15 Oct 2017 (Sun) - Free guided walk at Chek Jawa Boardwalk
Adventures with the Naked Hermit Crabs
Loving Ubin mangroves in September
Restore Ubin Mangroves (R.U.M.) Initiative
Night dives at Pulau Hantu
The Hantu Bloggers
Kusu is alive!
Offshore Singapore
Oleander Hawk Moth (Daphnis nerii) @ Tanjong Pagar
Monday Morgue
The 122-year-old western entry point to Singapore waters is both picturesque and eccentric at once.
Justin Ong Channel NewsAsia 1 Oct 17;
SINGAPORE: Taking the hour-long boat journey to Sultan Shoal island resembles a rewinding of Singapore’s landscape. First, two of the city-state’s gleaming new palatial playthings - Marina Bay Sands and Sentosa Cove - shrink from view. Next come Pasir Panjang port’s gangly ”giraffe” container cranes, and Pulau Bukom’s hulking oil refinery tubs.
Then, neatly poised between the stark, reclaimed land patches of Jurong Island and Tuas, standing ground amongst an odd tanker or two, is the distinctive white, copper and beige structure which marks out Sultan Shoal.
Everything about the outcrop - 0.6 hectares, smaller than a football pitch - is curious. There is a man-made lagoon which fills with seawater at high tide - but swimming is not allowed.
At the other end, two holiday chalets have sat dormant since 2012, the property of PSA Corporation or what was once the state-run Port of Singapore Authority.
Sandwiched in between is the 122-year-old lighthouse, a white Victorian column perched atop a two-storey design brick-laid with clashes of colonial and local influences.
It is a transporting experience standing at this western point for vessels entering and departing Singapore’s waters, said lighthouse keeper Lee Kwang Liang.
“This is a very special island, beautiful by itself,” the 64-year-old added.
He is one of eight men employed by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) to look after its five lighthouses.
Lee’s fellow keeper, 54-year-old N Manikaveloo, explained: “At any one time, four of us will be on an 11-day shift (at Pulau Pisang and Raffles lighthouses), while the others do unmanned lighthouse maintenance.”
Bedok lighthouse, Horsburgh lighthouse on Pedra Branca and Sultan Shoal are unmanned. The latter was only automated in 1984 at a cost of S$500,000, according to reports then.
FROM LAMP TO LED
When Sultan Shoal’s light first shone in 1896, it was a simple cluster of three single wick oil lamps. In later years, a kerosene burner was used, before diesel generators took over.
Even then, the lighthouse had to be manned by a crew of four, who manually operated the lantern at sunset and sunrise - and kept watch at night to ensure the light stayed on, according to Dr Parry Oei, MPA’s chief hydrographer and port services director.
“With the advent of technology and the growing difficulty in recruiting lightkeepers, we successfully automated Sultan Shoal lighthouse in 1984 using solar energy,” he recalled.
“We have now transited to using energy-efficient LED navigational lanterns, since 1992.”
The present-day lighthouse works by emitting two white flashes every 15 seconds, over a range of 15 nautical miles (almost 28km) and from 18m up.
A radar beacon also provides additional assistance to ships, but the increasing use of technology has done little to dim the significance of the lighthouse keeper’s job in their eyes.
“Yes, we come out to these unmanned lighthouses just once a month, and take up to about 1.5 hours to do the maintenance,” said Mr Lee, who has three years of experience under his belt. “But the keepers are still responsible for making sure the light is working and to help ships enter Singapore’s ports safely.”
STANDING STILL; STILL STANDING
Both Mr Lee and Mr Mani were effusive in comparing their lighthouse keeping to their previous deskbound professions.
“This is very unique work, very different from a job on the mainland,” said Lee. “For older people like me, this is very good for keeping ourselves occupied, active and fit at the same time.”
“It’s also a nice place for those who are semi-retired and want to and still can continue working,” he joked.
Said Mani, employed by MPA for eight years now: “In the city, it’s very hectic and stressful. When we come out to the lighthouses we get a sea breeze and a good view.”
Rust-tipped ships in the near distance notwithstanding, Sultan Shoal’s coconut tree-dotted shoreline and well-maintained greenery still make for an idyllic scene - albeit one off-limits to the public.
