Best of our wild blogs: 30 Aug 10

ReefFriends Reef Survey Dive @ Pulau Semakau Instead
from colourful clouds

Falling trees
from The Green Volunteers by Grant W.Pereira

Learning outdoors survival skills @ ICCS Briefing?
from News from the International Coastal Cleanup Singapore

How best to balance economic growth and protection of the environment?
from Mongabay.com news

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Captive hawsbill turtles released in Malaysia

'City' turtles find sea legs
Satiman Jamin New Straits Times 29 Aug 10;

PULAU REDANG: Sea Turtle Research Unit (Seatru) at Cagar Hutang Turtle Sanctuary here scored another first yesterday when it released a pair of juvenile hawksbill turtles into the sea attached with satellite transmitters.

The turtles, named "Duke Aziz" and "Myrtle Adie" were flown from Subang airport in Selangor to the island two days ago.

The pair were hatched at the sanctuary four years ago but had been living at Aquaria KLCC since they were hatchlings as part of Seatru's long-term experiment to see whether it was viable to raise turtles in captivity.

Seatru chief Dr Juanita Joseph said raising turtles in captivity was called "head-starting", referring to the head start the turtles were given in the safe environment in captivity.

She said although juvenile turtles were stronger than hatchlings, the head-starting programme was not without its risks as the turtles raised in captivity might have lost their ability to survive in the open ocean, their natural habitat.

"The satellite transmitter package costs about RM50,000 each including the data retrieval, satellite usage and data recording functions. The one on Duke was sponsored by Aquaria KLCC while Myrtle's was sponsored by The Body Shop."

She said the transmitters would enable researchers to know the location of the turtles as well as how deep they dive and how long they stayed underwater.

"The data would be more comprehensive compared with other transmitters attached to turtles. Previously we only got to know the approximate position of the turtles," she said.

Seatru is a unit of Universiti Malaysia Terengganu and Duke Aziz was named after UMT vice chancellor Prof Dr Aziz Deraman.

The other turtle was named Myrtle by Aquaria KLCC, and the the name Adie was after Adie Mahadi Mustaffa, the longest serving employee at the sanctuary.

Seatru adviser Associate Professor Dr Liew Hock Chark said the data obtained from the voyage of the turtles would help determine the next step in their turtle conservation programme.

"If they cope well after spending their early years in captivity, we may do more head-starting programmes in future," he said.

Although Duke looked a little lost at first as he wandered around the beach, it eventually made it to the water. Liew, Joseph and Seatru staff filming Duke's maiden voyage were pleased when the city-bred turtle proved that it still had not forgotten its roots.

Duke whizzed past the researchers and was gone as soon as his flippers touched the crystal-clear water.

Myrtle Adie, whose gender has yet to be determined, displayed the same behaviour once released from the transport box in which it had travelled from Kuala Lumpur.

It seems the turtles totally agreed with the programme's motto of "Tracking For Freedom".

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Green turtle satellite tagged for the first time in India

Shyam Balasubramanian Express Buzz 30 Aug 10;

CHENNAI: For the first time in India, a Green Turtle, a large species of sea turtle, was satellite tagged on Sunday. The turtle, Greenie, is expected to give great insight into the feeding and migration patterns of the species.

Sunday’s tagging also marks the third such instance of a sea turtle being tagged on the Chennai coast. Greenie was released into the sea near Marakkanam on Sunday evening by Tamil Nadu’s Chief Wildlife Warden R Sundararaju.

“This is fresh lease of life for Greenie. It was found entangled in a fisherman’s net near Marakkanam. It was very tired from struggling against the net and persistently refused to return to the sea. So we went and brought the turtle to our facility in Neelankarai, where we rehabilitated the turtle,” said Dr Supraja Dharini, founder of the TREE Foundation, a voluntary organisation that works for marine biodiversity conservation along the Chennai coast.

Volunteers held Greenie down, as the satellite tag was attached to its back using waterproof adhesive. “We cannot tell yet if Greenie is male or female because it is not mature yet. But it will grow up to at least four feet in length,” says Saba Natesan, volunteer with TREE Foundation.

