Alvin Lim The New Paper AsiaOne 24 Sep 11;
The Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) is facing allegations that the Moon Night event at Night Safari has undermined conservation efforts.
The Sept 11 event, created under the purview of new CEO Isabella Loh, was held in line with the Mid-Autumn Festival. It was attended by President Tony Tan Keng Yam.
A letter to The New Paper claimed that fireflies were released into a forested area in the zoo, which was the wrong habitat for this particular species.
The fireflies were bred by Night Safari, which, according to the June edition of WRS' newsletter Wildlife Times, is "working with National Parks Board (NParks) to re-introduce captive-bred fireflies to protected natural habitats".
It said Night Safari had first bred fireflies between 2001 and 2005, and the breeding programme was revived last year to cultivate the Pteroptyx valida, a species of firefly.
The letter writer said this species dwells in mangrove swamps and their chances of survival in a forest habitat are significantly less.
He claimed: "This was pointed out to Isabella by WRS Zoology staff, but she insisted on the release." He said the fireflies "will certainly die without reproducing".
The writer's claim was confirmed by a source close to WRS, who told TNP that the firefly release was "not conducted at a mangrove swamp", and that the release seemed to have been positioned for "visual significance rather than a conservation one".
In another segment of the Moon Night event, floating lanterns with lit candles were released on a boat dock of the Upper Seletar Reservoir.
The source said WRS staff members had tried to dissuade Ms Loh against releasing the floating lanterns.
They were concerned that wildlife in the reservoir would "ingest the candle wax".
Nature Society Singapore president Shawn Lum told TNP that the Pteroptyx valida thrives in a mangrove environment and not in a forest habitat.
The mangrove plants, which once thrived, are now rare in Singapore.
Dr Lum said: "The question is: Can these animals find an appropriate place to dwell after you release them?
Survival
"If they have specific feeding requirements, unless they can locate such a habitat... it might threaten their survival."
An NParks spokesman said that it had provided WRS with two breeding pairs of fireflies to aid in its study of the insect.
He added: "We also surveyed our parks and nature reserves for the presence of existing populations of fireflies, with the view of implementing measures to enhance their habitats. "This includes planting of appropriate species of mangroves..."
WRS did not respond to TNP's queries on whether the fireflies had been released in a less-than-ideal habitat, and whether the fireflies were the Pteroptyx valida species.
Meanwhile, the 17 Singapore Polytechnic (SP) students have turned down an offer by MP for Tampines GRC Baey Yam Keng to resurrect their final-year project on Halloween Horrors at a Tampines North park.
Mr Baey told TNP he received an e-mail from SP's principal yesterday informing him that the students were appreciative, but had to decline the offer due to time constraints.