Nature, it seems, has found a way to preserve itself on the island. After 2,300 coral colonies were relocated to other islands to protect them from ongoing works at the Tuas port, the remaining 500 corals were observed in February to have a survival rate of about 90 per cent, according to Dr Oei.
And Sultan Shoal lighthouse too, in all its quaint, charming glory, “will not go”, said Lee.
“It’s a fixed structure, a benchmark, a key point. Should electronics fail, what do you rely on? That’s why we still maintain it after 100 over years.”
ruben sario The Star 2 Oct 17;
KOTA KINABALU: More turtle carcasses have been discovered in Sabah’s east coast.
Facebook user Ridwan Abdul Razak shared photos of the seven dead turtles he found floating in the waters near Pulau Mabul at about 11.20pm on Saturday.
They were similar to those found near Pulau Bum Bum in Semporna earlier last week, with their flesh and plastron (lower shell) harvested.
“Hopefully the authorities will take action,” Ridwan wrote.
Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga said an investigation team was immediately dispatched to the island when they were alerted about the carcasses yesterday morning.
“We are trying to ascertain whether the turtles were killed there or whether the carcasses had drifted from another location,” he said.
Augustine said their investigations also focused on tracking down the buyers of the turtle meat and plastron, which are said to be ingredients for traditional medicine.
Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said the state was looking at tightening existing wildlife laws so that those suspected of killing protected species would have to prove themselves innocent instead of the other way round.
He said it was not easy for prosecutors to find substantial evidence to prove that the suspect had killed an endangered animal.
Among the obstacles they faced was getting reliable witnesses, he added.
Masidi’s comments followed the recent killings of two bull pgymy elephants in Kalabakan and Kinabatangan, and at least nine endangered green turtles near Pulau Bum Bum.
About 100 turtle skeletons were also found on the island recently.
The killing of the green turtles had caught the attention of Sea Shepherd founder Capt Paul Watson, who offered a reward of US$5,000 (RM21,000) for information on the culprits.
Writing on his Facebook page, Capt Watson, who is also the CEO of the US-based non-profit marine wildlife conservation organisation, described those killing the turtles as monsters and said there was no justification for such savagery.
He urged those with information on the turtle poachers to contact the Sabah Wildlife Department.
More turtle carcasses found floating at sea, this time near Mabul island
AVILA GERALDINE New Straits Times 1 Oct 17;
SEMPORNA: Another seven turtle carcasses, with their stomach exposed, were found floating in waters near the popular Mabul island, last night.
The 10pm discovery was made by a group of islanders, who pulled the carcasses to a secluded area away from a resort to avoid drawing attention.
All the carcasses were found tied together and believed to have drifted to the Mabul waters.
The shocking discovery was streamed on Facebook Live by a user Joe Strazz. The footage showed a group of men on a boat inspecting and pulling the carcasses, while expressing their dismay over the incident.
The turtle carcasses was found floating at sea near the Mabul island. Pic courtesy of NST reader.
Based on the conversation on the boat, the turtles were spotted stuck to the pillar of Billabong Scuba Homestay’s jetty. The group also counted the seven carcasses, noting there was another that slipped away.
“We are trying to bring these carcasses away from the island so they will not get stuck at the stilt houses and resorts (on Mabul). We are not sure what to do with these, but we are just pulling them towards the open sea.
“We are going to mark the area and will survey other sites to see if there are any more carcasses. The turtles are spotted by one of the tourists, who immediately informed us,” said the videographer to his audience.
At one point he mentioned the presence of police, noting they were not supposed to go to the sea as it was curfew hour and that they had not reported the findings to the authority.
Meanwhile, Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga said the department was alerted of the incident this morning.
“We have sent a wildlife team to the island to retrieve the carcasses and conduct an investigation. I have also instructed all district wildlife offices to conduct massive operations against turtle poaching,” he said.
Early this week, the wildlife team had also responded to a viralled photo of eight mutilated turtle carcasses on Pulau Bum Bum off Semporna.
Upon arriving at the site on Thursday, the team only found one carcass while others were believed to have been washed away.
The team, however, made a shocking discovery when they spotted 100 bones from dead sea turtle carcasses scattered in the bushes near Kampung Pantau-Pantau, Kampung Amboh-Amboh and Kampung Sampolan on the island.
