Best of our wild blogs: 28 Jun 12

Oil spill at Tanjung Piai, Johor
from wild shores of singapore

A fearsome threesome
from The annotated budak

White-crested Laughingthrush encounter
from Bird Ecology Study Group

eagle showtime @ the esplanade - June 2012
from sgbeachbum

Celebrating the Durian Season
from G33k5p34k's Blog

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Malaysia: Tanjung Piai National Park Closed Due To Oil Spill

Bernama 27 Jun 12;

PONTIAN, June 27 (Bernama) -- The Tanjung Piai National Park here has been closed to tourists due to an oil slick measuring about 600 metre-long sighted on the beach yesterday afternoon.

Johor National Parks Corporation director Suhairi Hashim said the closure was to facilitate cleaning-up work which would take three days.

"We are awaiting the Beach Cleaning Committee's decision before launching the clean-up operation.

"The committee is made up of several agencies, including the Department of Environment (DOE), the Pontian Land Office, and the Pontian District Office," he told reporters here Wednesday.

Suhairi said the oil slick, which was believed to have occurred during fuel transfer from vessels off Tanjung Piai, was spotted by Tanjung Piai National Park personnel at about 2pm yesterday.

-- BERNAMA

Oil spill forces park closure
Ahmad Fairuz Othman AND Sim Bak Heng New Straits Times 28 Jun 12;

ECOLOGICAL PROBLEM: Tanjung Piai National Park and Pulau Kukup affected

An oil slick in the swamp area at the Tanjung Piai National Park. Pic courtesy of Taman Negara Tanjung Piai

PONTIAN: The Tanjung Piai National Park here will be closed after an oil spill washed up onto a 600m coastal stretch located in the park and nearby Pulau Kukup.

The park, which has received about 30,000 tourists since January, will be closed to facilitate a three-day clean-up.

The oil spill was believed to have occurred when illegal vessel-to-vessel fuel transfers off the coast here took place since Tuesday.

The national park's staff were notified of the incident at 2pm on Tuesday. It was also reported to the Pontian District Office and the Marine Department.

"The oil spill could be seen along a 600m stretch along the main walkway heading towards the globe structure, which is the main landmark at the national park. The globe marks the southernmost tip of mainland Asia," said Johor National Parks Corporation director, Suhairi Hashim.

It also damaged the pedestrian walkway at the national park, causing birds and mangrove trees to be covered in oil sludge and affecting at least 10 species of marine life and insects in the park.

"It is feared the incident will endanger further the species of birds, shellfish and fish, as the oil has covered mangrove tree roots and can cause the plants to wither in two months."

The incident at the eco-tourism spot, listed as a Ramsar site, was the second incident since February this year. Ramsar sites are wetlands of international importance designated under the Ramsar Convention of 1971.

"Checks showed that the oil spill has also affected the Pulau Kukup National Park which is located not far from Tanjung Piai National Park."

Additional reporting by Jassmine Shadiqe

Lack of skills hampers oil sludge clean-up
New Straits Times 29 Jun 12;

PONTIAN: The lack of expertise and equipment is hampering the cleaning up of oil sludge at the Tanjung Piai National Park.

A Pulau Kukup National Park employee hard at work cleaning up an area spoilt by an oil spill. The park was closed after an oil spill washed up onto a 600m stretch in the park and nearby Pulau Kukup. Pic by Zulkarnain Ahmad Tajuddin

Johor National Parks Corporation director Suhairi Hashim said more than 30 workers from the national parks in Johor, including those from the Pulau Kukup National Park, had been roped in to help with the operation.

He said the cleaning was done manually with equipment like hoes, spades and absorbents provided by the state Department of Environment.

"They are digging up the oil sludge, packing them in plastic bags and wiping the mangrove tree roots with absorbent pads.

"The cleaning job is difficult because Tanjung Piai covers about 562ha and has over 1,000 mangrove trees.

"We expect the oil sludge will destroy more trees and kill more marine life.

