Best of our wild blogs: 5 Aug 18

Singapore’s Seahorses – Sex, soup and sleep
Hantu Blog

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Malaysia: MNS Johor approves of shoot-on-sight policy

mohd farhaan shah The Star 3 Aug 18;

JOHOR BARU: Drastic action like having a shoot-on-sight policy against poachers will help save and protect Malaysian wildlife, said Malaysian Nature Society Johor chairman Vincent Chow.

Chow said Malaysia had long been involved in a war against poachers.

He said this in support of Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar’s announcement that he was seriously considering bringing a shoot-on-sight policy on wildlife poachers for the Cabinet’s deliberation.

“These poachers come from countries such as Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia and they are here just to hunt down our animals such as tigers, elephants as well as for agarwood, because they are very lucrative in the black market.

“The poachers will usually work in a group of five where at least two or three of them are normally armed. They are very dangerous,” he said when contacted by StarMetro.

Chow noted that these poachers would usually spend months in the Malaysian jungles until they were able to obtain what they wanted in their hunt.

He said the poachers would build their own camps to familiarise themselves with the Malaysian jungles to make it easier for them to hunt the animals.

“They will carry specific weapons for the different animals targeted, and they will resort to anything including attacking officers from the Malaysian authorities if they come across them in the jungle,” he said.

He said Malaysia needed strict action in its fight against poachers, having such policy would reduce the threat of poachers and send a strong warning to others.

In earlier reports, Dr Xavier said he would instruct ministry officials to immediately have a meeting between the army, police, Perhilitan as well as the Maybank Foundation and WWF Malaysia to see what could be done collaboratively.

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Malaysia: No farm workers affected by bird flu - Sabah minister

Olivia Miwil New Straits Times 4 Aug 18;

TUARAN: None of the workers at a chicken farm here are showing any signs of being affected by the bird flu virus, Sabah Agriculture and Food Industries Minister Junz Wong said today.

On Tuesday, the chicken farm was found positive for avian influenza (bird flu) and the district was declared as a bird flu epidemic area.

“Health personnel had gone to the farm, where the bird flu virus was first detected, to conduct checks on the workers.

“For now, there are no signs and symptoms of them affected by the disease.

"However, the team will continue to check including the village within a kilometre radius of the farm,” he said, adding that 471 villagers within the vicinity are still being monitored for possible infection.

Junz was speaking to reporters during a visit to a newly established district operation centre established to monitor the bird flu incidence.

He added that culling operations, involving two farms with 10,000 and 18,000 birds respectively, have started today and will continue tomorrow.

“Compensation (to farm owners) will come later. What is important is to contain the disease.

On Tuesday, the chicken farm was found positive for avian influenza (bird flu) and the district was declared as a bird flu epidemic area. Pic by STR/LANO LAN
“We are still trying to find out and determine how the virus got into the state,” he said, adding the ministry is hoping to declare the district free from the virus within two months.

Meanwhile, a check by NSTP at the district also showed that the department had been conducting inspections on vehicles coming out of the affected area at Kampung Kauluan Kiulu near here.

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A red tide ravaging Florida may have killed a whale shark for the first known time

Kate Furby Washington Post 3 Aug 18;

In late July, a whale shark washed up dead at Sanibel Island in Florida. The young adult male shark was 26 feet long and floating in the surf zone as soft waves lapped around its body.

Abby Jakoplic-Arnold, on vacation from Kansas City, Mo., happened to be on the beach when the shark was being removed. “At first we didn’t know if it was dead,” she recalled. “But it became pretty obvious when they flipped it over and blood was coming out of its gills.”

A biologist from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission sampled the shark's muscle, liver, intestines and stomach contents. The muscles and organs tested positive for brevetoxin, a neurotoxin created by a harmful algae called Karenia brevis. This is the first time the commission has had an opportunity to sample whale shark tissue for this toxin.

Scientists cannot be certain about the exact cause of the whale shark's death, but the timing and location implicate the harmful algal bloom, or “red tide,” as the most likely cause. “This whale shark was definitely exposed to the bloom, and we know brevetoxins” are deadly to fish, said Kelly Richmond, a spokeswoman for the commission.

Five shark biologists were interviewed for this report, and none had ever heard of a whale shark death related to algal blooms.