Tuuga had said initial investigations reveal the turtles may have been poached by the Bajau Laut or Pala’u community, sea gypsies who roam the seas, as they have been seen in the areas previously.
Faiza Ilyas Dawn 1 Oct 17;
KARACHI: Once rated the fifth largest mangrove forest in the world with a cover as high as 250,000 hectares a few decades ago, mangroves of the Indus delta now rank lower than 15th on the (global) list and have decreased to 98,014 hectares, indicating two to three per cent annual loss.
No significant success has been achieved to increase its size despite attempts for mass mangrove plantation in the delta.
These observations are part of a paper published in an international journal. Titled The Effect of Global Warming (Climate Change) on Mangroves of Indus Delta with Relevance to other Prevailing Anthropogenic Stresses, A critical review, the paper has been published in July this year in the European Academic Research journal.
It is authored by Dr Syed Mohammed Saifullah, a retired professor of Karachi University’s botany department.
The paper begins with the importance of mangroves and states that the total mangrove cover of the world has been estimated to be 137,760,000 hectares with an economic value of $200,000 to $900,000 per square kilometre and $1.6bn annually to ecosystem services.
“Besides, providing many goods and services to mankind, they also sustain about 80pc of global fisheries and serve as a sink of greenhouse gases. They fight back global warming through carbon sequestration at a higher rate than any other ecosystems on a unit area basis; it is estimated that as much as 25.5bn tons of carbon are sequestered by mangroves annually,” it says.
The mangroves in the Indus delta, it points out, are perhaps the most seriously stressed in the entire subtropical belt. Several anthropogenic stresses account for their drastic decline; the foremost among them is the sharp decline in the Indus river discharge into the delta.
“Some decades ago, 150MAF or more water used to reach the delta but now it is almost negligible except for occasional floods during monsoon. This is due to the construction of several dams and barrages along the Indus river to meet the increasing water demands for agricultural and industrial purposes. Consequently, the alluvial flow of the river, important for mangrove’s growth, has also decreased. These issues have become severe over time,” it says.
These conditions along with massive groundwater extraction, the author says, are contributing to the subsidence of the Indus delta, a phenomenon also affecting mangroves.
“It (the delta) is sinking continuously and has shrunk to about one tenth of its original size and cannot be restored to its original condition,” he says, citing other data.
Eight species of mangroves have been reported from Pakistan but now only four species occur in the delta with Avicennia marina the most dominant. The others are Rhizophora mucronata, Ceriops tagal and Aegiceras corniculatum.
The first two had almost disappeared from the delta but were reintroduced into the area by Sindh forest department and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Efforts for massive mangrove plantation, however, couldn’t produce significant results.
An estimated 0.54m saplings were planted in 2009 and more than 0.75m saplings in 2013 in the area of Keti Bandar. But, the results were not promising and didn’t show significant increase in the mangrove cover.
“A 2015 satellite study showed that the plantations resulted in only 1.6pc increase in the total mangrove cover. The reasons for this setback were mainly two; plantation was done in June in the midst of southwest monsoon characterised by high winds and high wave action, which may not have allowed proper rooting of seedlings.
“Secondly, only one species (Rhizophora mucronata) was planted, especially during 2009. The survival rate would have been better if A.marina had been planted along with it. Monocultures (the practice of growing a single species) are easily susceptible to environmental vicissitudes. Thirdly, the habitat and environmental conditions of the Indus delta do not favour the growth of Rhizophora mucronata,” it says.
On the effect of climatic changes, the author says, the phenomenon of sea level rise resulting from global warming might be contributing to subsidence of the delta. Citing various data, he argues that the inland retreat of mangroves along Karachi’s coastline in the face of sea level rise might not be possible owing to coastal installations. This won’t be the case, however, on the larger southern western part.
“The species’ composition of mangroves will probably remain the same, though their relative proportions of occurrence and zonation may change. Mangroves are resilient to climatic changes and in several areas (other countries) their growth has increased as a result of global warming. (Similarly) The increase in temperature, precipitation and carbon dioxide may increase mangrove growth in the Indus delta,” the author says.