"Last February, we had a similar clean-up which cost us RM50,000, yet more than 300 trees withered two months later.

"We expect to spend more than RM50,000 this time, too, but hope to rope in agencies, such as the Malaysian Nature Society, to help us with their expertise to minimise the impact of the pollution on our flora and fauna.

"As the cleaning exercise will stretch for five days, we welcome anyone with expertise and equipment to assist in our work so that it could be done faster and more effectively."

Those interested to assist in the cleaning can contact Tanjung Piai National Park at 07-6969712.

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Rhinos in Indonesia in more critical condition

Antara 27 Jun 12;

Bandarlampung, Lampung (ANTARA News) - The International Rhinos Foundation (IRF) disclosed that the rhinos in Indonesia are in a critical condition compared to those in other parts of the world.

"Since the last 20 years, the rhinos in Indonesia, especially in Sumatra, have practically lost their habitat as the result of massive illegal hunting," IRF Manager Sussie Ellise said in East Lampung on Wednesday.

She said the ILF with a partnership of the Indonesian Rhino Foundation (YABI) will be giving its firm support to the team in Indonesia to the survival of the big animals.

"Especially now that Andatu, the recently born rhino, will serve as a momentum in efforts for the survival of the rhinos in Sumatra," she added.

She also said that she has received many short messages and emails from many parts of the world congratulating the birth of Andatu, especially as the rhino population has not increased in the last 140 years, and that Andatu`s birth was the fourth in the world and the first in South East Asia.

Coordinator of the Sumatra Rhinos Wildlife Reserve (SRS) Dedi Chandra said the tiny rhino born to from a male Andalas and female Andatu is now in an excellent condition and continued familiarizing with its surroundings.

"Immediately two hours after its birth yesterday (June 26), it began searching for its mother`s milk, although often falling in the effort," Dedi.

In the next two weeks a team of Indonesian and foreign doctors will be monitoring until Andatu has reached a truly good and stable condition considering that the first two weeks following birth are critical.

A male Sumatra rhino was born in SRS TNWK East Lampung on Saturday (June 23) at 00.45 West Indonesia Time.

In a press release head of TNWK Institute Iwen Supranata said the birth of the rhino was the first after the breeding conservation in Asia 124 years ago.

"The birth of the rhino served as an historical milestone for the preservation of Sumatra rhinos and would hopefully increase world confidence in the government in preserving the rare animals in Indonesia," he said.(*)

Editor: Heru

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Best of our wild blogs: 27 Jun 12

Singapore's sea bed is rich with marine life!
from wild shores of singapore

Random Gallery - Tajuria dominus
from Butterflies of Singapore

The Bidadari Squirrel
from Urban Forest

Caught Red Handed
from Macro Photography in Singapore

Extensive survey near submerged reefs off Pulau Hantu
from wild shores of singapore and Floating barriers installed along Sentosa shore and Work on seawalls at Labrador

the kamikaze? @ the Riverwalk - June 2012
from sgbeachbum

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More 'flight' than 'fight' in wild boars

Straits Times Forum 27 Jun 12;

HAVING lived in Thomson Road for 16 years, I have had my fair share of wild boar sightings, which have increased over the past few years.

Many of these wild boars have more 'flight' than 'fight' in them.

They usually appear late at night when there are few people around. When they are startled by passing cars, they hurriedly dash back into the forested area.

I do not deny that wild boars can be a threat to public safety, but then again, wouldn't most wild animals attack if cornered?

Culling wild boars is not the way to control their population. Fencing up the places where they are often sighted would be a better solution, to prevent not only wild boars from venturing out, but also other wildlife that wander around and get run over by passing cars.

It would be a safer option for both the wildlife and the public.

I remember getting very excited over my first wild boar sighting, and I still get that feeling every time I spot one.

I am sure many people who do not live around forested areas will also be as thrilled. Some people even take their families to these areas to catch a glimpse of the wildlife, such as monkeys and wild boars.

I hope the wild boars will be spared. Let us enjoy nature in our urban city.

