Best of our wild blogs: 31 May 09

Another Re-Discovery for Singapore!
on the Butterflies of Singapore blog

Marine life destroyed by massive pollution at Kranji Reservoir
on the Lazy Lizard's Tales blog and Waves seriously eroding our northern shoreline at Kranji Reservoir

My first St John's intertidal guided walk
on the wonderful creation blog

Sentosa with the Naked Hermit Crabs
on the wild shores of singapore blog

Plover stalking marine worms II
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog

Stick on a limb
on the annotated budak blog and beach wear and pretty hard to hide and terror on the trunk and two short

Female spider with egg sac
on the Biodiversity Singapore blog

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Singapore beaches are relatively safe

But they can still pose a danger to those who cannot swim, warn experts
Shuli Sudderuddin , Teo Wan Gek, Straits Times 31 May 09;

If you cannot swim, do not swim, especially when it comes to the open sea.

That is the advice of experts in the wake of a drowning at Changi.

Last Sunday, a 20-year-old Chinese national drowned in the sea off Changi Beach. He was with three colleagues and in chest-deep water just off the shore when he went under. He could not swim.

The drowning was the latest in a spate of three incidents.

On May 19, a 35-year-old man drowned while fishing in Jurong Lake. He was apparently fishing illegally on the banks. He drowned when he tried to swim across a 20m stretch of water to escape a police patrol.

On May 22 , a canoe instructor, also 35, is believed to have drowned while coaching students at MacRitchie Reservoir. It is not known how he fell into the water.

Experts said that Singapore's beaches are relatively safe, except for non-swimmers. The currents are not very strong.

Associate Professor Wong Poh Poh from the department of geography at the National University of Singapore said: 'East Coast, Pasir Ris, Changi, Sentosa are all safe except for non-swimmers. For a non-swimmer, even safe and shallow water would be dangerous.'

Added Mr Justin Lee, who runs Water Cross, a water sports business at Pasir Ris Beach: 'We swim to our boats at sea sometimes, and it's as calm as a swimming pool. There's usually no fast-flowing current, even at East Coast Park. The most dangerous areas are those in open water, beyond the bay areas.'

Veteran lifeguard and MP Teo Ho Pin said that Singapore's beaches do not drop as steeply as other beaches, such as in Malaysia where the drop can be as deep as 2m.

He added: 'In Bali, even when you are knee-deep in the water, you can get dragged out by the currents.'

However, currents do flow more strongly at places like the tip of the Changi spit, a narrow length of land stretching out from Changi beach, where boats move constantly in and out of the estuary and the beach is steep.

Mr Singa Kutty, 40, a mortuary worker who swims regularly at Changi Beach, noted that the currents can get quite strong during high tide and can sweep a person away.

'For non-swimmers, it's very dangerous. About 20 steps into the sea, the seabed drops very suddenly. It's a very steep incline.'

There were five cases of 'water rescues' from the sea in 2006, 12 in 2007 and eight last year, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force. 'Water rescues' include those who drowned or were rescued.

Mr Lim Wee Kok, executive secretary of the Singapore Dragon Boat Association, said it does not conduct dragon boat activities off beaches as there are greater risks given the unpredictable waves and wind. Instead, activities are carried out in places like reservoirs or the Singapore River.

Other sports bodies, such as the Singapore Sailing Federation which go out to sea, said participants must wear life vests.

Mr Tan Lii Chong, honorary secretary general of the Singapore Life Saving Society, said that while Singapore's beaches are considerably safer compared to other countries' beaches that face the ocean, more can be done to ensure safety.

He noted that volunteer lifeguards from the Singapore Life Guard Corp man the East Coast and Changi beaches on Sundays and public holidays at certain times. However, most of the island's public beaches are not manned by professional full-time lifeguards.

The society urged the authorities to consider deploying full-time lifeguards and installing rescue equipment.

The National Parks Board said that life buoys are placed along beach parks, and signs have been erected to warn the public of the potential dangers in the water.

A spokesman added: 'It is also important for swimmers to exercise self-responsibility in gauging their own ability to swim in open waters.'

Student Niguel Angelo, 14, who swims at Pasir Ris beach regularly, noted that at high tide, 'the current can push you over even when you are standing'.

'I think more should be done. I see only one life buoy and warning signs are many metres apart,' he said.

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MacRitchie makeover done

Phase 1 ready with two-storey carpark; amenities centre and food kiosk yet to open
Jamie Ee Wen Wei, Straits Times 31 May 09;

The long wait is over for nature lovers and fitness buffs who need their 'fix' at MacRitchie Reservoir Park.