Spectacular September at the Sisters Islands Marine Park
Sisters' Island Marine Park
Night Walk At Rifle Range Trail (29 Sep 2017)
Beetles@SG BLOG
Life History of the Ganda Dart
Butterflies of Singapore
Asian Scientist feature – Taking to TED to Champion the Cause of Clams
Mei Lin NEO
Rizalman Hammim New Straits Times 30 Sep 17;
JOHOR BARU: The Johor Department of Environment (DOE) has issued a stop work order to a chemical plant in Pasir Gudang, which was pinpointed as the source of a chemical stench which enveloped parts of northern Singapore on Monday.
DOE director Datuk Dr Mohammad Ezanni Mat Salleh said the order was issued after the plant suffered a fire at one of its facilities earlier this month.
"The order will be in effect until the plant completes necessary remedial actions. We will make sure that the plant complies with the order before allowing it to resume operations," he said.
It was reported on Friday that Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) traced the source of a chemical stench that cloaked the north-eastern part of the Republic on Sept 25 to an industrial facility in Pasir Gudang.
The agency was reported as saying that it contacted the DOE for assistance after the smell was detected by distressed residents on Monday.
"The DOE… has traced the source… and is taking action against the operator," the NEA said.
On Monday, residents in Sengkang and Punggol, Singapore complained of an acrid, chemical stench that was later detected in areas such as Ang Mo Kio, Yishun, Seletar and Bishan. Thick smoke also hung over some of the affected areas, residents said.
Chemical stench: Johor issues stop-work order to Pasir Gudang plant
Straits Times 1 Oct 17;
JOHOR BARU • A chemical plant in the industrial town of Pasir Gudang that was identified as the source of a chemical stench which engulfed parts of Singapore has been issued a stop work order by the Johor Department of Environment (DOE).
"The order will be in effect until the plant completes necessary remedial actions. We will make sure that the plant complies with the order before allowing it to resume operations," the DOE director, Datuk Dr Mohammad Ezanni Mat Salleh, told the New Straits Times.
He said the order was issued in the wake of a fire at the plant earlier this month.
Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) had contacted the DOE for assistance after residents complained of an acrid, chemical stench on Monday.
Complaints first poured in from residents in Sengkang and Punggol, and later in estates such as Ang Mo Kio, Yishun, Seletar and Bishan. Thick smoke also hung over some of the affected areas, residents said.
A large zone in the 311 sq km town of Pasir Gudang is dedicated to heavy industries, and fumes and pollutants have drifted to Punggol in past incidents.
The industrial estate, established in the 1990s, is a little more than 1.5km across the Strait of Johor from Punggol, and controlled burning to get rid of waste gases is a common occurrence there.
The town is home to a port, power station and petrochemical companies, and those dealing in edible oils, steel and fertiliser.
Some in Singapore affected by the stench were worried that the gas might be toxic, but the NEA has assured the public that air monitoring stations detected only low and safe levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
VOCs are chemical compounds that easily enter the air.
Chemical stench incident: Johor Department of Environment issues stop work order to damaged chemical plant
Straits Times 30 Sep 17;
JOHOR BARU - The chemical plant in Pasir Gudang that was identified as the source of a chemical stench that engulfed parts of Singapore on Monday has been issued a stop work order by the Johor Department of Environment (DOE).
DOE director Datuk Dr Mohammad Ezanni Mat Salleh told The New Straits Times that the order was issued in the wake of a fire at the plant earlier this month.
"The order will be in effect until the plant completes necessary remedial actions. We will make sure that the plant complies with the order before allowing it to resume operations," he said.
Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) had contacted the DOE for assistance after the smell was detected by distressed residents on Monday. Subsequently, the foul odour was traced to the industrial facility in Pasir Gudang.
"The DOE… has traced the source… and is taking action against the operator," the NEA said.
Residents in Sengkang and Punggol had complained of an acrid, chemical stench that was later detected in areas such as Ang Mo Kio, Yishun, Seletar and Bishan. Thick smoke also hung over some of the affected areas, according to some residents.
Johor chemical plant that caused 'burning smell' in Singapore issued stop work order
Channel NewsAsia 30 Sep 17;
JOHOR BARU: A stop work order has been issued to a chemical plant in Pasir Gudang after it was pinpointed as the source of a strong burning smell that residents in many parts of Singapore complained about on Monday.
Malaysian news outlet New Straits Times reported on Saturday (Sep 30) that the Johor Department of Environment (DOE) issued the order after a fire broke out at one of the plant's facilities earlier this month.