The bloom along the Florida coast stretches 100 miles from Sarasota County to Collier County. It has affected the coastline in different ways and areas for the past nine months. The commission has fielded hundreds of reports on its Fish Kill Hotline, and its biologists have collected thousands of water samples to test for the algae. On Friday, algal load in the water was still very concentrated, at millions of cells per liter of ocean water. A “low” concentration is about 1,000 cells per liter. Harmful algal blooms are often called "red tide," because some kinds of algae can make the water appear reddish.

Whale sharks are filter feeding, gentle giants with constellations of white polka dots on glimmering navy blue skin. They have small eyes set wide above a mouth that gapes to an enormous size to pull in the water from which they filter small items such as fish eggs, plankton and krill. They do not generally occupy coastlines, said Bob Hueter, a senior shark scientist from the Mote Marine Laboratory in Florida, and harmful algal blooms are commonly found close to the coast. This geographic separation may be part of why whale sharks have not been reported with red tides previously.

The second part of the mysterious shark death is how the shark became trapped in the bloom in the first place. Sharks have taste buds in their throats and mouths as well as a very good sense of smell, which should help them to avoid feeding in toxic areas, Hueter said.

Along with the Fish and Wildlife Commission, Gretchen Lovewell, manager of Mote's Stranding Investigations Program, has been responding to other animal strandings caused by the bloom. She said more than 100 turtle deaths have been recorded — 50 in the past month. Green sea turtles, loggerheads, and Kemp's ridley (a critically endangered species) are among the casualties.

After accidentally ingesting the toxic algae, turtles appear “intoxicated” and uncoordinated in the water and are unable to swim. Most turtles drown as a result. It is turtle nesting season in Florida, Lovewell said, so this may explain the large number of turtles affected. As baby turtles hatch, they will have to swim through the toxic bloom to reach open water. Because baby turtles do not feed right after hatching (they have a tiny belly-button-shaped yolk sac to nourish them in their infancy), scientists hope that they will make it through the algae bloom.

Manatees, dolphins and grouper have also been reported dead as a result of the bloom, Lovewell said. The animals are accidentally ingesting the algae along with their food, said Rachel Graham, a whale shark scientist and director of MarAlliance.

Toxic algal blooms can also harm humans. The toxin is accumulated in filter-feeding animals such as mussels and oysters and is toxic to humans if ingested. Authorities are monitoring beaches and seafood from the area. Swimmers are advised not to enter the water if dead fish are present. The algae “can be airborne in sea spray and cause people along beaches to have difficulty breathing. You start wheezing and coughing,” said Don Anderson, director of the U.S. National Office for Marine Biotoxins and Harmful Algal Blooms.

Algal blooms are a natural phenomenon that can be aggravated by human influences such as pollution or nutrient runoff from sewage or land development. They can occur in freshwater and saltwater. The algae are usually present in small amounts such as a few thousand cells per liter. Once the algae are triggered to “bloom,” or rapidly reproduce, they reach concentrations in the millions. The ocean has thousands of species of algae, and only about 100 that produce dangerous toxins, Anderson said. Algae in general are hugely important to marine life. Scientists do not know why this algal bloom is so concentrated and persistent.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission is maintaining a red tide hotline and status report website.

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Best of our wild blogs: 4 Aug 18

19 Aug (Sun) - Free guided walk at Chek Jawa Boardwalk
Adventures with the Naked Hermit Crabs

Nesting of Long-tailed Parakeets in Singapore – A 11 weeks Monitoring Report
Singapore Bird Group

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Malaysia, Johor: No to waste from China

The Star 3 Aug 18;

JOHOR BARU: Johor has rejected investment deals from two Chinese companies to build waste recycling centres in the state, said state international trade, investment and utilities committee chairman Jimmy Puah Wee Tse.

He said the Johor government did not want to see the state become a waste disposal centre for other countries, and would never accept such investments.

“Earlier in June, I announced that the state government had rejected investments from three companies from China. Last week I rejected two more investments from the same country.

“The same move has been taken by the Kedah and Selangor governments. I hope investors in this industry get the message that Johor will not allow the state to become a waste disposal centre,” he said after attending Johor Corporation investor networking session held in conjunction with its 50th anniversary at Persada International Convention here.