Phase One of a $5 million spruce-up is ready, complete with a new two-storey carpark with 300 parking spaces.

The makeover began in early 2007 but work at the 12ha park came to a halt in January last year when the contractor, Wacon Construction & Trading, went bust.

A new tender was called and Swee Builders took over the project in May last year.

The new carpark has 110 more parking spaces than what were available in three open-air carparks previously.

Businessman Eric Tay, 56, who jogs at the park thrice a week, said: 'I have been looking forward to the new facilities. It is much easier to find a parking space now.'

Other new features include an amenities centre with toilet and shower facilities, as well as a food kiosk. The centre is not open yet.

A spokesman for PUB, the national water agency, said Phase Two will begin in July and is expected to be completed at the end of next year.

New features to be added to the park in this phase will be announced in late July during an event to celebrate the completion of Phase One.

The National Parks Board and the PUB are behind the extensive upgrading of the 42-year-old park.

It is part of PUB's Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters programme to freshen up the country's reservoirs and rivers.

While regular visitors welcomed the changes at MacRitchie, they wondered whether parking fees would be imposed soon, as open-air parking used to be free. They pointed to what looked like paid parking barrier arms being put up at the carpark entrance.

PUB could not confirm whether paid parking was imminent but said parking would be free for now.

Regular jogger C.Y. Tin, a 34-year-old relationship manager, said: 'The authorities have been promoting healthy living and we are responding by coming here to exercise. We should not be charged for parking here.'

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Fine monkey feeders to the max

Straits Times 31 May 09;

I refer to the article, 'Heavy fines a bid to stop feeding of monkeys' (May 17).

I live near Lower Peirce Reservoir and find the monkeys in the area both a nuisance and a menace. We have seen the monkeys on our roof, in our kitchen, stealing our bread or any food they can get their paws on.

Some people may find this amusing, but I fear for the safety of my two young children. A hungry monkey will not hesitate to snatch food from the hands of young children; and if the children, out of fear, do not let go of the food, imagine what will happen.

A neighbour was also once bitten by a monkey, which left his finger badly injured. I shudder at the thought of my children in that position.

I have seen irresponsible parents driving up to the Lower Peirce Reservoir area, stopping at the side of the road and throwing bread out to the monkeys, as their amused children watch.

I am all for the heavy fines imposed on those caught feeding monkeys. The authorities should fine - to the maximum - those who feed these animals because such thoughtless acts put others' safety at risk.

Ismiralda Masduki (Ms)

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'Flood map' of Malaysia drawn up

Staying dry before the flood strikes
New Straits Times 31 May 09;

A ‘flood map’ has been drawn using satellite images from the worst floods to hit the nation in the last five years to help the government come up with mitigation measures, writes SONIA RAMACHANDRAN

IF you are thinking of buying your retirement home in idyllic Muar, the place of the famous "Mee Bandung", you might want to think again.

The "flood map" shows that this district is one of the flood prone areas in the country.

The map showed that Muar and Segamat were the two districts in Malaysia that were worst hit by the floods of 2007, with 19,236 hectares of land affected.

The two states that were worst hit were Johor (43,186 hectares affected) and Pahang (36,054 hectares).
The "flood map" was drawn up by the Malaysian Remote Sensing Agency and the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID).

Malaysian Remote Sensing Agency director-general Datuk Darus Ahmad said the map had been drawn using satellite images from the worst floods to hit the nation in the last five years -- that of December 2007.

DID director-general Datuk Ahmad Husaini Sulaiman said: "These maps will be updated whenever there is a flood to show new affected areas.

"Our intention is to use these maps to provide information for people developing lands like the local authorities, the town and country planning department as well as developers."

In the floods of 2007, more than 7,000 farmers incurred losses estimated at more than RM27 million.

The government spent more than RM19 million in paying out RM500 each in compassionate aid to 38,837 nationwide to help those affected.

There were 33 flood-related deaths in December that year compared with 18 during the December 2006-January 2007 flood period and 14 deaths in the November-December 2005 period.

What is the use of this map?

"This map shows areas that have been flooding. So those who want to carry out development will have this information.

"It will serve as a good guide for infrastructure development and for decisions of site suitability.

"The National Security Council could also use the maps to identify the appropriate locations for relief centres as well as how many areas and people would be affected in the event of a flood," said Darus.

It took four months to complete the flood map of the peninsula and the map was ready in early 2008.

But the areas that were flooded could be discerned with the naked eye. Why then is there a need for this map?

"Through the naked eye, we will only know the point of location of the floods. This map will show the actual area inundated by flood waters. Previously we only knew of certain locations.