Teng Jiahui (Miss)

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South Korea to ban catching of dolphins for shows

AFP Yahoo News 27 Jun 12;

South Korea will ban the catching of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins for use in shows by designating them as protected mammals, the maritime affairs ministry said Tuesday.

An upcoming bill will also designate sea turtles and sea horses as protected species, the ministry said.

Currently it is legal to catch dolphins and whales for a show or for research if authorities give prior approval. Otherwise, it is punishable by a jail term of up to two years or a fine of up to five million won ($4,300).

The revised law would authorise seizures only for research. It would raise penalties to up to three years' imprisonment or a fine of up to 20 million won.

Dolphins are widely used for shows in South Korea. But Seoul's main zoo agreed in March to suspend its popular show over claims by activists that one of the dolphins was captured illegally.

In April, a court on the southern holiday island of Jeju ordered the release into the ocean of five dolphins which had been captured without permission and used in a show.

Some experts say dolphin shows have educational value and released mammals may not be able to adapt to the open sea. But animal rights activists have called for a ban on dolphin shows and tough rules on seizures.

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Keeping Asia's big cities afloat

Gavin Jones for The Straits Times 27 Jun 12;

BANGKOK, Jakarta and Manila are the megacities of South- east Asia today and, as with most other megacities, they are beset by environmental concerns.

These three megacities sit in low-lying coastal areas barely above sea level, although parts of outer Jakarta and Manila are elevated. So flood woes are prominent in Manila from typhoons, and in Jakarta from its yearly wet season.

Residential developments in nature and water catchment areas have exacerbated the flooding, including a luxurious housing estate in north Jakarta in a conservatory forest area. The forest was to have prevented seawater intrusion and stabilised high tides and floods but now, without it, routine flooding plagues the area.

As for Bangkok, in years when the Chao Phraya River brings run-off from unusually high seasonal rainfall from Thailand's north to central plains, floods can be disastrous. Last year, for example, the total rainfall in the Chao Phraya basin was between 50 per cent and 100 per cent more than the yearly wet season average.

Another aggravating factor seems to have been the conversion of low-lying agricultural land for urban use. Farmers in flood-prone areas of Thailand used to plant long-stem varieties of rice because these could keep ahead of rising floodwaters but now, land paved over for urban use is unable to absorb floodwaters. This, on top of coastal erosion, provides multiple challenges for Bangkok's planners.

Meanwhile, Jakarta and Manila are in the throes of transportation woes. Both have more vehicles than road capacity for them - neither capital has a subway either. Indonesia's petrol subsidies, for example, have spawned a housing sprawl around its major toll roads, causing much rush-hour congestion.

It is hard to measure exactly how large these megacities are, chiefly because official metropolitan boundaries fail to capture the considerable population and economic spillovers from downtown to outlying urban areas.

For example, in 2000, when Jakarta and Manila's total populations were adjusted to include people in surrounding built-up areas, the resulting megacity population estimates jumped from 8.4 million to 17.8 million for Jakarta, and from 9.5 million to 16.2 million for Manila. Similar adjustments for Bangkok raised its population from 6.3 million to 8.3 million.

These populations have since increased considerably and I am now leading a study under the auspices of National University of Singapore's Global Asia Institute (NUS-GAI), to find ways of projecting the populations of such megacities and the urban regions around their metropolitan boundaries.

Might moving South-east Asia's capital cities to less environmentally challenged locations be a solution?

Such a decision cannot be taken lightly. The concentration of wealth and power in these mega-urban regions is such that it contributes as much as 30 per cent to a country's gross domestic product. So moving to greener areas will not greatly stem the flow of people into cities.

The only way, it seems, is to work consistently on many fronts to improve the liveability of these megacities, on which the well-being of so many people depends.

Professor Gavin Jones is director of the J.Y. Pillay Comparative Asia Research Centre at NUS-GAI and he will be speaking at the NUS-GAI Signature Conference on Thursday and Friday.

