Best of our wild blogs: 21 May 18

Pesta Ubin begins this weekend for 5 weekends!
wild shores of singapore

Indochinese Glass-perchlet (Parambassis siamensis) @ Kranji Marshes
Monday Morgue

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Malaysia: ‘Gazette Kg Dew as forest reserve quick’

The Star 21 May 18;

BAGAN SERAI: Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) and Kampung Dew Firefly Eco-Tourism Association are appealing to the Perak govern­ment to expedite the gazetting of a firefly habitat zone in Kampung Dew here as a forest reserve.

He said the suggestion of gazetting the habitat zone had been submitted several years ago, but was not implemented by the Perak Land and Mines Office (PTG) and the Kerian District and Land Office.

“The PTG informed us that there was no problem for the area to be gazetted, but there is the issue of overlapping claims of land ownership,” he said — Bernama

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Malaysia: Six pygmy elephants found dead in Sabah

The Star 21 May 18;

KOTA KINABALU: Mystery surrounds the heartwrenching deaths of six endangered Bornean pygmy elephants in the east coast of Sabah.

The carcasses of the elephants, aged between one and 37, were discovered on separate occasions between April 6 and May 20 this year.

Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga confirmed the deaths when contacted, but only revealed the details of the elephants found dead most recently.

Tuuga said post-mortem results showed the elephants did not die from gunshots.

“There were no bullet wounds found on the bodies. We have taken organ samples for toxicology and bacteriology tests,” he said.

Tuuga added the cause of death can only be fully determined once the test results are known.

Some conservationists told The Star that they suspected poisoned waterholes as one of the possible causes of death.

The dead elephants – three in the conservation area of Sukau, two in Telupid and one in Lahad Datu – were found by wildlife rangers.

The carcass of a one-year-old male elephant was found near Sungai Resang, Sukau, on April 6.

The next day, an adult female elephant was found dead in Lahad Datu.

A few weeks later on April 26, the carcass of a 37-year-old female elephant was found in Ladang Mayvin 2. A juvenile male elephant was found dead in Sukau on May 10.


No gunshot wounds found on dead elephant
Kristy Inus New Straits Times 21 May 18;

KOTA KINABALU: The cause of death of an elephant found floating in the Kinabatangan River last weekened is not yet known.

However, following an autopsy that was done yesterday, Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga said no gunshot wounds were found on the elephant, believed to be about three years old.

"A post-mortem was completed at 2pm (yesterday). But no wounds were found on its body and the elephant did not die from gunshot, infact no bullets were found in the elephant's body.

"We are still unable to ascertain the cause of death for now and we have taken samples of its internal organs for further analysis," he said when contacted.

When asked if the elephant could have been poisoned, Augustine said they would have to wait for results from the analysis.

Last week, a photo of the dead elephant, believed to have been found at a river near the Danau Girang Research Centre in Kinabatangan, along with two voicenotes went viral on WhatsApp.

Sabah Wildlife Department then confirmed they received a report on the discovery and sent in a team which included a veterinarian to the scene.



Shafie orders immediate action on elephant deaths
The Star 22 May 18;

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal has ordered state authorities to examine in detail the recent deaths of six endangered Borneo pygmy elephants.

His directive called for State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Christina Liew to be briefed of the situation and to make efforts for immediate implementation of preventive and protective plans.

The Sabah Wildlife Department was told to be thorough in the probe into the elephants’ death and work closely with the Sabah Forestry Department in protecting wildlife and forests.

Shafie said the two agencies should also work with non-governmental organisations in establishing forest corridors without concern for the business interests of individuals.

“If real measures had been taken to check on human-elephant conflict as well as other issues including poaching, the deaths of these endangered gentle giants of Sabah, with one as young as a year old, would not have occurred.

“Perhaps the previous government did not have the political will to push through more drastic action which would have affected big logging companies and plantations,” the Chief Minister said in a statement yesterday.

Shafie said he did not want “lip service” but the immediate implementation of short-term and long-term conservation plans.

“The Warisan government will facilitate such efforts and not bow down to pressure from any group,” he added.

The carcasses of the six endangered Bornean pygmy elephants in the east coast of Sabah aged between one and 37 years were discovered on separate occasions since April 6, with the last one found on Sunday.

Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga said the department had taken organ samples for toxicology and bacteriology tests and the cause of the deaths could only be fully determined once the results were known.