DOE director Dr Mohammed Ezanni Mat Salleh said that the order will be in effect until the plant has completed necessary remedial actions.
"We will make sure that the plant complies with the order before allowing it to resume operations," he added.
On Friday, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said the strong smell had been traced to an industrial facility in Pasir Gudang. The agency said that it was working together with the DOE in the investigation.
Reports of the burning smell also led NEA to conduct checks on Singapore's industrial plants, but they were found to be operating normally. Air quality levels also remained "within safety limits", the agency said.
Stop work order issued to chemical plant responsible for stench in Singapore
ASYRAF KAMIL Today Online 30 Sep 17;
SINGAPORE – The Johor Department of Environment (DOE) has on Saturday (Sept 30) issued a stop work order to a chemical plant in Pasir Gudang, Malaysia, which was pinpointed as the source of a chemical stench that enveloped parts of northern Singapore last Monday.
According to Malaysian daily New Straits Times, Johor DOE director Dr Mohammad Ezanni Mat Salleh said the order was issued after the plant suffered a fire at one of its facilities earlier this month.
"The order will be in effect until the plant completes necessary remedial actions. We will make sure that the plant complies with the order before allowing it to resume operations," he told reporters.
The plant was already the subject of an investigation over the gas-like smell that plagued parts of northern Singapore last week.
Together with the Johor DOE, the NEA had identified the plant as the source of the stench. “(The DOE) is taking action against the operator,” the Singapore agency said in a statement posted on its Facebook page on Friday.
Complaints about the odour appeared on the online forums such as Reddit and Hardware Zone last Monday evening. Many netizens said that the smell appeared to be largely confined to the North-Eastern parts of Singapore in areas like Sengkang, Hougang, Buangkok and Ang Mo Kio.
Checks by the NEA and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) on factories in affected areas had failed to find any anomalies that could have caused the gas smell.
The NEA then decided to enlist the help of its Malaysian counterparts to investigate further.
Similar complaints have surfaced in the past.
In 2013, there were complaints of a "foul odour" in Punggol and Sengkang. An NEA spokesman then said that the smell could have possibly "emanated from palm oil industries".
NEA however ruled out industries near Punggol as the cause of the smell, after inspections of their equipment, processes, operations and records "did not reveal any abnormalities or issues in their operations" that could be behind the "chemical smell as mentioned in the feedback".
Related link
Fire at Lotte facilities in Johor
Calvin Yang Straits Times 30 Sep 17;
SINGAPORE - Children's toys, food wrappers, plastic containers, water bottles and even motorcycle helmets.
These are some of the trash collected during a three-hour clean-up of Singapore's waters on Saturday (Sept 30) morning.
About 500kg of rubbish was collected by about 100 volunteers, comprising students and members of the public, who ventured out in groups on kayaks to collect trash between Sembawang Beach and Seletar Island.
The Clean-Up on Kayak event, organised by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), aims to raise awareness of the need to protect Singapore's marine environment. It was held in conjunction with the International Coastal Clean-up, an annual global event to encourage people to remove trash from beaches and waterways.
Besides those who were on kayaks, some 20 volunteers were stationed on Seletar Island to sort the marine litter and record the types of trash collected.
Data gathered from the clean-up will be submitted to United States-based advocacy group Ocean Conservancy for further analysis and research.
The initiative started last year, with about 60 volunteers participating in it then.
Trash collected from Singapore's waters on Sept 30, 2017
MPA chief executive Andrew Tan said keeping waterways clean is a shared responsibility.
He also encouraged more ground-up efforts from the community to do their part for marine environment sustainability.
MPA has plans for the Clean-Up on Kayak activity to be done on a quarterly, instead of annual, basis. For a start, Republic Polytechnic (RP) will conduct a session in March next year.
Second-year RP outdoor and adventure learning student Aqil Luqman Zamberi, 19, who participated in the clean-up on Saturday, said such an activity goes a long way in keeping the environment clean.
"Every effort that we make to improve something has impact. It is better to do something about it than let it get worse," he added.
C. Premananthini New Straits Times 30 Sep 17;
KUALA LUMPUR: With the Southwest Monsoon season being in its final phase, Malaysia will soon experience a monsoon transition, beginning October.
