wildsingapore news: reptiles

Showing posts with label reptiles. Show all posts

Showing posts with label reptiles. Show all posts

2 turtles rescued by Acres make their way home to Malaysia

TESSA OH Today Online 27 Aug 19;

SINGAPORE — A small crowd gathered at Jalan Lekar on Tuesday (Aug 27) for a heartwarming send-off, as turtles Barni and Queen B set off for their journey back into the wild.

The turtles, who were rescued by the Animal Concern Research and Education Society (Acres) in the middle of last year, will be released at an undisclosed protected area in Malaysia where they can live freely again, in their natural habitat.

Malaysia: Kelantan marine police foil smuggling of 90 palm civets, 14 tortoises

Sharifah Mahsinah Abdullah New Straits Times 26 Aug 19;

PASIR PUTIH: Marine police foiled an attempt to smuggle 90 palm civets and 14 tortoises near Sungai Semerak here on Sunday.

The animals, which were seized near a jetty in Taman Sara about 11am, are estimated to be worth about RM19,000.

Marine police third region commander Assistant Commissioner Norzaid Muhammad Said said a marine police team from the Tok Bali base had spotted 90 baskets containing the palm civets and two plastic containers with the tortoises.

He said no suspects were nabbed during the operation, which was launched after a tip-off.

Indonesia: East Nusa Tenggara set to close Komodo Island

Antara 29 Jul 19;

Kupang (ANTARA) - East Nusa Tenggara is set to close the Komodo Island tourist area in West Manggarai district in 2020 despite objections from communities, Deputy Governor of the province, Josef A Nae Soi has stated.

"The decision to close the Komodo Island tourist area is already final, and it will take effect in 2020. This closure is intended for conservation purpose in order to maintain the Komodos population and its habitat," said the deputy governor here Monday.

The protests from the community rejecting the closure of the tourist area was an expected response to the government's policy, Nae Soi remarked.

The closure is an effort to conserve the Komodo National Park and Komodo population from extinction, he said.

Indonesia: Komodo Island to be closed in 2020

THE JAKARTA POST 18 Jul 19;

East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Tourism Agency head Wayan Darmawa announced on Thursday that Komodo Island is to close by the beginning of 2020.

“It is definite; we have decided to close Komodo Island next year,” Wayan said, as reported by Antara news agency.

The closure is intended for the environmental rehabilitation of the island and to improve the conservation efforts for the Komodo dragons .

Spot a python? Just leave it alone, advise wildlife groups

Pythons are a natural control for the rat population, say wildlife experts.
Cindy Co Channel NewsAsia 19 Jul 19;

SINGAPORE: Waking up to the screams of his wife and maid, Mr Melvin Yap rushed to them, only to discover a snake coiled around the cage of his pet bird.

It was a reticulated python about 1.5m long - one of the most common species of snakes found in Singapore.

Although the incident occurred about two years ago, Mr Yap still has vivid memories of the snake.

“It was quite docile,” said Mr Yap, recalling how he calmly used a stick to coax the python into a plastic bag.

“Unless you know what you’re doing, the best thing is to avoid it. (But) I knew what kind of snake it was.”

Crocodile found in Sungei Kadut drain: Concerns from the past and what next

Experts explain how injured reptile may have got here, suggest possible relocation homes
Shabana Begum Straits Times 6 Jul 19;

The crocodile found in a Sungei Kadut drain last month may have been fleeing a territorial fight or was relocating from Malaysia, wildlife experts told The Straits Times.

The 3.4m estuarine crocodile - one of the largest ever spotted in Singapore - was caught and transferred to a crocodile farm on June 21 by the National Parks Board (NParks) and trained contractors.

It was believed to have entered the Sungei Pang Sua drainage area.

Indonesia to welcome back endemic snake-necked turtles

The Jakarta Post 30 Jun 19;

The “repatriation” is to be conducted through a reintroduction program run by the Wildlife Conservation Society Indonesia Program (WCS-IP) and Wildlife Reserve Singapore.

The turtles, which are to be shipped to Indonesia in the next couple of months, have been bred by organizations in a number of countries, including the United States and Austria. Some 26 individuals bred in the US and Austria are now being kept in the Singapore Zoo. However, how many of those are to be sent to their natural habitat in their ancestral home is still under negotiation, Timbul Batubara, the head of the East Nusa Tenggara Resource Conservation Center (BBKSDA), said on Saturday.

