Best of our wild blogs: 6 May 12

Huge blaze reported near Pulau Tekong
from wild shores of singapore

Glorious morning trip to Little Sisters
from wonderful creation and wild shores of singapore

Downpour during Earth Day cleanup!
from Nature rambles

Life History of the Spotted Black Crow
from Butterflies of Singapore

First shore trip: Pulau Subar Laut
from Peiyan.Photography

Seed with wings from a tree
from Peiyan.Photography

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Huge blaze spotted on reclaimed land off north-eastern Singapore

Straits Times 6 May 12 3:36pm

A huge blaze was spotted on a piece of reclaimed land off north-east Singapore on Sunday afternoon. -- PHOTO: STOMP

A huge blaze was spotted on a piece of reclaimed land off north-east Singapore on Sunday afternoon.

The piece of land is not joined to mainland Singapore. An Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) spokesman confirmed that the fire was ongoing.

The only people on the 'island' are land reclamation workers, SCDF added.

Fire at reclaimed land
Channel NewsAsia 6 May 2012 1602 hrs

SINGAPORE: Huge plumes of black smoke originating from a fire on a piece of reclaimed land between Singapore and Tekong island were spotted Sunday afternoon.

The smoke could be seen from Bedok South Avenue 3.

Several members of the public sent in pictures and video.

A SCDF spokesperson said personnel and resources are at Changi Village Terminal and are "on alert and on standby".

It is not clear what caused the fire.

MINDEF has confirmed that the fire is not on Tekong.

- CNA/wm

Huge blaze spotted at reclaimed land near Changi
AsiaOne 6 May 12;

SINGAPORE - A huge fire was spotted by readers at the reclaimed island off north-east Singapore today.

The fire, which reportedly has been going on since about 2.15pm this afternoon, has been confirmed to be still ongoing.

An SCDF spokesperson said that the only people on the island, which is not connected to mainland Singapore, are land reclamation workers.

An official statement will be released soon.

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Farewell Nad, monkey queen

Feng Zengkun Straits Times 6 May 12;

She was a queen among the monkeys at the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, and a darling of scientists from here to the United States.

Nad, seen here with an offspring in a 2010 photo, contributed much to research. She died after she was hit by a car. -- PHOTO: COURTESY OF CRYSTAL MARIE RILEY

So revered was Nad the macaque that, following her death from being hit by a car on April 26, animal researchers near and far have paid the most loving of tributes to her.

Last Friday, two scientists here laid a wreath along Hindhede Road, just outside the reserve, to mark where she was run over.

Middle-aged Nad and her 60-strong troop have contributed to research around the world, in fields ranging from infectious diseases to monkey behaviour.

Described by scientists as 'the coolest, most popular and most respected' female of her group, she even charmed a scientist from National Geographic who visited in March to test an animal-tracking device.

Nad, who was not exactly svelte, was hard to miss, scientists told The Sunday Times; she had such imposing proportions, she was often mistaken for a male.

Ms Amy Klegarth, 24, a research assistant at the University of Notre Dame in the US, said: 'When she moved, tree branches bent more for her than for the other monkeys.'

Despite her size, the famously slow-moving queen of the reserve's largest band of monkeys rarely resorted to violence to get her way.

She seemed to rule by sheer dint of her charisma. Up to three monkeys groomed her at a time, like court attendants.

She was always unfazed, even cold, said Singaporean graduate student Oliver Sng, 27.

She also believed in leading from the front, protecting the troop, said Dr Lisa Jones-Engel, 46, the head of an American infectious diseases laboratory who has collected monkey genetic samples from Singapore since 2003.

Dr Jones-Engel said: 'More than the adult males, Nad led the females in her group to watch our every move and warn other monkeys about us. As a mother myself, I deeply respect her.'

It is believed Nad had at least three healthy infants, the last, a daughter, only last August.

No one saw the car that hit her, but scientists here said other macaques have been killed or maimed by cars in the area.

Nature abhors a vacuum. A new queen nicknamed Goldmoon has slipped into Nad's place in the troop - if not into the scientists' hearts.