Puah said the government, through the Johor Department of Environment (DoE), would also conduct raids on a number of companies believed to be masquerading as green technology firms.

“Recently, I had discussions with the Johor DoE director on raids on companies that import green technology materials.

“I know there are some companies in the state which forge their import invoices to bring in plastic waste. We will hunt them down and impose the maximum penalty allowed for under the law on them,” he said.

Puah said currently over 100 million tonnes of garbage was waiting to be exported from major ports in China.

“I urge the public to inform the state government or the DoE if they have any information related to this kind of activity. This is very serious because when the waste arrives here, it will take a long time for it to be biodegradeable.

“Electrical and electronic waste products that have harmful chemicals can also pollute our water resources,” he added.

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Australia to 'vehemently' oppose Japan push to ease whaling ban

AFP Yahoo News 2 Aug 18;

Australia Thursday vowed to "vehemently" oppose a new push by Japan to undermine a global moratorium on commercial whaling, and urged like-minded nations to stand firm against Tokyo.

Japan has regularly sought an easing of the International Whaling Commission's (IWC) prohibition on commercial whaling and continues to kill the animals under what it calls a "scientific research" programme despite international criticism.

At September's IWC meeting in Brazil, Tokyo has said it plans to "propose setting a catch quota for species whose stocks are recognised as healthy by the IWC scientific committee".

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said she was concerned by the proposal.

"We strongly support the 30-year global moratorium on commercial whaling and will vehemently oppose any attempts to undermine the processes that support it," she said.

This included "through changed voting regimes or the establishment of catch-limits for commercial whaling".

"At the commission meeting in September, Australia will be calling on like-minded nations to reject Japan's proposal," she added.

Hideki Moronuki, an official in charge of whaling at Japan's fisheries agency, told AFP in June the proposal would not specify which whale species and how many mammals Japan wants to hunt.

But he said the IWC classifies several species as no longer depleted.

Japan also plans measures to change the body's decision-making process, lowering the threshold for proposals to pass from three quarters of members to half.

Tokyo claims its "scientific research" is necessary to prove whale populations are large enough to sustain a return to commercial hunting, but Bishop said this was not correct.

"The science is clear, you do not need to kill whales in order to study them," she said.

Japan makes no secret of the fact that meat from the expeditions ends up on dinner tables, despite a significant decline in the popularity of whale meat.

During its most recent annual whale hunt, Japan reported it caught 333 minkes, 122 of which were pregnant, sparking outrage among conservationists.

Japanese officials said the high rate of pregnant whales showed the strength of the minke population.

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Thousands of firefighters struggle to contain giant blazes in California

AFP Yahoo News 3 Aug 18;

Lakeport (United States) (AFP) - Thousands of firefighters were struggling Thursday to contain two vast wildfires in California, one of which has become one of the most destructive blazes in the state's history.

The Carr Fire has scorched 126,00 acres (51,00 hectares) of land since July 23, when authorities say it was triggered by the "mechanical failure of a vehicle" that caused sparks to fly in tinderbox dry conditions.

The fire has also razed 1,465 buildings, including some 1,000 homes, making it the sixth most destructive blaze in the history of the fire-prone western state.

More than 4,200 firefighters have been deployed to battle the conflagration but they have only succeeded in containing 35 percent of it so far.

Another major blaze known as the Ferguson Fire broke out near the popular Yosemite National Park almost three weeks ago, on July 13, and was only 39 percent contained by Thursday, officials said.

It has burned 68,610 acres of land, of which 5,700 went up in smoke on Wednesday night alone.

"The high pressure system above the fire is weakening throughout the week, resulting in warmer and drier conditions. This will increase fire behavior," warned Inciweb, which provides updates on the fires.

The two fires have killed eight people, with the Carr Fire alone responsible for six of the deaths.

Other fires raging in the state include the Mendocino Complex. It's made up of two blazes, the River Fire, which is 50 percent under control after burning 35,278 acres, and the Ranch Fire, which has torched 74,890 acres and is only 33 percent contained.

Several thousand people have been evacuated as the fires swept across the state, although some have been given permission in recent days to return to their homes.

