Best of our wild blogs: 24 Jun 19


The Bamboo Feeders (Part 1)
Butterflies of Singapore


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About 900 households fined between January and May as NEA calls for 'collective effort' to tackle dengue surge

Channel NewsAsia 23 Jun 19;

SINGAPORE: About 900 households have been fined for mosquito breeding as of May this year, said the National Environment Agency (NEA) as it called for a "national collective effort" to tackle the high number of dengue cases in Singapore.

More than 372,000 inspections were carried out islandwide between January and May this year and about 6,500 instances of mosquito breeding habitats were uncovered, said NEA in a media statement on Sunday (Jun 23).

During the same period, the proportion of breeding detected in homes in cluster areas was 74 per cent, much higher than the national average of 60 per cent.


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Working to keep Singapore's beaches clean

John Tan The New Paper 24 Jun 19;

Dressed in neon shirts and vests, with bright yellow construction boots, Mr Wong Hua Sun and Mr Chan Chee Yan gather at East Coast Park at 6am, along with eight other men.

They are part of a team responsible for a stretch along East Coast Park, from Area G to Area H, which is about 1.6km.

Part of Ramky Cleantech Services, a company hired by the National Environment Agency to clean public parks, these men are a reason why the park remains litter-free.

The men start their day with area cleaning, tidying up the barbecue pits and the surrounding area.

At first light, usually around 7am, their team moves down to the beach to clean it.


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10 new land parcels in Lim Chu Kang on sale for farming

The plots come with a 20-year lease and six of them are for bean sprouts
Cheryl Teh Straits Times 20 Jun 19;

The humble bean sprout continues to be a major part of Singapore's journey towards self-sufficiency in producing its own food.

In another step along this path, 10 land parcels for food farming in Lim Chu Kang were put up for sale yesterday by public tender by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA).

These include six land parcels for bean-sprout farming, three land parcels for general agriculture (food) farming and one land parcel for vegetable farming, the agency said in a statement.

The land parcels for general agriculture (food) farming may be used to farm food crops, seafood, quail eggs, cattle or goats for dairy milk, and/or frogs reared for food.


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Malaysia, Johor: Pasir Gudang air pollution: 16 schools ordered shut

AMANINA SUHAINI New Straits Times 24 Jun 19;

A TOTAL of 16 schools in a 6km radius of SA Taman Mawar here have been instructed to close for four days beginning today following back-to-back incidences of schoolchildren falling ill due to suspected air pollution.

The closure involves 20,180 schoolchildren and teachers from the 16 schools, the Ibrahim Sultan Polytechnic, as well as 69 kindergartens and preschools.

On Thursday, 15 pupils from the school, as well as nearby SK Pasir Gudang 4, were hospitalised over suspected exposure to air pollution.

The incident worsened yesterday when 20 students from another school — SMK Taman Nusa Damai — displayed symptoms of air pollution exposure and were rushed to hospital.


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Malaysia: Sabah identified as potential site for pangolin research, conservation efforts

stephanie lee The Star 23 Jun 19;

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has been identified as a potential site for pangolin research and conservation efforts and a research site will be set up in Tawau district soon.

To accomplish this, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the establishment of the Sabah Pangolin Sanctuary and Research Institute (Sapsari) will be signed on Monday (June 24).

Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew said the MoU will be signed between the state government and Peter Chan, the founder and chief executive officer of US-based Sapsari Arizona.

Liew said the much-anticipated Sapsari is going to be a reality for the conservation of the critically-endangered Sunda pangolin.


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