Record seizures of pangolin scales: Smugglers ‘exploiting Singapore’s efficient ports’

NEO CHAI CHIN Today Online 10 Apr 19;

SINGAPORE — Two massive seizures here of pangolin scales in less than a week show that transnational organised networks are exploiting Singapore’s efficient ports, said wildlife trade monitoring network Traffic on Wednesday (April 10).

Commending the seizure of the shipments, Traffic senior communications officer Elizabeth John said the Singapore authorities need to work with the international community to uncover the criminals behind them.

“This should be the next line of inquiry for investigators,” said Ms John, who is based in Malaysia. “From previous cases, it is clearly the result of organised networks.”

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Video of pigeon culling in Hougang ‘an outright case of cruelty’: Acres

SHERLYN SEAH Today Online 10 Apr 19;

SINGAPORE — Animal welfare group Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) has filed a report with the National Parks Board (NParks) requesting that the agency investigate what it claims to be the improper handling of birds.

A video posted on Acres’ Facebook page on Tuesday (April 9) showed workers outside Hougang MRT station feeding poison to pigeons to sedate them, before bagging the birds in trash bags and disposing of them.

The birds are seen flapping around weakly on the ground, with some still alive and moving in the trash bags.

Responding to TODAY’s queries, Acres said that this was “an outright case of cruelty”, noting that culling is an “alarming” islandwide concern not limited to Hougang and has been in practice for over a decade.

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Malaysia: Tasik Chini gazetted as permanent forest reserve

Bernama New Straits Times 10 Apr 19;

PEKAN: The Pahang state government has gazetted an area of 4,900 hectares in Tasik Chini as a permanent forest reserve, compatible with its site as a biosphere reserve area as previously declared by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in 2009.

Pahang State Forestry Department director Datuk Dr Mohd Hizamri Mohd Yasin said the matter was decided at the State Government Council Meeting on March 6 and as such the area would be protected from any other land use activities including mining and logging.

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Indonesia: Tourists check out early from Batam resorts after oil found on beaches

Fadli The Jakarta Post 10 Apr 19;

Beaches near Nongsa resorts in Batam, Riau Islands, have been covered with a thick film of stinky, black oil since Tuesday, forcing foreign tourists staying at the resorts along the beaches to check out earlier than planned or cancel their stay.

Similar incidents occurred three times in 2018, resort management company PT Citramas Group spokesperson Nara Dewa told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

The resorts affected by the black oil are Nongsa Point Marina, Nongsa Village and Turi Beach Resort.

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Best of our wild blogs: 10 Apr 19

Reconstructing a Sperm Whale’s Tale
Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum

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Singapore raises concerns over Johor river, seeks sustainable water supply for both countries

Amir Yusof Channel NewsAsia 9 Apr 19;

PUTRAJAYA: Singapore has raised with the Malaysian government its concerns about pollution in the Johor River as well as its long-term yield, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday (Apr 9), adding that it is in both countries' interests to work together to ensure sustainable water supply.

Mr Lee was speaking at a joint press conference during the leaders’ retreat alongside his Malaysian counterpart Mahathir Mohamad.

He noted that just last week, Singapore's PUB waterworks at Kota Tinggi was forced to shut operations because of high ammonia levels.

The Johor River had become polluted after a reservoir at a bio-composite centre next to an oil palm refinery in Sedenak burst, causing the contaminated water to flow into the water body.

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Shellfish from Malaysia meets safety requirements for heavy metals: Singapore Food Agency

Channel NewsAsia 10 Apr 19;

SINGAPORE: Samples and tests of shellfish imported from Malaysia meets Singapore's food safety requirements for heavy metals, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said on Tuesday (Apr 9).

Responding to CNA's queries, the agency said that Singapore imported about 40 per cent of its shellfish, including live, chilled, frozen crustaceans and molluscs, from Malaysia last year.

The rest of its shellfish imports are from countries including China, India, Indonesia and Vietnam.

SFA's response comes in the wake of reports about the potential risk of heavy metal poisoning from eating shellfish from the Straits of Malacca.

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Best of our wild blogs: 9 Apr 19

Awesome Underwater Dive Catch of the Grey-headed Fish Eagle
Singapore Bird Group

27 April: Our Earth Our Future at Nee Soon East
Green Drinks Singapore

May-Jun 2019: Special FREE nature walks at Pulau Ubin for Pesta Ubin
Celebrating Singapore Shores!

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Rosewood case: Court of Appeal clears businessman and firm of importing logs without a permit

Selina Lum Straits Times 8 Apr 19;

SINGAPORE - In the final twist to a five-year saga involving a shipment of Madagascan rosewood logs worth US$50 million (S$67.8 million), the Court of Appeal on Monday (April 8) quashed the convictions of a Singaporean businessman and his trading firm for importing the logs without a permit.

The decision by a five-judge court, set out in a 79-page written judgment, hinged on the interpretation of the term "transit" in the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act, which regulates the trade of specified species of animals and plants, including rosewood.

The court ruled that the rosewood brought into Singapore by Mr Wong Wee Keong, 58, and his company Kong Hoo was in transit, and was not imported. Thus, the charges against Mr Wong and his firm for importing the logs without a permit could not stand.

The court also ordered the 29,434 logs that authorities had seized in March 2014 to be released to Mr Wong and his firm "as soon as was practicable".

The Court of Appeal's decision has brought the case full circle for Mr Wong and his firm, who were initially acquitted of the charges.

The rosewood was brought into Singapore in a cargo vessel that berthed at Jurong Port on March 11, 2014.

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Malaysia: Scientists warn about eating shellfish from heavy metal contaminated Straits of Malacca

Bernama New Straits Times 8 Apr 19;

KUALA LUMPUR: Seafood lovers living on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia are being warned to reduce their shellfish consumption because of the risk of heavy metal poisoning.

Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) School of Marine & Environmental Sciences marine biology programme senior lecturer, Assoc Prof Dr Ong Meng Chuan, said a team of 25 scientists and researcher detected a high concentration of heavy metals like arsenic, cadmium, plumbum and mercury around estuaries and harbours in the Straits of Malacca during a scientific voyage from March 13-22.

He said findings reveal the waters off Johor, Port Klang and Pulau Pinang are at a higher risk of heavy metal contamination.

"This situation indirectly leads to the contamination of a food source because it is in the nature of shellfish to stay put and not migrate in search of food.

"Obviously, if the water is contaminated with heavy metals, it will be passed up the food chain," he told Bernama.

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Best of our wild blogs: 8 Apr 19

Singapore Raptor Report – February 2019
Singapore Bird Group

Butterfly of the Month - April 2019
Butterflies of Singapore

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Malaysia: Baby orang utan among 9 animals rescued from smugglers

Bernama New Straits Times 7 Apr 19;

MUAR: Region Two marine policemen foiled an attempt to smuggle in nine protected animals, including a baby orang utan, worth RM403,000 in Parit Unas, Parit Jawa last night.

Region Two marine police commander Assistant Commissioner Paul Khiu Khon Chiang said the success was due to the department’s surveillance work at the Parit Unas fishermen’s Jetty.

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