"If we have similar data every year, then in five years, we will know for sure that a flood will occur in that location during a rainy season. So this map will help us anticipate that."

Darus said the map would also help detect developed areas that were in flood prone areas.

This would assist the government in coming up with the necessary mitigation measures to ensure the lives of the public were not endangered.

The map, Darus added, could be incorporated into the National Physical Plan of the Town and Country Planning Department.

"This plan will then be made public so the developer will know whether the area is suitable for development and as well as helping people to make informed decisions.

"It will also serve as a guide for the value of property."

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Illegal Trade In Vietnam's Marine Turtles Continues Despite National Ban

ScienceDaily 30 May 09;

Marine turtles are vanishing from Viet Nam’s waters and illegal trade is largely to blame says a new study by TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network.

An assessment of the marine turtle trade in Viet Nam, launched to mark World Turtle Day found that large marine turtles are now virtually absent from Viet Nam’s waters except for Green Turtles around the Con Dao Islands National Park.

A government-owned souvenir shop found selling illegal turtle products was a potent symbol of how a national ban on turtle products enacted in 2002 has been undermined by a lack of enforcement.

Traders in all Viet Nam’s coastal localities reported that catches of local marine turtles, especially Hawksbill Turtles, were becoming rare, and even the few caught were smaller than in previous years.

“Without effective enforcement of the laws, the future for marine turtles in Vietnamese waters looks very bleak.” says Tom Osborn, Acting Director of TRAFFIC’s Greater Mekong Programme.

A 2002 TRAFFIC study found that trade in marine turtles had extended into a large-scale wholesale export market and a Ministry of Fisheries report estimated the combined take across the entire Vietnamese coastline at 4,000 marine turtles annually.

Shortly after these surveys, the Viet Nam Government prohibited the exploitation of marine turtles but the current TRAFFIC survey finds the trade has continued, though at a reduced rate.

Government enforcement of illegal marine turtle catching, processing and trade has been uneven at best—evidenced by a great decrease in the number of outlets and marine turtle products on display in some areas and an increase in others, particularly in some newly developing tourist areas.

In Ha Tien and Ho Chi Minh City, traders cited Indonesia and Malaysia as their main sources of turtles and raw scutes (the large scales on the turtle’s carapace or shell).

All international trade in marine turtles is banned under CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).

Already threatened by habitat degradation, accidental or opportunistic capture by fishermen and the direct take of nesting females and their eggs, whole turtles are also stuffed and, in the case of Hawksbill Turtles, their shells turned into jewellery, fans and handbags, known as bekko.

According to the report, a lack of product more than law enforcement explains the steady downturn in the number of outlets selling marine turtle products.

Green Turtle meat was rarer than in 2002, and its price had increased significantly compared with those recorded during a 2002 TRAFFIC survey. In a Ha Tien market, after allowing for inflation, its price had more than doubled by 2008, pushing it into the luxury meat category.

However, in some towns, the study found bekko workshops and stores, including a government-owned souvenir shop, selling hundreds of marine turtle products operating in plain view of authorities.

The study found that businessmen in some areas were aware that it was illegal to capture, process and sell marine turtle products but there had been no action taken to confiscate or destroy the illegal items on sale.

The study said that most indicators pointed towards a falling demand, but vendors continued to report good sales for most marine turtle products indicating that the trade still posed a serious threat.

The study recommends that authorities look into finding alternative sources of income for communities dependent on the sale of marine turtle products, expand existing awareness programmes and confiscate and destroy all marine turtle products that remain on sale.

Full report: Daniel Stiles(2008). An assessment of the marine turtle products trade in Viet Nam TRAFFICSoutheast Asia, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

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Two with tiger skins arrested in Malaysia

Noor Adzman Baharuddin and Adib Povera, New Straits Times 30 May 09;

ALOR STAR: Local conservationists have estimated that there are now fewer than 500 Malayan tigers left in the jungles in the peninsula.

As of yesterday, the number had dwindled by five.

This follows the seizure of five dried Malayan tiger skins from two Thais, in their 50s, at Km1.3 of the Changlun-Bukit Kayu Hitam Expressway yesterday.

One of the suspects had tried to pass himself off as a Thai policeman when they were stopped by the state Anti-Smuggling Unit in the 6.50am incident.

However, sensing something amiss, officers manning the roadblock ordered the suspects to open the boot of their Thai-registered car.

To their surprise, the officers found five pieces of dried Malayan tiger skins, with the animals' stuffed heads intact, inside the compartment.

Unit Commander Mohd Noor Idris said the dried skins, each measuring about two metres long and between 0.3m and 0.6m wide, were valued about RM90,000.

