Chuah Bee Kim New Straits Times 1 Sep 13;
CRUEL PRACTICES: Photographers criticised for using inhumane methods to take pictures of birds, insects for competition
JOHOR BARU: THE aim was to capture the beauty of nature but a state-level photography competition revealed the ugly side of human nature instead.
Photographic Society of Johor president Tang King Huat was appalled and dismayed over the inhumane methods used by contestants to get their shots.
"Most of the contestants chose birds and insects as their subjects.
"However, I was saddened when I saw that some subjects were dead," said the 64-year-old. The entries were disqualified.
Tang said some contestants had bragged about what they did.
"Some people saw a contestant remove a bird's nest from a tree. After a group of photographers took shots of the hatchlings, the group just walked away. The hatchlings died of starvation because their mother couldn't find the nest. When we questioned the photographer, he said the nest had fallen from the tree."
Tang said there were cases of photographers who resorted to gluing the feet of the birds to prevent them from flying away.
"When they are done, they would just leave the birds there. These photographers would brag about what they did and as a result, other photo enthusiasts assumed that this was the way to capture pictures of insects and birds.
"This is not what nature photography is about. It calls for an endless supply of patience on the photographer's part and some knowledge of the subject's habits.
"One needs to know what time the particular species come out in search of food, and their sensitivity to sunlight and flashlight.
"Nature photography is about appreciating the beauty of wildlife, not killing them to get that perfect shot."
Another common form of cruelty is pinning a butterfly to a wall or keeping the captured insect in a freezer, he said.
Johor Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) chairman Vincent Chow, 67, said as the first prize for photography contests could be as high as RM10,000, people were willing to do anything to win.
Chow said bad practices were also evident outside of competitions. Citing an example, Chow said the kingfisher was once commonly sighted in the Panti Bird Sanctuary in the Gunung Panti Rainforest in Kota Tinggi.
"Four years ago, you could spot many of them. Today, one can only spot two such bird species. Groups of photographers flock there with their bulky lenses and strong flashlights and as such, the mother birds did not come back to feed their offspring. The chicks died of starvation.
"We need efficient park wardens to carry out enforcement. On this, I would like to urge the State Wildlife Department to work with nature-based non-governmental organisations in a concerted effort to guard the parks and ensure the environment and its inhabitants are not abused."