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Best of our wild blogs: 3 Aug 18

12 Aug 2018 (Sunday): Herp Walk with the HSS at Tampines Eco-Green
Herpetological Society of Singapore

Ubin Also Instagrammable: 3 AUG - 9 AUG
Wan's Ubin Journal

Pulau Ubin Lives: Houses, Residents, History, And Heritage
Wan's Ubin Journal

Artists get-together at Sungei Buloh Wetlands
Art in Wetlands

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E-waste is more pressing issue than plastics: Masagos

Jose Hong Straits Times 2 Aug 18;

SINGAPORE - While there is plenty of focus on plastic waste, the more pressing issue facing Singapore is electronic waste, Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli said on Thursday (Aug 2).

"E-waste is very toxic, people underestimate the toxicity of the e-waste that we dispose of and for the longest time we weren't processing it," he said.

Plastics on the other hand were being collected properly and then incinerated, the minister said.

"And we scrub all the toxic dioxins when we incinerate," he added.

He was responding to chief executive of real estate firm CBRE Pauline Goh during an on-stage discussion at the annual Singapore Green Building Council Leadership Conversations meeting.

Earlier this week, the Singapore Environment Council revealed that Singapore used at least 1.76 billion pieces of plastic a year, the majority of which is made up of bags from supermarkets.

Referring to this figure, Ms Goh said: "Singapore's recycling efforts have yielded very limited results. For example, only two per cent of the 820 million plastic bags taken yearly from supermarkets are recycled by consumers. How do we ensure that our efforts go a longer way?"

E-waste collection bins will be placed in Best Denki, Courts, Gain City and Harvey Norman outlets.

Mr Masagos replied: "When you try to do everything you'll end up doing nothing, so do the most important things first - and right now we are tackling e-waste."

He talked about the extended producer responsibility law, due to take effect by 2021, that would force producers of electrical and electronic equipment in Singapore to ensure their products are collected and recycled or disposed of when they reach the end of their lifespans.

He also said that the authorities were focusing on tackling packaging waste. Last month he announced that companies in Singapore would have to report on the packaging used in their products in 2021, a year earlier than the previous deadline.

Mr Masagos said that the issue with plastic waste here was not about improper disposal, which affects the waterways and seas, but about reducing the demand.

He said imposing a levy and fine for using plastic bags was not the solution, calling instead for a revolution in how Singapore society addressed plastic waste with everyone working together instead of waiting for someone else to take action.

Mr Masagos also recalled that plastic bags solved a problem the Republic used to face in the 1970s.

"Back when we didn't bag our trash, we just threw food into our rubbish chutes and caused pests to come and at the same time it would corrode the linings of chutes, and we had to repair them so often. This problem got mitigated when we started bagging our trash."

He said: "The issue is to make sure we don't take more bags than we need, don't use more bags than we can, and dispose of them properly. And at the same time, how do we reduce our trash so that we don't have to bag more of it?"

"If we reduce our trash, we reduce our bags," the minister said.

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Singapore Green Building Council offers free trip to Melbourne in bid to stir public interest in green buildings

Jose Hong Straits Times 2 Aug 18;

SINGAPORE - The Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC) is offering a free trip for two to Melbourne on Singapore Airlines, as part of its campaign to get the public interested in sustainable buildings.

Titled "Live.Work.Play.Green", the two-month campaign, launched on Thursday (Aug 2), also dangles prizes such as a staycation at Marina Bay Sands or Resorts World Sentosa through an online quiz.

SGBC president Tan Swee Yiow said the public still does not know enough about the value of green buildings, or of the power they have to influence their environment through the places they live, work and play in.

This is why the non-governmental organisation is shifting its focus away from companies in its campaign.

"When people buy an apartment, most aren't prepared to pay a premium for a green unit," he said at the National Gallery Singapore. "We hope that people will learn that green buildings are healthier and better for their occupants, and that utilities savings are just one part of the equation."

Examples of green features in buildings are large windows to let in more natural light, which Singapore has an abundance of, as well as smart systems that can monitor air quality and energy usage.

In his opening speech at the annual SGBC Leadership Conversations meeting where the campaign was launched, Mr Tan said: "Although buildings only occupy 3 per cent of the world's total land mass, they are responsible for more than half of the energy use and one-third of all carbon emissions."

Mr Tan said the council aims to support the Year of Climate Action, and added that eight buses advertising their campaign will ply Singapore roads until the end of September.