But one of Nad's older daughters, Sunny, might well be waiting in the wings.

Assistant professor Michael Gumert of the Nanyang Technological University, who tracked Nad for five years, said: 'Perhaps some day, she'll grow to fill her mother's social position.'

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Fewer animals released into wild on Vesak Day

Alvina Soh Channel NewsAsia 5 May 12;

SINGAPORE: An increase in awareness has led to fewer people releasing animals into the wild, according to the National Parks Board (NParks).

But NParks is still urging members of the public not to release animals into the wild this Vesak Day.

Birds and rabbits are some of the animals commonly released into the wild on Vesak Day.

It is a common practice on this day and some believe it is an act of kindness.

Fifty-seven-year-old Goh Juan Hui, a volunteer with the NParks, has spotted many such cases in recent years.

Mr Goh said: "Over the years, I've seen some people who are ignorant about animals, especially the pets.

"I've seen rabbits being released in the Lower Peirce Reservoir area, and also... bullfrogs in the reservoir. And you notice that they are not able to survive in that sort of environment, and eventually they die.

"Even if they survive, other wild animals, like the monitor lizards or even stray dogs will just gobble them up."

For the ninth year in a row, NParks is advising the public against releasing animals on Vesak Day.

And it appears to be working. There were 10 cases in 2009, five in 2010, and none last year.

NParks conservation director Wong Tuan Wah said: "We are happy to note this declining trend. And this could also be [because] people are more aware that releasing the animals will actually cause them more harm than good."

This year, NParks is working with 30 volunteers, including 20 primary school students from CHIJ Our Lady Queen of Peace, to conduct an Outreach Ambassador session to patrol the nature reserves and reservoirs over the weekend.

They will look out for any case of animal release and educate the public on the harm of releasing animals into the wild.

The Buddhist Fellowship said the practice of releasing animals may encourage vendors to increase the supply of animals for this very purpose.

Buddhist Fellowship president Angie Chew Monksfield said: "Some people think that by releasing animals on Vesak Day, they get extra merits and I think that is probably the wrong perception.

"The alternative to releasing animals is to eat less meat. That way, the demand is reduced, the supply will reduce automatically."

Under the law, it is an offence to abandon pets in Singapore.

Offenders can be sentenced to a year's jail, fined up to S$10,000 or both.

- CNA/wk

Fewer animals released into wild on Vesak Day
Today Online 5 May 12;

SINGAPORE - An increase in awareness has led to fewer people releasing animals into the wild, according to the National Parks Board (NParks).

But NParks is still urging members of the public not to release animals into the wild this Vesak Day.

Birds and rabbits are some of the animals commonly released into the wild on Vesak Day. It is a common practice on this day and some believe it is an act of kindness.

Fifty-seven-year-old Goh Juan Hui, a volunteer with the NParks, has spotted many such cases in recent years. "Over the years, I've seen some people who are ignorant about animals, especially the pets," he said. "I've seen rabbits being released in the Lower Peirce Reservoir area, and also... bullfrogs in the reservoir. And you notice that they are not able to survive in that sort of environment, and eventually they die.

"Even if they survive, other wild animals, like the monitor lizards or even stray dogs will just gobble them up," he added.

For the ninth year in a row, NParks is advising the public against releasing animals on Vesak Day.

The message appears to be working: There were 10 cases in 2009, five in 2010, and none last year.

NParks conservation director Wong Tuan Wah said: "We are happy to note this declining trend. And this could also be [because] people are more aware that releasing the animals will actually cause them more harm than good."

This year, NParks is working with 30 volunteers, including 20 primary school students from CHIJ Our Lady Queen of Peace, to conduct an Outreach Ambassador session to patrol the nature reserves and reservoirs over the weekend.

They will look out for any case of animal release and educate the public on the harm of releasing animals into the wild.

The Buddhist Fellowship said the practice of releasing animals may encourage vendors to increase the supply of animals for this very purpose.

