monkeys, circus, zoo, maliau basin, leatherback turtles and reptile smuggler

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New Straits Times 8 Dec - Errant Loggers

Logging concession holders were held responsible for the avalanche of mud

and silt in Perak which destroyed seven villagers located along the river

and two bridges. SAM urged the authorities to take to task all logging

companies which are found to have violated the conditions of logging

permits and not mitigated the damage to the environment through their

activities. SAM expressed concern over reports that logging concession

holders operating in the area may not be held accountable for the clean up

of the river. Factors contributing to the mudslide were log debris left by

old logging activities, clearing of land for cultivation and landslides up

in the hills.

SAM said if logging operations are legal and carried out based on permits

issued by the Forestry Department, it is incumbent upon the department to

monitor and ensure that conditions of their permits are complied with,

especially in ensuring that activities are not detrimental to the

environment. SAM believed that vigilant monitoring by the department on the

operations of timber companies, both old and new, could have prevented the

mud avalanche.

 

The Star - Penang Monkeys - Monkeys from the Penang Botanical Gardens are

causing a nuisance in Taman Negara, the place they were translocated to

years ago. Used to being fed by tourists at the Gardens previously, the

monkeys made their way to the resort to find food.

The remaining monkeys in Botanical Gardens, reduced from some 700 animals to

about 250 now, begged for food outside the gardens and return to the gardens

later.

Statewide monkey menace cases were on the rise with an over 7 533 animals

reported in 123 disturbed areas due to rapid development encroaching into

animals' habitat.

The north east district has the most monkeys - 1868 in 30 areas where the

problem was reported. The statistics is not indicative that the monkey

population actually increases but that they are coming out from the jungles

which are being cleared.

The department stated that culling and trapping the animals which were

ongoing, were not solutions to the monkey problem.

 

The Star - Reptile smuggler.

A Malaysian accused of acting as the kingpin of an international rare animal

smuggling empire has pleaded guilty to US charges that he arranged the

illegal import and sale of Komodo Dragons and other endangered animals.

Anson Wong entered a guilty pleas to some 40 counts of smuggling,

conspiracy, money laudering and violations of US wildlife protection laws in

a court hearing on Wednesday.

In a statement, Lois Schiffer, assistant US attorney-general for environment

and natural resources said bringing Anson to justice demonstrates the

nation's resolve to combat profiteering in endangered species. " We will

take whatever steps we can here and abroad to shutdown the black market in

reptiles and other protected animals. "

As part of his plea Wong agreed to co-operate with prosecutors investigating

the international trade of endangered wildlife. Sentencing was set for March

1.

Mexican authorities arrested Wong in September 1998 after undercover agents

posing as animal traffickers lured him to Mexico City.

Between 1995 and 1998, Wong allegedly ran a wildlife import-export business

that trafficked in illegal shipments of protected reptiles from Malaysia,

Indonesia and the Philippines worth nearly US500 000.

 

Malacca Zoo - The Malacca Municipal Council should not take over the

management of Malacca Zoo as its capability had been questioned by the

Auditor General, said an assemblywoman Betty Chew.

 

She said the Auditor General had pointed out in his 1999 report that the

council lost RM5 mil due to mismanagement. She was responding to an

announcement that Malacca Zoo which had been incurring annual losses of

about RM1 mil, would be taken over by the council.

 

Circus - The company behind the Royal London Circus plans to set up a circus

academy in Johor Baru, the first of its kind in the region. Comparing this

project to similar facilities in Europe and the US, Paul Lee its president

said the proposed academy would be operational within one and a half years.

It would encompass a state of the art theatre and training facility for

circus acts. There would be space for large stage productions, circus and

magical extravaganza. Lee was holding talks with the Moscow State Circus

which had expressed keen interest to assist in the setting up of the

academy.

 

Leatherbacks - At a glance, it may seem that the critically endangered

leatherback turtle is making a comeback, challenging experts' view that the

species would slip into extinction in the first decade of the new

millennium.

Twenty eight nestings were recorded compared to only 10 last year according

to the annual Fisheries Department's statistics. However all is not well. Of

the 1 809 eggs incubated against the 586 in 1999, only 116 hatchlings were

produced compared with 254 the previous year. Random excavation of egg

chambers on the beach showed that a substancial number of egg clutches did

not hatch. Although more eggs were produced last year, the number of

hatchlings were actually lower than in 1999 when 10 nests yielded 254

hatchlings. Examination of the eggs showed an absence of embryonic

development which means no fertilisation at all. It confirms that the

leatherback population is suffering from the unhealthy gender imbalance in

the sea where sexually mature female leatherbacks cannot find a mate to

fertilise the eggs.

Another theory by scientists was that the females had wandered off from the

original nesting sites at Rantau Abang in Terengganu to other beaches along

the coastline of the state whereby reducing their chances of meeting with

male leatherbacks.

Human disturbance had driven turtles to seek out new nesting grounds as more

than half of the 28 nests were found away from Rantau Abang. Conservation

efforts since the 1960s had altered the gender ratio. The hatchery method,

which subjected the egg clutches to direct sunlight, had resulted in

temperatures favouring the formation of female hatchlings.

The total ban on leatherback egg collection and consumption in the late

1980s came way too late because the damaging human activities had left their

irreversible impact on the regeneration process.

 

15 Dec. - Elephants - Residents of Kampung Chepor would have only themselves

to blame if wild elephants went on rampage there. Two weeks ago a young

elephant died after it was believed to have eaten anchovies spiked with

pesticide in a rubber estate at the fringe of the village. A villager said

in the past three years, at least six elephants have died. Not far from

where the young elephant's carcass was found, a depression filled with

elephant footprints could be clearly seen. Members of the herd were believed

to have helped the poisoned calf, which left a trail of faeces in the estate

before succumbing to the poison. A check deep inside the rubber estate

revealed anchovies scattered on the floor of an abandoned workers' shed.

Elephants like salty food stuff and they cannot resist anchovies.

Three game wardens had inspected the carcass and suspected it died of

posioning.

Elephants in the rubber estate were not a threat as they appeared to have

become domesticated. Only some banana trees were uprooted when hungry. The

villager believed the herd came to the village to pay homage to their

matriarch, which died at the village about six years ago. The visit is

usually at the end of the year.

 

Maliau Basin protection - Sabah's last pristine wilderness, the 58 000ha

Maliau Basin, should be preserved as any activity within the area is bound

to affect its environment. Half of the coal rich basin area is withing the

Kinabatangan region and any mining activity is bound to spoil the natural

beauty of the basin and damage the area's abundant plants and animals, some

of which cannot be found elsewhere.

Malaysian Mining Corporation had said the company was exploring the

possibility of mining coal there.

Meanwhile Sabah Environmental Protection Association welcomed the assurance

by the Federal Government to preserve Sabah's biodiversity-rich Maliau

Basin, also known as the " Lost World. " The basin was a stronghold for

elephants, tembadau, and other big mammals and had wide range of flora and

fauna. Maliau and Danum Valley has been classified as a natural heritage

 

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