He said preliminary checks showed the tigers had been killed in the jungles of Perak and Kelantan.

The case would be handed over to the Wildlife and National Parks Department. It would be investigated under Section 64 of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.

The suspects face a maximum fine of RM8,000 or five years' jail, or both upon conviction.

On Thursday, the unit detained a man after he was found with a number of sex- booster pills and 10 penis enlarging machines in Jalan Kilang Tebu here.

Acting on a tip-off, a team raided a double-storey house about 5pm.

The unit also seized 160 packets of L & R fertiliser, 56 pieces of satellite signal control equipment and seven parabola discs from the 48-year-old suspect.

Mohd Noor said the items were smuggled into the country from China. They were to be sold in the black market.

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South African officials kill 35 stranded whales

Yahoo News 30 May 09;

CAPETOWN, South Africa (AFP) – South Africa officials shot dead some 35 whales in a group of 55 stranded on a beach in the south of the country after efforts to save them failed, scientists said Saturday.

The first whales washed up at 7:30 am (0530 GMT) on a beach off the Cape of Good Hope, at the southern tip of the country.

Officials from the South African National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) helped by dozens of volunteers tried to get the whales back into the water and out to sea again, but they could only save around 10 of them.

Ten others died on the shore, and the rest were shot to end their suffering.

"Approximately 35 whales were subject to humane euthanasia by the scientists, while NSRI volunteers, police officers and law enforcement officers monitored public safety," the NSRI said.

"The most humane way to perform euthanasia on whales is to shoot them through the brain, and this was successfully performed on those whales suffering on the beach," the institute said.

"We wish to stress emphatically that the most humane effort was employed to prevent further suffering of these animals."

The marine mammals weigh between four and five tonnes and measure up to 5.5 metres (18 feet).

The institute added that it did not know the reason why the whales washed ashore.

Some volunteers who tried to get the whales back into the sea had to be rescued themselves because they were carried away by strong waves.

"We have tried everything, but they just make a U-turn and keep rebeaching themselves," said Wally Peterson project manager for the Kommetjie Environmental Awareness group.

Dozens of whales perish on South African shore
Clare Nullis, Associated Press Yahoo News 30 May 09;

CAPE TOWN, South Africa – Authorities shot dozens of exhausted whales that beached on a shore near South Africa's storm-lashed southern tip Saturday amid scenes of grief and despair from volunteers who had tried to save them.

Fifty-five false killer whales washed up on the shores of Kommitjie, near the Cape of Good Hope, in the early morning, prompting a massive all-day rescue effort. Hundreds of locals wearing wet suits or shorts braved high winds and rough waves to try to push the massive mammals from knee-deep water back into the open sea.

To no avail.

"I feel quite sad, but it is the right thing to do," Nan Rice, head of the Dolphin Action and Protection Group, told the South African Press Association.

"They are huge animals and are stranded over a vast area. Unfortunately they (the volunteers) couldn't do it."

One woman suffered suspected fractured ribs after being pinned between a whale and rocks. A number of volunteers had to be rescued from the surf while trying to swim the whales beyond the breaking waves, according to Ian Klopper of the National Sea Rescue Institute.

Cape Town authorities mobilized the police, fire brigade, navy, lifeboat services, disaster management teams and expert divers as part of the rescue operation. They brought in six bulldozers to try to move the whales, which were about 3 meters (10 feet) long, back to sea. But the whales — part of the dolphin family — kept swimming back to shore and became increasingly stressed.

Plans to transport the whales by road to the nearby deep-water naval base in Simons Town were shelved when it was decided that their health had deteriorated too much.

Scientists then decided there was no alternative but to kill about 35 whales to prevent further suffering. A further 10 died of stress. And it was feared that the whales that did manage to escape were too exhausted to survive, according to Klopper.

"The most humane way to perform euthanasia on whales is to shoot them through the brain and this was successfully performed on those whales suffering on the beach. We wish to stress emphatically that the most humane effort was employed to prevent further suffering of these animals," he said.

Television footage of the scenes on the desolate beach was interspersed by the sound of gunshots. "One shot, one whale. Another shot, another whale," said the commentator.

The bulldozers brought in to push the whales out to sea were used to clear the carcasses from the seaweed-strewn sand.

Police desperately tried to clear the beach of dozens of families who had flocked to the shores in hope of a happy ending which turned nightmarish. There were also minor scuffles between officials and distraught volunteers trying to protect the whales.

Klopper said authorities were urging those who had young children there to seek trauma counseling.

"Despite many theories on why marine animals beach it has not been determined what caused these whales to beach today," he said.