Buddhist Fellowship president Angie Chew Monksfield said: "Some people think that by releasing animals on Vesak Day, they get extra merits and I think that is probably the wrong perception."

"The alternative to releasing animals is to eat less meat. That way, the demand is reduced, the supply will reduce automatically," she said.

Under the law, it is an offence to abandon pets in Singapore. Offenders can be sentenced to a year's jail, fined up to S$10,000 or both.

Read more!

Walking with Singaporosaurus

Joel Cooper Straits Times 6 May 12;

Life never turns out quite the way we expect. When I was five, I knew exactly what my future held - and it involved a type of prehistoric creature that once roamed the earth.

No, I'm not talking about Madonna's latest world tour. What I wanted was to be a paleontologist: an expert on dinosaurs. My kiddie imagination was home to a monstrous menagerie of giant scaly beasts, from the lumbering diplodocus to the bloodthirsty Tyrannosaurus Rex.

I even learnt the names of all the different species. And when the older boy who lived next door to me in Britain gave me his collection of plastic dinos in a box over the garden fence, I was well and truly hooked.

Of course, my childhood dream never did become reality. As I grew from a tousle-haired schoolboy to a gangly teen with a penchant for girls and dodgy fashion statements, my loyal prehistoric friends inevitably found themselves shoved on the backburner. Like countless other dino-loving youngsters, I allowed my passion for the terrible lizards to dwindle, before becoming virtually extinct.

My interest was piqued by the recent news that Twinky, the Republic's first fossil dinosaur skeleton, had finally touched down from Utah. Could having our very own Singaporosaurus help to fire the country's youth with passion for dinos that lasts a little longer than mine did? I'd love to think so. After all, I still remember the sense of wonder I felt when my parents took me to see the 26m-long replica diplodocus skeleton at London's Natural History Museum.

I was only six or seven, and the cavernous hall seemed to extend forever, curved beams lining its great ceiling like the ribs of a giant beast. But what really grabbed my attention was the mighty creature that stood commandingly in the centre of the room, its tail stretching almost from wall to wall. I guess you never forget your first dinosaur.

Of course, Singapore is not London. Just because prehistoric skeletons are a hit in Britain, it does not mean people here will necessarily take to dinosaurs. When the Republic's new natural history museum announced it intended to raise $12 million to buy dinosaurs, some questioned why it was wasting money importing the ancient bones to a country which has no history of finding them on its own soil. Could the funds be better spent on exhibitions celebrating the island's rich past?

For me, however, heritage is about more than simply a country's individual history and customs. Dinosaurs represent a global cultural phenomenon that goes way beyond their scientific value.

Yes, paleontology has plenty to teach us about our own fragile world, particularly as climate change leads some to worry that we could be heading for extinction ourselves. But this alone cannot explain the sheer fascination that people on all sides of the planet have with these cold- blooded plodders that vanished in mysterious circumstances 65 million years ago.

Wherever you look, they are alive and well - from big-screen franchises such as Jurassic Park to dino-shaped kids' snacks. What started around 200 years ago as a few strangely shaped stones on a beach in southern England has grown into an industry of truly monstrous proportions.

How would the early pioneers of fossil hunting such as Mary Anning feel if they were around to see spectacular shows such as the BBC's Walking With Dinosaurs, which bring these relics of a distant age to life? My guess is they would be delighted to witness how far paleontology has evolved, from the stuffy universities of Europe to the dinosaur graveyards of Utah and even the soft, fossil-free soils of Singapore. The name dinosaur may have become a byword for all things irrelevant and out-of-date, but the fact is they have truly captured the zeitgeist.

Singapore has long been one of the places where people from around the region go to access the latest in global culture, whether it's theme parks or Formula One. Dinosaurs are no different. They are a scientific treasure, an international industry and a symbol of childhood wonder and fascination with the unknown.

The Republic may not have been blessed with its own sauropods or velociraptors, but it is giving kids a chance to experience something magical.

Personally, I can't wait to introduce my inner seven-year-old to Twinky. Who knows? Perhaps it's not too late to resurrect my dino obsession.

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