Post-mortem results showed the elephants were not gunned down.


Shafie calls for probe into deaths of 6 pygmy elephants
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal says the state government is committed to the preservation and conservation of wildlife and natural resources.
Avila Geraldine New Straits Times 21 May 18;

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government is urging the state Wildlife Department to conduct a thorough investigation on the six Borneo pygmy elephants found dead in oil palm plantations in the state’s east coast areas.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said the Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) state government was committed to the preservation and conservation of wildlife and natural resources.

He said the department must prevent unnecessary elephant deaths.

Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga was reported today as saying that six elephant carcasses had been found at different locations. He said the pachyderms were between one and 37 years old.

Shafie said: “I am aware that much has been said and, perhaps, done by the past government. “However, elephant deaths, whether due to poaching or other causes continue unabated.

“Perhaps, the previous government did not have the political will to push through more drastic measures that would affect big logging companies and plantations?

“I don’t know why it still occurs after so many claims were made by the previous government about solutions.

“I don’t want lip service. I want to see short- and long-term conservation plans drawn up to be implemented on a fast track basis. The Warisan government will facilitate such efforts and not bow down to pressure from any groups.”

The chief minister directed state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Christina Liew to arrange for a briefing on the situation and see how best to fast-track efforts to protect Sabah’s wildlife.

Shafie also called on the state Wildlife Department and Forestry Department to cooperate and team-up with non-governmental organisations to tackle the issue without fear that they would be in conflict with the business interests of certain individuals.

“I believe that the network is there, but there has been little will in the past to push measures through,” he added.

“The deaths of these endangered giants of Sabah, one as young as a year old, would not have occurred if serious effort had been made to check human-elephant conflicts and other problems, including poaching.”

On May 19, the New Straits Times (NST) reported that the Wildlife Department had deployed a team, including a veterinarian, to investigate after receiving a report that the carcass of a juvenile female elephant had been found floating in Sungai Kinabatangan.

On the following day, Tuuga told NST that no gunshot wounds were found on the mammal, which was about three years old.

He said the department had yet to determine the cause of death. But, he said, a post-mortem had been carried out and samples of the animal’s vital internal organs had been collected for toxicology and bacteriology analyses.


WWF wants action over elephant deaths
fatimah zainal The Star 24 May 18;

KOTA KINABALU: The recent unexplained deaths of six Borneo pygmy elephants in Sabah is a wake-up call for all parties to iron out the human-elephant conflict in Sabah, says the World Wildlife Fund.

WWF-Malaysia is calling for industries and landowners to be held accountable for any death of elephants on their land.

It said the state Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry’s move to amend the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997 to include a strict liability provision was a step in the right direction.

The amendment meant that landowners would be held accountable should the death of an elephant occur on their land.

However, WWF-Malaysia said more analysis was needed to decide on the viability of the amendment in the long run.

The statement is in response to that made by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, who on Monday directed probes on the tragedy and called for more action, and not just “lip service”.

WWF-Malaysia is also calling for the existing cooperation between government enforcement agencies and the various non-governmental organisations to be fortified in order to mitigate the human-elephant conflict in Sabah.

“WWF-Malaysia offers its support to the state government in its conservation efforts of not only the Borneo elephants but also wildlife as a whole.

“We will continue to work with government agencies and other NGOs to prevent further loss of elephants,” said the body.

The carcasses of the six endangered Bornean pygmy elephants in the east coast of Sabah had been discovered on separate occasions since April 6, with the last one found on Sunday.

The elephants were between one and 37 years old.

Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga said the department had taken organ samples for toxicology and bacteriology tests and the cause of the deaths could only be fully determined once the results were known.

Post-mortem results showed the elephants were not gunned down.

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Malaysia: Call to set up elephant-friendly zone to resolve human-elephant conflict in Sabah

Poliana Ronnie Sidom New Straits Times 20 May 18;

TELUPID: Establishing an elephant-friendly zone with easy access for Bornean pygmy elephants to look for food can help tackle the problem of these animals intruding into settlements.

Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) director Dr Benoit Goossens said pygmy elephants frequently intruded settlements in Telupid due to the landscape changing from forests into farms, providing easy food access and playgrounds to these wildlife mammals.

“Elephant translocation is not the best long-term solution in resolving human-elephant conflict in Sabah.