According to the Malaysian Meteorological Department, when the transition begins thunderstorms and strong winds are expected to occur in the evening.
Its director-general Alui Bahari, when contacted, said the transition period will continue until November this year.
“As of now, the southwest monsoon season is in its final period. Several states in the country will be experiencing heavy downpour.
“This is because of continuous strong winds coming from the Andaman Sea which carries a high content of water vapor, therefore you would see a marked increase in rainfall above average and states in the northern peninsula will face heavy rains.
“Also, in the mid-Sept there were slight changes in the weather forecast pattern where Typhoon Doksuri which occurred in Vietnam, had affected the wind patterns, bringing rain to the northern peninsula,” he said.
He said in September, Chuping Meteorological station recorded the highest amount of rainfall sinc 1995 with 389.3mm.
He said thuderstorms, heavy rain and strong winds over states of Perlis, Kedah (Langkawi, Kubang Pasu and Kota Setar districts), Negri Sembilan (Port Dickson district), Melaka and Johor (Tangkak, Muar and Batu Pahat districts) are expected to persist until late morning.
Monsoon transition period until early November
Bernama New Straits Times 5 Oct 17;
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will go through a monsoon transition period from tomorrow until November.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department said this normally leads to localised heavy rain and thunder storms in a short period of time with frequent strong winds especially in the afternoon until early night.
According to a statement from the department today, most of the districts in the west coast states and interiors of the peninsular, west coast of Sabah and central Sarawak would be affected.
“The public have been advised to be more alert about the impact of frequent thunderstorms during the monsoon transition period such as heavy rain, strong winds and lightning,” the statement said. — BERNAMA
Met warns of strong winds and thunderstorms till Nov
The Star 5 Oct 17;
PETALING JAYA: Strong winds and heavy rain are expected as Malaysia experiences a monsoon transition.
The Malaysian Meteorology Department advised the public to be cautious as the country enters a monsoon transition phase from Oct 6 until early November.
"During this period, regional areas of our country will experience light winds from various directions," its director-general Alui Bahari said in a statement Thursday.
"Typically, heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected to occur at short intervals, and strong winds can occur more often during the late afternoons and evenings in most areas of the west coast, interior of the peninsula, west coast of Sabah, and the western and central parts of Sarawak," he said.
Alui advised the public to be "more careful" during the thunderstorms that occur during the monsoon transition phase that will result in heavy rain, strong winds, and lightning.
The latest weather information can be obtained through the Malaysia Meteorological Department Facebook or Twitter page, its website www.met.gov.my, mobile application myCuaca, or Hotline at 1-300-22-1638.
Nur Aqidah Azizi New Straits Times 30 Sep 17;
SEREMBAN: The presence of a Tapir, believed to have been lost has shocked the residents of Taman PJ Perdana here, last night, which had prompted them to seek help from the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN).
It's resident association chairman, Datuk Mazlan Sabli said, the presence of the protected wildlife was noticed by the residents at about 10pm.
"This is the second time the animal has entered the housing area after the first incident occurred last week. We believe it could have been lost from a nearby forest area," he said.
He added, the animal was aggressive, probably due to an injury spotted on its foot.
"It had also damaged the resident's fence when it crashed into it in its effort to escape from the area," he said.
Mazlan said, the residents then contacted PERHILITAN for further action.
"However, the Perhilitan team hasn't been able to capture the animal and it is believed that it has run back into the nearby forest," he said.
Meanwhile, when contacted, state Perhilitan director Wan Mat Wan Harun said the department will continue its operation to trace the tapir today.
The Star 1 Oct 17;
KOTA KINABALU: Stop buying and eating turtle eggs or face being fined or imprisoned, the people in Sabah’s east coast Sandakan district are warned.
Sandakan Wildlife officer Hussien Muin said they have launched Ops Pembeli against buyers of turtle eggs, in view of the continuous demands for the illegal items.
“We have conducted many raids and operations against illegal turtle egg traders and not much on buyers,” he said.
So now, apart from the illegal traders, the authorities would also be coming down hard on purchasers because they were still buying despite numerous warnings and advice, he said.
Hussien said those found in possession of turtle eggs could be fined at least RM50,000 or up to RM250,000.
They could also be jailed between one and five years for the offence under the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997, he said.
Hussien said Ops Pembeli was a continuation from the earlier Ops Penjual which targeted traders and was conducted throughout August.