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Best of our wild blogs: 26 Jun 12

Flying Fish Friends Speak
from Flying Fish Friends

Secret Sirens of Singapore: Dugongs in our midst
from wild shores of singapore

Another side of Mandai mangroves
from wild shores of singapore

Palp romance
from The annotated budak

eagle v kamikaze @ high street - June 2012
from sgbeachbum

Brown-Throated Sunbird Collecting Cocoon Silk
from Bird Ecology Study Group

The Asian Green Youth Challenge Conference 2012
from Green Drinks Singapore

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Researcher, residents study and observe wild boars

Evelyn Lam/Valerie Chang Channel NewsAsia 25 Jun 12;

SINGAPORE: News that a wild boar wandered out of the forest around Lower Peirce Reservoir and charged at a security guard and a five-year-old boy at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park last Friday may have raised concerns in some quarters.

But now a wild life researcher says wild boars moving out of the woods does not necessarily mean that there is an overpopulation of them.

Mr Ong Say Lin, Research Student, Department of Biological Sciences at the National University of Singapore, said: "This may not just be a sign that their numbers are increasing too quickly. We don't know that for sure yet, and I can't deny that as well. They are coming out and they are spreading to bigger areas. And they can't tell the difference between a natural area and a housing estate that has planted fruit trees. To them it's really all the same, and it's just their normal foraging behaviour."

And observing wild boars' foraging behaviour has become a new past-time for some of the residents at Upper Thomson.

They say wild boars foraging for food by the roadside is now almost a daily occurrence, which attracted many drivers to take snapshots of them.

One resident even turned his home-grown jackfruit tree into an 'observation post', where he spends up to two hours watching the wild boars from a safe distance.

To better understand wild boars, Mr Ong has put in place more than 30 camera traps to track the animals.

He has also set up a webpage and Facebook page where he published his research findings, to be shared with the public.

The public can share their sightings or knowledge of wild boars on the Facebook page to help others learn more about the habits and behaviour of the animals.

- CNA/de

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Culling wild boars: Explore humane options

Straits Times 26 Jun 12;

THERE is currently insufficient scientific data to support the proposed culling of wild boars. We are not calling for no action to be taken, but for humane solutions to be explored.

Two reasons were given for culling wild boars, and both have not been properly justified ('Why wild boars have to be culled'; June 16).

The first reason is that the wild boar population is surging, and this has a detrimental impact on our forests.

At a meeting with non-governmental organisations last month, however, the National Parks Board (NParks) stated that the current carrying capacity for wild boars in our forests is 500.

This means that our forests can sustain a maximum of 500 wild boars.

NParks also stated that the current population of wild boars in Singapore is between 200 and 300; this is about half the maximum carrying capacity.

Scientifically, there is no need to cull the wild boars yet.

All other arguments provided, such as the 'detrimental impact on our forests', are based on impressions rather than proper scientific studies.

More studies need to be conducted before a conclusion is made and any action taken.

The second reason given is public safety, which is undoubtedly important.

The reality, however, is that 'wild boars are not aggressive by nature, but all wild animals will attack if provoked'.

Culling in response to public safety does not address the root of the problem.

Wild boars will venture out of our forests if we continue to have fruit-bearing plants in the areas bordering our nature reserves. Wild boars simply do not understand that they have to remain in the nature reserves and that they will be killed if they venture out.

To address the issue of public safety, NParks should consider fencing up hot spots where wild boars have been spotted, and erecting signs on the road to urge motorists to slow down.

Other countries have already fenced up their protected areas, and this recommendation has been suggested by the public for the past few years.

We have been working with NParks to clamp down on the poaching of wild boars, and it has been actively destroying wild boar traps found in our forests. It would seem contradictory to now cull the wild boars we fought so hard to protect.

We live in a highly urbanised city and there will be more human-wildlife conflicts. Let us promote tolerance, compassion and respect for other species we share this island with.