…Maybe (we) need to establish an elephant-friendly zone here where there is easy access (for the wildlife) to get food such as bananas and grass, among others,” he said.

Goossens said the translocation programme was expensive, about RM30,000 per elephant, and it stressed the animals.

He said DGFC had installed satellite collars on two elephants, and they were currently conducting research on the mammals’ movement and behaviour to find ways to reduce the conflict.

He noted several areas particularly near oil palm plantations in Telupid, Kinabatangan, Tawau, Lahad Datu, and the Tabin Wildlife Reserve were facing human-elephant conflict, and it was particulrly serious inTelupid.

Forever Sabah project coordinator Claudia Lasimbang also shared a similar view about setting up an elephant-friendly zone, adding such projects were aimed at identifying suitable locations for wild elephants to roam.

Forever Sabah is an initiative jointly undertaken by non-governmental organisations, researchers, state government, and local community through a harmony project between humans and elephants in Telupid.

“Areas favoured by these elephants need to be identified through local knowledge, information gathered by rangers, and scientific data to ensure (the areas) are safe for them.

“The creation of an elephant zone will encourage the rehabilitation of selected areas with food sources and elephant safety as priority,” she said.

Through such project, Claudia said Community-Based Elephant Force (CERT) Team needed to be formed to create a sense of responsibility among the locals on elephant conservation.

As a start, she noted three youths from Kampung Gambaron, Liningkung and Telupid had been selected to form the team, adding that the trio would be given training by Sabah Wildlife Department and NGOs.


Sabah to engage consultant to study how best to handle human-elephant conflict
Kristy Inus New Straits Times 22 May 18;

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Christina Liew announced several short and long term measures to address the elephant situation and deaths in the state.

During the first meeting with the Ministry’s Head of Departments and permanent secretary today, the newly minted minister said the short term measure was increasing manpower from two to at least 10 rangers manning a plantation area, particularly at the east coast.

The meeting also decided on engaging consultant to study how best to handle the human-elephant conflict.

“We no longer can rely on holding meetings with oil palm plantation owners.

“Elephants are protected but it is also a burden to smallholders when their crops are destroyed, so the best way is to find a two-pronged approach, hopefully through this long term measure.

“At the same time the Ministry will also reactivate the reward system, where we award witnesses of elephant killings who step forward,” she told reporters after the meeting.

Liew was responding to recent reports of elephant deaths the cause of which was still being investigated as there were no gunshot wounds.

Liew added they had to engage a consultant for the study.

Meanwhile, commenting on her ministerial appointment, Liew expressed excitement over the portfolio which she said was very challenging.

“I like this job because it challenges me and I am determined to move Sabah’s tourism industry forward,” she said, adding that Chinese tourists will still be the main target market.

Liew who is Tawau Member of Parliament, also wanted to see the tourism industry boosted in other main cities like Sandakan and Tawau besides the state capital of Kota Kinabalu.

On another note, she announced that she had informed the Sabah Law Association of quitting as a practicing lawyer, a career she held for over 20 years.

The Api-Api assemblyman also said she would have to practice time management well as she had to go back and forth Kota Kinabalu and Tawau.

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Malaysia: New ant species to be named after late Johor prince

Bernama New Straits Times 20 May 18;

JOHOR BARU: The Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar has consented to name the Echinopla new ant species discovered by Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) as Echinopla Tunku-Abduljalilii.

UTHM Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology, Centre of Research on Sustainable Uses of Natural Resources (CoR-SUNR) head, Prof Datin Dr Maryati Mohamed said the new species from the Echinopla group, were collected from shrubs found in the Lipur Sungai Batang Forest Reserve, near Labis, in May last year.

"There are 15 species from the Echinopla family in Malaysia and this new species is the 16th and the second species to be found in Johor. The first, the Echinopla wardi was discovered in Kota Tinggi.

"This species measures 5.48 millimetre in length and is black in colour. The body of most other Echinopla species are furry unlike this new Echinopla species which are without fur," she said in a statement, here today.

She said the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (IZCN), an international body that rules the scientific naming of new species, would issue a statement to confirm the name of the new species as Echinopla Tunku-Abduljalilii.

To date there are 16,000 species of ants that have been scientifically named. About 33 species belonging to the Echinopla family are found in Australia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, India and Malaysia. -- BERNAMA

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