He hoped that through the quiz, people would have fun while learning about the sustainable structures Singaporeans spend their lives in.

Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli said: "Improving energy and carbon efficiency in our buildings is a key strategy for reducing our emissions."

Mr Masagos, who was guest of honour at the launch, added: "This is a good effort to raise awareness... of the value of green buildings and the important role they play in reducing our carbon footprint."

The quiz can be accessed at https://greenbuildings.sg/

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Farewell to Raffles Country Club, as SLA acquires land amid uncertainty over HSR project

FARIS MOKHTAR Today Online 1 Aug 18;

SINGAPORE – Despite lingering uncertainty over the Kuala Lumpur–Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) project, the Government on Wednesday (Aug 1) proceeded with its acquisition of the land that Raffles Country Club (RCC) sits on.

In January 2017, the Government announced that RCC would be the second club after Jurong Country Club to make way for the HSR's facilities. The site will also house the future Cross Island Line's (CRL) western depot.

The club, which opened in 1988 and is one of Singapore's oldest, was to hand over the land to the Singapore Land Authority on July 31 (Tuesday) – 10 years before its 30-year lease was due to expire in October 2028.

However, developments in Malaysia after the election of a new government led by Dr Mahathir Mohamad have left the fate of the HSR project in doubt. With Malaysia's national debt at RM$1 trillion (S$335 billion), Dr Mahathir said in July that his government would negotiate a deferment of the rail link to avoid paying compensation to Singapore if the project was scrapped.

Malaysian Economic Affairs Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali said this week that the meeting between both countries to discuss the project would likely take place in August.

Responding to TODAY's queries, a Singapore Land Authority (SLA) spokesperson confirmed that the Government "took site possession of Raffles Country Club's land on 1 August 2018".

However, the SLA spokesperson noted that a temporary license has been granted to the club from Aug 1 to January 31 next year so that RCC can use its existing clubhouse, golf buggy area, bin centre, maintenance complex and 24 carpark lots to "facilitate the winding down of its operations and disposal of assets".

RCC stated on its website that the club's "critical staff", including its general manager and finance manager, as well as employees dealing with membership and facilities would remain till January 2019.

It is unclear whether other employees such as frontline staff and cleaners will remain, or if they have received assistance in applying for jobs elsewhere. The club's General Committee president Paul Singh could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

Club members expressed sadness over RCC's closure, and said they would miss its iconic lakeside golf course, which "could not be found anywhere else" in Singapore. But they were understanding, as they knew that the land was still needed for the Jurong Lake District development regardless of whether the HSR project went ahead.

Retiree Loh Yoke Peng, 53, who has been a member for 15 years, said the club's closure would not affect golfers as there are "too many golf courses" here.

She said: "It's not like the old days where golf memberships were exclusive. So, it's not difficult to play the sport now. The land can be better used."

Mr Patrick Kwek, a 69-year-old retiree who has been a member since the club's founding, noted that club was like a "second home" to him as he played golf there about two to three times a week.

He said that there have been more events in the weeks leading up to the club's closure such as reunion golf games and dinner parties. Mr Kwek and some members also organised a farewell lunch for some of the club's frontline staff at Indian restaurant Samy's Curry a few weeks ago, as he said "they have helped us a lot over the years and we share a bond".

With the Malaysian government yet to confirm its position on the HSR project, there had been calls from RCC members to review the club's acquisition.

When asked why SLA had proceeded with the acquisition despite the uncertainty, its spokesperson referred to National Development Minister Lawrence Wong's response in Parliament on July 9, where he noted that plans to develop the Jurong Lake District – including the land set aside for the construction of the HSR project – are still relevant.

Mr Wong had said that the plans include developing a commercial precinct, building up to 20,000 new homes, and setting up a major transport hub connecting existing and upcoming MRT lines.

Jurong Country Club's former site, which was acquired at the end of 2016, will be used for new mixed-use developments and community facilities, while the Raffles Country Club site is required for the Cross Island Line's western depot and other transport related uses.

Previously, the authorities said that RCC – over twice the size of Jurong Country Club – was deemed most suitable to run HSR tracks at ground level before it goes underground towards the Jurong East Terminus. Initially targeted for a Dec 31, 2026, opening, the HSR would take travellers from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur in 90 minutes.

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