The ongoing operations against this illegal trade are not deterring sellers and smugglers. The demand for turtle eggs is still very high, he added.
muguntan vanar The Star 1 Oct 17;
KOTA KINABALU: Conservationists fear that Sabah’s diving havens of Semporna are becoming a killing field for endangered sea turtles.
The growing number of sea turtle carcasses found over the years has raised concerns that the harvesting of the marine creatures for traditional medicinal values has gone unabated.
Environmental NGO Green Semporna co-founder Adzmin Fatta said firm action needed to be taken against perpetrators of the crime, which is occurring not only in Semporna waters but also in neighbouring southern Philippines.
“Since 2014, we have been receiving reports of large numbers of turtle carcasses found on the Ligitan, Bum Bum and Derawan islands.
“We know where it is taking place but it is a question of enforcement.
“It is definitely some kind of organised syndicate which is getting people in the transient coastal communities to do the killings,” he said in reference to the large number of Bajau Laut (sea gypsies) in the area.
“We believe that some businessmen are paying for the turtle parts.”
He added that in most cases, the turtle meat and plastron (lower shell) were removed from carcasses.
Adzmin said all enforcement agencies should work together to step up monitoring of the activities on the harvesters and the islands they operated from.
The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency has from time to time caught some of those involved in the killings of turtles, but there is a need for more combined action with other agencies, including the Sabah Wildlife Department, he added.
He said the Wildlife Department should set up an office in Semporna to increase its presence in the area as currently it was operating from Tawau, about 100km away.
Adzmin said Green Semporna had been actively conducting public awareness among islanders and coastal villagers in Semporna but many like the Bajau Laut might be drawn by the money offered by towkays to harvest turtles.
Come up with alternative food source for maritime community in exchange of turtle meat, eggs, group tells Awang Ali Omar New Straits Times 30 Sep 17;
SANDAKAN: The government needs to provide the maritime community with alternative food sources if it wants to tackle consumption of turtle meat and eggs as well as poaching activity.
Friends of Sea Turtles Education and Research (Foster) president Alexander Yee said turtles have been the source of food among the locals in Semporna for the longest time.
“If we want to solve the problem, we not only have to put in place the rules, regulations and enforcement but we need to be able to educate the locals and have substitute food sources for them.
“If we tell them not to consume (turtle meats and eggs), what are they going eat? Everything (education, rules, regulations, and enforcement) has to run concurrently.
“The recent discovery (of mutilated turtles on Pulau Bum Bum) is a sad incident but we just have to keep trying. We need to have all those things in place to reduce this incident,” he said when contacted.
In providing his view on the case, Yee who has a turtle hatchery on Libaran Island off Sandakan, believed the turtles were poached by locals or Pala’u nomads for own consumption and for sale.
“My source said the meat has been dug out and the pouch where the turtle eggs are stored is also emptied. However, I’m not sure whether it (turtle) has decayed and that’s why it looks as if the internal (of the turtle) is empty.
“It’s quite obvious they are after the meat and eggs for consumption because the turtle shell is worth a lot of money. They did not take that.
“It could be that they took some (meat and eggs) for themselves and sold the rest but we wouldn’t know. I suspect they are also selling them because of the number of turtles found,” he said.
To a question whether the turtles were caught in local or neighbouring waters, Yee said it did not matter as all endangered turtles needed to be protected.
He explained turtles that nest in the Philippine are known to nest over in Sabah waters too.
“Turles don’t look for a particular area to nest. I know this for a fact because of my hatchery on Libaran Island. I have had turtles being tagged on Selingan (Turtle Island) and landing on Libaran.
“There are also turtles tagged in the Philippine and landed on Libaran. So they don’t roam specific areas,” stressed Yee.
Meanwhile, district wildlife officer Hussien Muin, in a statement, said their enforcement unit would carry out special operations dubbed Op Penjual and Op Pembeli aggressively to tackle the selling and buying of turtle eggs.
In continuation of the Op Penjual, which was initiated last month and saw three foreigners sentenced to imprisonment for selling turtle eggs, Op Pembeli was launched to discourage egg consumption.
“We are working closely with the police, Sandakan Municipal Council, Public Works Department and WWF to continue instil strong awareness on the long-term impact if turtle egg consumption is not tackled,” he said.