The South African coast is renowned for its whale watching during the winter season, which is in progress. But mass beachings are rare.

(This version CORRECTS type of whale, graf 2.)

Fifty-five whales stranded on South African beach
Reuters 30 May 09;

KOMMETJIE BEACH, South Africa (Reuters) - About 55 whales were stranded on a beach near Cape Town on Saturday and rescue teams had to humanely kill some after failing to return all of them to the ocean, the sea rescue institute said.

Marine scientists and volunteers managed to get more than 20 of the whales back into the water despite bad weather and high waves, local media said, but some 30 remained and were killed by being shot in the head.

Craig Lambinon, spokesman for the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), said the number of mammals having to be humanely killed had yet to be confirmed.

"Some of the whales have returned to the sea, so we won't be able to confirm the number of those put down until the operation is completed," Lambinon told Reuters, adding that it was being conducted by Marine and Coastal Management.

Three more whales died earlier in the rescue attempt apart from the 30 left stranded at the end, local media said.

eTV news said the mammals were false killer whales, seen as the larger members of the oceanic dolphin family found in temperate and tropical waters throughout the world.

Rescuers had battled to keep the beached adults and calves wet and also used earth-moving equipment to try to save them, but many of the animals were pushed back ashore by the high waves, Lambinon said.

Lambinon said it was still unclear why the whales had first come ashore at 1:30 a.m. EDT, adding it was the first mass beaching of whales he knew of on the popular coastline.

Whale-watching off South Africa is a popular attraction with tourists, who often line roads at strategic spots to catch a glimpse of the giants of the ocean.

(Reporting by Wendell Roelf and Agnieszka Flak; Editing by Michael Roddy)

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Jaguar mums give up baby secrets

Matt Walker, BBC News 29 May 09;

Jaguars are one of the most elusive of large animals, reluctant to be filmed or tracked in their natural habitat.

But now biologists have finally managed to learn one of the big cat's secrets; how often it gives birth.

An ongoing study in Costa Rica, one of the last strongholds of the jaguar, has revealed that females in the wild give birth every 22 to 24 months.

Knowing the reproductive behaviour of the species will be vital information in helping to protect the species.

Numbers of jaguars, the third largest of all cat species and the largest in the New World, are declining.

The big cat is occasionally sighted in Arizona and New Mexico in the US, and populations remain within Mexico and south through Central America and into South America, including much of Amazonian Brazil.

But the species is listed as Near Threatened by the World Conservation Union.

If conservationists are to estimate how the last remaining populations of jaguar might grow, they need to know three things: how many cubs females have in each litter, how many of those cubs survive on average, and how often females give birth to new litters.

But most information about the reproductive habits of jaguars comes from observations in zoos, which may not reflect how jaguars reproduce in the wild. Even in captivity, researchers have been rarely able to document how often females give birth to new litters.

So Eduardo Carrillo and Joel Saenz of the National University in Heredia, Costa Rica and Todd Fuller of the University of Massachusetts, in Amherst, US embarked on an ongoing study of jaguars living in the Corcovado National Park in west Costa Rica.

The study began in 1990 after Carrillo saw a female jaguar walking with a single cub across a beach in the park during the day.

"At that time there were few jaguar studies and the lack of information was an important issue when making management decisions about jaguar conservation," says Carrillo. "So in 1994 we decided to radio mark jaguars. In 2003 we began using camera traps."

During the study, they found that jaguars in the park feed mainly on peccaries and marine turtles.

The diet surprised the biologists because an adult jaguar is capable of eating any animal that crosses its path, including people, though there is no record of a wild jaguar ever having attacked a person in the wild.

They also managed to follow a single female jaguar for three and a half years, by using the radio collar to triangulate her position and identifying her particular paw prints left in the mud.

In March one year, they saw the female being attended to by an adult male. By late May or early June she gave birth, and was seen accompanied by a single cub in July.

That cub remained with its mother for 19 to 20 months. Then some 22 months after she had first given birth, Carrillo noticed she was again pregnant, and was seen with a new cub a month or two later.

That confirms that wild jaguars seem to give birth once every 22 to 24 months, and that juvenile jaguars leave the company of their mother after 18 to 24 months, the team report in the journal Mammalian Biology.

Jaguars are thought to give birth to more than cub on average, though it is unclear how many usually survive until adulthood.

"One of the main questions about jaguars is their natural birthing habits," says Carrillo. "We have little knowledge about this until now."

However, despite the team's camera traps recording pictures of adult jaguars, the mothers are still proving protective of their offspring.

"We have pictures of pregnant females, but we have never taken a picture of a female jaguar with its cubs."

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