The species, called the Roti Island snake-necked turtle, is on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list and is categorized as critically endangered. Roti Island is another name for Rote Island.

Malaysia busts attempt to smuggle over 5,000 terrapins

AFP 26 Jun 19;

Malaysian customs officers arrested two Indian men attempting to smuggle over 5,000 terrapins through the country to be sold as pets, officials said Wednesday.

The Southeast Asian country, home to rare animals such as orangutans and tigers, has become a hub for wildlife trafficking.

The men were detained at Kuala Lumpur's main airport last Thursday after they arrived from China with 5,255 red-eared terrapins.

The creatures -- packed into plastic containers inside two suitcases -- were worth 52,550 ringgit ($12,700), senior customs official Zulkurnain Mohamed Yusuf said.

Some died on the journey, although a large number survived.

Crocodile spotted in drain in Sungei Kadut caught, transferred to farm: NParks

Channel NewsAsia 21 Jun 19;

SINGAPORE: A crocodile that was seen in a drain at Sungei Kadut Drive on Friday (Jun 21) has been caught and transported to a crocodile farm, said National Parks Board (NParks).

“NParks officers worked with our trained contractors to secure the crocodile. It has since been translocated to a crocodile farm,” it said in response to CNA's queries.

NParks was alerted to the sighting of the Estuarine crocodile at 8.20am, it said.

The crocodile was spotted by employees at concrete company Star Ready Mix.

Indonesia: East Nusa Tenggara to conduct research on Komodo dragons

The Jakarta Post 15 May 19;

As Komodo Island will be closed to the public as of January 2020, the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) administration in cooperation with Nusa Cendana University (Undana) in Kupang will conduct research on the habitat of Komodo dragons in the Komodo National Park, West Manggarai.

"Our cooperation with Undana's research team will be an important part of the NTT administration's efforts to preserve the animals," the administration's secretary, Benediktus Polo Maing, said in Kupang on Wednesday as quoted by Antara.

Benediktus said his office had met with representatives of relevant agencies, including Undana's research team.

Indonesia: Police foil attempt to export Komodo dragons for Rp 500 million apiece

The Jakarta Post 28 Mar 19;

Police in East Java have busted a network of criminals they say attempted to smuggle 41 Komodo dragons out of the country and sell them for Rp 500 million (US$35,000) each.

The special crimes unit head of the East Java Police, Sr. Comr. Akhmad Yusep Gunawan, said the force had also rescued five baby Komodo dragons from the Surabaya-based group of alleged smugglers.

“The criminals intended to ship the animals to three countries in Southeast Asia through Singapore,” Yusep told reporters on Wednesday, as quoted by kompas.com.

Indonesia: Russian accused of trying to smuggle drugged orangutan from Bali

Ni Komang Erviani The Jakarta Post 23 Mar 19;

Dewa Delanata, head of the airport’s quarantine office, said the orangutan had been drugged and placed in a basket.

"The Russian deliberately used an inhumane method to take the orangutan to Russia," the official said on Saturday.

The Russian has been identified as ZA.

The quarantine officer and airport security found the orangutan at the international departure area at around 10:30 p.m. on Friday, Dewa said. "At first, we thought it was a monkey. The officers were afraid to open the basket, as they thought the monkey would be aggressive and run loose in the departure area.”

Indonesia: Smuggler arrested in Papua with over 2,000 endangered turtles

Agence France-Presse Jakarta Post 15 Mar 19;

A man has been arrested for trying to smuggle 2,000 endangered pig-nosed turtles, police said, marking the latest wildlife-trafficking arrest as the Southeast Asian nation battles the vast trade.

Authorities in Papua province said they seized 2,227 of the palm-sized turtles which were stuffed into boxes on a boat docked in the remote town of Agats.

"Officers saw a port worker carrying three big boxes and got suspicious," Papua police spokesman Ahmad Musthofa Kamal said late Thursday.

"This is protected species and they are not for sale."

Viral video of snake handling is ‘horrifying’, ‘unacceptable’: Animal activists

SHERLYN SEAH Today Online 11 Mar 19;

SINGAPORE — Animal experts and activists, including Member of Parliament (MP) Louis Ng, have expressed horror and disgust at a viral online video — supposedly part of a training programme — showing a man handling a live python roughly by stepping on and throwing it onto the floor.