AVILA GERALDINE New Straits Times 30 Sep 17;
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry is considering amending the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997 to make the killing of fully protected animals as a strict liability offence.
If approved, the burden of proof will be on the accused to substantiate that he or she did not commit the crime.
Its Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said the normal law of evidence in criminal law at the moment is the prosecutors have to prove an accused has committed a wrongdoing.
“We are looking into the possibility to amend the law and we will consult with our legal officers and the Attorney-General if it’s possible.
“With the amendment, it means the accused will have to prove he didn’t kill it (endangered wildlife animal) because at this point of time, the prosecutors have to come up with evidence to prove a person is guilty and this is not easy,” he told reporters when met at Universiti Malaysia Sabah.
“There are cases within plantation areas where no single person is willing to become a witness despite the police going there (to look for witnesses). Therefore, we are proposing to make such offence a strict liability to make it easier for the prosecutors to prove their case,” he explained.
Masidi said the proposed legislation was among the aspects discussed by the relevant departments under his ministry during a special meeting yesterday in light of the recent poaching of endangered Bornean pygmy elephants and turtles.
He reiterated, the ministry was taking wildlife poaching seriously and they had come up with several resolutions to curb these crimes.
“I’ve directed my permanent secretary (Datu Rosmadi Datu Sulai) to call for a high level meeting with the top officers in the Sabah Wildlife. The (wildlife department) director (Augustine Tuuga) has briefed us of the challenges and they had done their best within their means to tackle (wildlife poaching).
“First and foremost, the department has insufficient assets and manpower so we have decided they should work hand in hand with Sabah Parks as well as the Sabah Forestry Department.
“We are also looking at reshuffling the whole organisation to address issues based on priority. If enforcement is the priority, sections that can survive with less staff will have to mobilise some of the employees to other enforcement sections that need the most support,” said Masidi.
He stressed the ministry would present a cabinet paper to the state government, requesting for more creation of posts particularly in the enforcement unit of Sabah Wildlife Department so it is in a better position to tackle the issue.
On Thursday, WWF-Malaysia urged the state government to allocate more funds to hire and train more rangers on the ground as their constant and tactical presence is a deterrent to poachers.
This follows the recent killing of an adult male Bornean pygmy elephant in Kinabatangan, where poachers not only cut off its tusks but also chopped off its left leg and sliced off its skin before dumping the carcass into a river.
Another recent wildlife poaching incident involved the mutilation of eight green turtles on Pulau Bum Bum off Semporna.
In the event, wildlife experts believed the Pala’u nomads were responsible and that they could have collected the plastrons (shells) to be sold for medicinal purposes.
Masidi said the department is still investigating the matter, adding in all cases of turtle poaching the plastrons have gone missing.
Wan Junaidi: 'Hunt animal poachers down'
The Star 1 Oct 17;
PETALING JAYA: No effort must be spared in bringing the wildlife poachers behind the senseless killings of Bornean pygmy elephants and turtles to justice, says Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar (pic).
"The Ministry strongly urges the Sabah Wildlife Department and other agencies in Sabah to work tirelessly to find the perpetrators of these heinous crimes against our turtles and other wildlife as soon as possible," the Natural Resources and Environment Minister said in a statement on Saturday.
Dr Wan Junaidi said he was appalled by and condemned the blatant lack of regard for the welfare of turtles by unscrupulous groups of people living in Sabah's coastal areas.
It was reported that two pygmy elephants had been killed for its tusks and hundreds of sea turtle carcasses found on Pulau Bum Bum in the Semporna district.
He said the recent find of turtle remains in the sea near Pulau Bum Bum was "deeply saddening", as was the killing of pygmy elephants.
"Their (pygmy elephants) tusks are brutally cut off and the poor animals were left to die a slow and painful death in the rivers and forests of Kinabatangan and Tawau," he said.
Dr Wan Junaidi said the Ministry, through its Biodiversity and Forestry Management Division, was ready and willing to offer any assistance to the Sabah Wildlife Department to catch and punish these criminals.
He added that the Ministry was committed to preserving the nation's land and marine wildlife.
"It is a testament to our level of civilisation when we are able to live in harmony with the flora and fauna in our country, which have every right to exist on earth as we humans do," he said.
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