Louis Ng
Executive Director
Animal Concerns Research and Education Society

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Hotter days ahead, says weatherman

Maximum temperature may hit 34 deg C in the coming weeks
Jalelah Abu Baker & Melissa Pang Straits Times 26 Jun 12;

WHILE possible rain in the next few days may bring some cheer to Singaporeans suffering in a sweltering June, the weatherman is also projecting hotter days ahead.

The Meteorological Service Singapore yesterday noted that while the highest temperature in this month's first 24 days was 32.7 deg C, daily maximum temperatures in the coming weeks may hit 34 deg C.

June temperatures so far have been milder compared with those in the past five years, with the highest in 2007 at 34 deg C. The highest temperature ever recorded in June is 35 deg C in 1985.

A spokesman for the meteorological service blames the sweaty conditions on strong solar heating, low rainfall and light winds.

While the next few days are expected to be rainy, the amount of rain may not be able to alleviate the heat, the spokesman added.

Professor Ong Choon Nam, director of National University of Singapore's Environmental Research Institute, said it has been a dryer June compared with last year, when floods occurred.

A dry spell could mean there is less moisture in the ground to absorb heat from the sun, causing more heat to be reflected.

The amount of rain is significantly less than in past years, noted Dr Lim Hock Beng, director of research and development at the Intelligent Systems Centre, Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Data from a weather station at NTU showed there have been only four days of rain so far this month, compared with 15 last year.

The heatwave has led to more people seeking help in hospitals. Khoo Teck Puat Hospital had 11 patients with heat disorders from January to June 21 this year. There were eight such cases in the first six months of last year.

Changi General Hospital has had 19 cases so far this year, compared with 14 in the same period last year. Dr Benny Goh of theemergency department said these were mostly athletes who spent long hours training in the sun.

Some traditional Chinese medicine clinics are treating more patients for illnesses related to 'heatiness' like sore throat and fever. Physician Chong Shaw Fong, who runs a medical hall in Upper Cross Street, said it handled about 23 such patients in the past month - twice the usual number.

Construction firms have tweaked their practices to protect workers from the sun. Staff at YMH Builder get 30-minute breaks from about three weeks ago, instead of 15-minute ones.

But some businesses are making hay while the sun shines.

A spokesman for supermarket NTUC FairPrice said sales of ice, ice cream, house-brand water and canned and bottled drinks have increased by 15 per cent this month compared with June last year.

Mr Eugene Fung, managing director of diner Merry Men, which offers al fresco dining, said business has soared twofold because there is less rain.

'More people tend to sit outside but they do not stay too long because of the heat,' he said. 'So overall it is good for business, as when there are empty tables we can then take in more people.'

Additional reporting by Walter Sim and Janice Tai

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Taiwan looking to Singapore on sea landfill

Taiwan EPA to hold land reclamation project conferences soon
Officials are reviewing the experience of countries such as Singapore and Japan in creating landfills utilizing sea reclamation
Lee I-chia Taipei Times 26 Jun 12;

The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) has scheduled four conferences in August aimed at developing a consensus on a proposed sea reclamation project using waste resources.

Industrial manufacturing and economic development have contributed to the generation of waste, the EPA said, adding that although about 80 percent of industrial waste is now reused or recycled, a shortage of landfill sites has led to an increase in illegal dumping.

Given that existing landfill and construction soil treatment sites are expected to reach capacity within three to four years, while local community protests hinder the building of news ones, the lack of final disposal sites has become a serious problem, the EPA said.

To address this problem, the EPA, drawing on the experience of countries such as Japan and Singapore, has proposed an interdepartmental project, creating a landfill by sea reclamation using waste resources.

The project, which has aroused concern that it could cause pollution, is now undergoing an environmental impact assessment, it said.

The EPA cited successful examples of sea reclamation using waste materials, such as the Tokyo Bay Central Breakwater Reclamation Project and the Osaka Bay Phoenix Project in Japan and the Pulau Semakau in Singapore, adding that not only did they solve the problem of waste treatment, but also created new land.

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