Mr Ng, who is also the founder and chief executive of animal welfare group, Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres), shared the video on his Facebook page on Monday (March 11).

“When you see the video, it’s horrifying what they did and completely unacceptable,” said Mr Ng, who is an MP for Nee Soon Group Representation Constituency.

“Training is important, but it shouldn’t compromise the well-being of the animal.”

He also pointed out that a number of those who commented on the video on his Facebook page had echoed his sentiments, including those who did not like snakes.

Malaysia: MMEA foils bid to smuggle 3,300 terrapins into country

MOHD SABRAN MD SANI New Straits Times 2 Mar 19;

BATU PAHAT: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) foiled a bid to smuggle 3,300 terrapins worth RM150,000 into the state, with the arrest of two men in Tanjung Tohor, Muar here yesterday.

Its director, Maritime Commander Mohammad Othman, said the success followed a joint inspection by the agency and the 6th Battalion general operations force in Parit Unas Pos.

He said enforcers discovered 3,300 terrapins inside seven bags after inspecting a suspicious boat at 12.30am,

Malaysia: Retired Professor saving river terrapins

ROSLI ZAKARIA New Straits Times 2 Mar 19;

KEMAMAN: Being a retiree is not an excuse to laze around the house. For Professor Dr Maketab Mohamed, who retired from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Johor, two months ago, it is time to give back to society.

And being a former two-term Malaysian Nature Society president from 2010 to 2014, Maketab has his heart set on the environment and matters that threaten the survival of animals, especially those listed under the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (ICN) red list as “critically endangered”.

“Southern river terrapins are critically endangered. I consider it important to assist (in the conservation of the species).

“This matter needs greater publicity and awareness to ensure that the public understand the importance of their survival,” said Maketab, who often visited the Turtle Conservation Society in Kampung Pasir Gajah.

Malaysia seizes 3,300 rare turtles in suspected trafficking case

Reuters 27 Feb 19;

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysian authorities seized about 3,300 rare pig-nosed turtles on Wednesday suspected of being smuggled into the Southeast Asian country.

The turtles, found in Australia and on the Indonesian island of Papua, are endangered due to high demand from exotic pet traders, wildlife experts said.

Seven packages of turtles were discovered during a boat inspection near Johor on Malaysia’s southern coast, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said in a statement, adding that two people were arrested.

The value of the seized turtles was estimated at 150,000 ringgit ($36,909), the agency said.

Crocodile caught at Lower Seletar Reservoir, water activities remain suspended

Channel NewsAsia 23 Feb 19;

SINGAPORE: A crocodile that was spotted at Lower Seletar Reservoir last week has been caught, said national water agency PUB on Saturday (Feb 23).

The reptile was first spotted by a PUB contractor on Feb 14, prompting a suspension of all water and fishing activities there.

Authorities managed to trap it at the reservoir at about 3am on Saturday.

The reptile, an estuarine crocodile, is about 1.7m long. “It has been translocated into the wild,” said PUB.

Crocodile spotted at Lower Seletar Reservoir, water activities suspended

Channel NewsAsia 14 Feb 19;

SINGAPORE: All water and fishing activities at Lower Seletar Reservoir have been suspended until further notice after a crocodile was spotted in the area on Thursday (Feb 14).

A PUB contractor spotted the reptile in the morning, said the national water agency in a Facebook post, adding that it will be working with National Parks Board to capture the crocodile.

"For public safety, all water activities and fishing activities at Lower Seletar Reservoir have been suspended until further notice," said PUB.

"The public is advised to be alert and avoid going near the reservoir water edge."

Indonesia: Population of Komodo dragons in national park stable

Antara 2 Feb 19;

Komodo dragons in the Komodo National Park in West Manggara, East Nusa Tenggara. ANTARA FOTO/Indrianto Eko Suwarso/aww.

Kupang, E Nusa Tenggara (ANTARA News) - The population of Komodo dragons at the Komodo National Park located in West Manggara, East Nusa Tenggara Province, reaches 2,897 and is considered to be stable.

"Based on our record, the population of Komodo dragons remains stable, which is between two thousand and three thousand heads," Jackson, the Park`s Komodo dragon monitoring officer, stated here, Saturday.

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