to about 10 million of the reptiles a year, or 30,000 a day. By many accounts, demand has since grown dramatically.

During the peak season in late summer and early fall, the creatures are pulled by the thousands from Florida lakes, rivers, ponds, canals, drainage ditches and abandoned phosphate pits.

Those who catch them typically use baited hooks on trotlines, some stretching for miles. Their catch is bagged, boxed and shipped live to U.S. customers on both coasts and the Gulf of Mexico -- and to Asian gateways such as Hong Kong and Taiwan.

One Florida seafood dealer said his company had processed up to 20,000 pounds a week -- a couple of thousand adult turtles. Another broker ships nearly that much, according to a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission report this year.

Many of the shipments go through LAX.

"In rough numbers, it's probably about 800 turtles a week, and they're going to southern China and Hong Kong," says Joe Ventura, an inspector with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Los Angeles. "It used to be a luxury item there. Now it's just a routine thing that people eat."

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UK's holiday waste smashes all records

Christmas packaging, millions of trees and up to a billion cards are heading to landfill – even though much of it could be recycled

Rachel Shields, The Independent 28 Dec 08;

This is a toy story, but it has no happy ending. As millions of households wade through crumpled wrapping, plastic ties and discarded boxes, the sheer weight of refuse in coming days is expected to smash all records.

Waste watchdogs warned yesterday that rubbish from the estimated 100 million toys unwrapped last week is likely to burn big holes in the ozone layer as well as in parents' pockets.

The Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap) said toy manufacturers are not putting enough information about recycling on their packaging and, as a result, most of it will be sent needlessly to landfill. Over Christmas 2008 alone, this will lead to more than 400 extra tonnes of harmful C02. The news is a blow to the Government's 2007 Waste Strategy, which aims to see 40 per cent of all household waste recycled by 2010.

A survey by Recycle Now showed that while 89 per cent of British parents with children under the age of 12 would like to recycle toy packaging, 53 per cent found it difficult to know what was suitable for recycling.

"A large proportion of the packaging material from toys is actually recyclable because it is made from paper or cardboard," said Andy Dawe, Wrap's head of retail. "It is helpful for consumers to have labelling on the types of material that make up the packaging and which of these can be recycled. It also makes a real difference if different materials can be separated. For example, where a box includes cardboard with a plastic window, it should be made as simple as possible to remove the window."

The government-funded agency is now calling on toy manufacturers to improve recycling instructions on their products, and for consumers to redouble their recycling efforts.

"It's for manufacturers, government-led organisations and consumers themselves to do this," said Natasha Crookes of the British Toy & Hobby Association (BTHA). "Seventy per cent of toy packaging is now recyclable, so it is really about getting people to recycle, especially at Christmas when everyone is busy unwrapping their presents."

British households generate 20 per cent more waste during the festive period, including one billion Christmas cards, eight million Christmas trees and 83 sq kms of wrapping paper.

Toy manufacturers are required by law to carry safety warnings on packaging, but are not obliged to include recycling instructions. The BTHA is currently drawing up new packaging guidelines that will include recycling.

Many retailers have made steps towards reducing packaging. Boots reviewed its gift sets and relaunched them this Christmas with reduced packaging. The online retailer Amazon recently launched a "frustration-free packaging" service, which reduces excess wrapping and which will begin in the UK after Christmas.

In 2007, the UK recycled 9.7 million tonnes of household waste, an increase of 10 per cent on the previous year. However, some fear that the current economic downturn may lead to companies prioritising profits over their environmental obligations.

"It is vitally important that we carry on recycling," Mr Dawe said. "If we stop, all materials will go to landfill – and that is the worst possible outcome."

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