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!

Read more!

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.

Read more!

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.

Read more!

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

Read more!

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.

Read more!

Malaysia: Water supply to over one million users affected by ammonia pollution in Sg Sayong resumes

remar nordin The Star 7 Apr 19;

JOHOR BARU: The water supply to more than one million users in parts of Kulai, here and Kota Tinggi is back to full flow on Sunday (April 7).

Ranhill SAJ Sdn Bhd (Ranhill SAJ) chief executive officer, Datuk Ahmad Faizal Abdul Rahman, said that consumers in these areas were affected by the impact of ammonia pollution at Sungai Sayong on April 3.

"Up until 10am, consumers have been getting treated water in stages, except for some high and far-end distribution locations involving 5,067 accounts in parts of Johor Baru, which include Taman Pelangi Indah, Desa Tebrau, Kempas Lurah, Kempas Denai, Kempas Permatang, Kempas Banjaran, and Taman Kempas.

"Meanwhile, water supply will be restored by midnight in parts of Felda Ulu Tebrau, Taman Bukit Tiram, Taman Bukit Jaya and Taman Puteri Wangsa which receive supply from the Tai Hong water treatment plant (LRA)," he said in a statement here on Sunday.

Read more!

A walk on the wild side: Singapore’s upcoming nature attractions

Gabrielle Andres Channel NewsAsia 7 Apr 19;

SINGAPORE: Singapore may be known as a thriving modern city, but it is also home to a diverse, rich ecosystem.

In January, the National Parks Board (NParks) announced a 10-year action plan to strengthen Singapore's rainforests and facilitate regeneration in secondary forests in buffer nature parks.

Additionally, more green spaces will be introduced across the island and a series of new park connectors and trails will make these areas more accessible than ever.

If you're looking for an adventure in nature or a mere change in scenery, away from the bustling cityscape, you may want to plan a visit to these new and upcoming sites.

Read more!

Best of our wild blogs: 7 Apr 19

Night Walk At Dairy Farm Nature Park (05 Apr 2019)
Beetles@SG BLOG

Read more!

PUB’s Johor waterworks resumes production of treated water to Singapore after drop in ammonia levels

Channel NewsAsia 6 Apr 19;

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s national water agency PUB said on Saturday (Apr 6) its waterworks in the Malaysian state of Johor has resumed operations, continuing the production of treated water to Singapore.

Operations at Johor River Waterworks (JRWW) were halted earlier this week, after high ammonia levels were found in the Johor Rivers.

The pollution disrupted water supply to about 17,000 households in the Malaysian town of Kulai, but residents in Singapore were not affected as PUB had stepped up production at its desalination plants, NEWater plants and local waterworks to meet demand.

“PUB’s Johor River Waterworks (JRWW) has resumed operations,” said the water agency in a media statement on Saturday night.

“The ammonia level in JRWW’s intake point has reduced. PUB has conducted stringent water quality tests and assessed that the raw water at JRWW’s intake point is suitable for abstraction and treatment.”

Read more!

Malaysia: Five water treatment plants shut down due to ammonia pollution fully operational

mohd farhaan shah The Star 6 Apr 19;

JOHOR BARU: Five water treatment plants that have been shut down due to high level of ammonia pollution along Sungai Sayong and Sungai Johor are now up and running again.

The five plants are Sayong 1 and Sayong 2, Semanggar, Sungai Johor and Tai Hong, which is managed by Public Utilities Board (PUB).

Johor International Trade, Investment and Utility Committee chairman Jimmy Puah Wee Tse said even though the plants were fully operational, the water supply to the affected areas would still take some time to be at full capacity.

He pointed out that the Tai Hong water treatment plant, which begin operations on 11pm on Friday (April 5), could only supply treated water to residents here, starting at 6am on Saturday (April 6) in stages.

Read more!

Malaysia: 70 police reports filed in Sungai Kim Kim pollution case

Read more!

Another tree falls in Old Airport Road area after a second day of heavy rain

Ng Huiwen Straits Times 5 Apr 19;

SINGAPORE - Heavy rain and strong winds for the second day in a row resulted in another tree uprooting and falling in the Old Airport Road area on Thursday (April 4).

The tree near Block 11A Pine Close fell with a loud thud at about 4.30pm, residents said.

The incident comes after an eight-storey tree toppled onto Block 97 Jalan Dua early on Wednesday morning. About 20 units up to the eighth storey were affected, while a pavilion at the foot of the block had its roof crushed.

A 62-year-old Pine Close resident, who gave her name only as Ms Lin, told Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Wanbao about Thursday's incident: "I was on the way home at the time, and was somewhere at the foot of the block when I heard a loud thud. I turned my head to see that the tree next to the carpark had fallen."

Read more!