The two previous sea turtles which were satellite tagged in Chennai were both Olive Ridleys, of which one stopped transmitting signals. The other Ridley, Arnavi has travelled 6,185 km in the sea since she was released on March 13 this year. Her movements have shed light on the central role that ocean currents play in the movement of sea turtles as well as their feeding patterns.

Greenie’s movement, as is also the case with the previous two Ridleys, will be tracked by six satellites to which the transmitters will send signals every time the turtle surfaces to breathe. To track the movements of Greenie and Arnavi, visit www.seaturtle.org.

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Thousands flee as long-sleepy Sumatra volcano erupts

Reuters AlertNet 29 Aug 10;

JAKARTA, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Thousands of Indonesians were evacuated from the slopes of a volcano on Sunday after it erupted for the first time in more than 400 years, spewing out lava and sending smoke and dust 1,500 metres (5,000 feet) into the air.

Mount Sinabung, in the north of the island of Sumatra, began erupting around midnight after rumbling for several days, prompting some villagers to panic before the mass evacuation got under way.

Indonesia is on the so-called Pacific Rim of Fire, an arc of volcanoes and geological fault lines triggering frequent earthquakes around the Pacific Basin. The eruption triggered the highest red volcano alert.

Two people died, one from breathing problems and the other from a heart attack, and two suffered injuries in road accidents as trucks, ambulances and buses were mobilised in the rescue operation.

"This is the first time since 1600 that Sinabung has erupted and we have little knowledge in terms on its eruptive patterns," said Surono, head of Indonesia's vulcanology centre.

Authorities took at least 12,000 people from high risk areas on the slopes of the 2,460-metre volcano to temporary shelters. Local TV showed showed women and children wearing face masks in cramped tents.

The area around the volcano is largely agricultural.

"Since this is the first eruption we've had in Sinabung, we're anticipating residents to remain at the shelters for at least a week while waiting for further status alert," said Priyadi Kardono, a spokesman at the national disaster management agency.

Residents panicked when the volcano started erupting overnight and some of them who live in safer areas chose to take refugee at shelters, Kardono added.

The eruption has not damage roads or bridges. The nearest big city is Medan where there were no disruptions to flights.

(Reporting by Karima Anjani; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Volcano quiet for 400 years erupts in Indonesia
Associated Press Yahoo News 29 Aug 10;

JAKARTA, Indonesia – A volcano in western Indonesia spewed hot lava and sand high into the sky early Sunday in its first eruption in 400 years. Government volcanologist Surono, who uses only one name, said Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra province started rumbling a few days ago and the minor morning eruption had mostly stopped.

It sent sand and ash up to a mile (1.5 kilometers) high but lava only moved near its crater. It caused no major damage and "only dust covered plants and trees," he said.

He said Mount Sinabung last erupted in 1600, so observers don't know the volcano's eruption pattern and are monitoring it closely for more activity.

Evacuations on the volcano's slopes started Friday at the first signs of activity. Up to 10,000 people who fled are staying in government buildings, houses of worship and other evacuation centers in two nearby towns.

The government has distributed 7,000 masks to refugees and set up public kitchens so people can cook food, said Priyadi Kardono, spokesman for the National Disaster Management Agency.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is on the so-called "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

Ash won't reach Singapore
Straits Times 31 Aug 10;

THE volcanic ash thrown up by an Indonesian volcano is not expected to cloud the skies over Singapore.

Mount Sinabung erupted on Sunday and again yesterday morning, sending ash 2km into the air. The volcano is about 648km from Singapore in the north of Sumatra. Records dating back 400 years do not show any eruptions over that time.

The prevailing winds are not expected to blow the volcanic ash towards Singapore, however. Said a spokesman for the National Environment Agency (NEA): 'The low-level winds over Singapore are light and from the south-east, while the upper-level winds are from the north-east to east.

'Around northern Sumatra, near Mount Sinabung, low-level winds are light and variable with upper-level winds blowing from the north-east to east.'

He added that wind conditions are expected to remain unchanged for the next few days.

The Meteorological Services Division of the NEA is monitoring the situation closely.

Dormant volcano eruptions do happen, with about one incident every decade.

VICTORIA VAUGHAN

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