Urban encroachment threatening animals in Brunei

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Last Updated on Tuesday, 24 November 2009 09:39 Written by Melvin Jong Tuesday,

24 November 2009 09:31

Tricia Parish (L) from The Nocturnal Primate Research Group. Oxford

Brookes University in United Kingdom speaking with Director of the Museums

Department Bantong Antaran ® during yesterday's workshop on identification

and care of the slow loris held yesterday at the Tasek Merimbun Heritage

Park Complex, Tutong.

 

Tutong - Urban encroachment could be the biggest threat to the Sultanate's

wildlife, particularly the Borneo slow loris known locally as kukang, an

expert from the Nocturnal Primate Research Group, Oxford Brookes University

said yesterday.

 

Tricia Parish said that even though regulated logging is practised in

Brunei, any son of habitat loss would inevitably affect primates.

 

" If trees are chopped down, it makes it much easier to harvest slow lorises

compared to other primates who will flee and run away because the defence

mechanism of slow lorises is just to freeze and hide, " she said in an

interview during the workshop on identification and care of the slow loris

held yesterday at the Tasek Merimbun Heritage Park Complex, Tutong.

 

Hjh Siti Norhayatty Hj Morin, who chaired the workshop, said the slow loris

was among the 34 protected species under the Wildlife Protection Act in

regional law.

 

Those found violating the region's wild animal protection law which places

the slow loris as an endangered species can be fined as much as $2,000 in

addition to one-year imprisonment.

 

Parish explained that, elsewhere in the region, the small primate was being

heavily poached for various purposes.

 

" In Cambodia, the slow lorises are hunted for their high demand in the

traditional medicine industry.

 

In Indonesia, the biggest threat is the illegal pet trade because these

primates are very cute and popular. " she said.

 

She, however, applauded the efforts of the authorities in raising public

awareness of the endangered status of the slow loris.

 

" From talking with (Hjh Siti Norhayatty), it sounds as if there has already

been some success in terms of awareness raising about the status of the slow

loris in Brunei, " she said.

 

" She has mentioned catchand-release programmes here in Brunei where people

keeping these primates as pets were made aware that it wasn't ideal for them

so they have given them in, " she said.

 

Slow lorises can produce a toxin which they mix with their saliva to use as

protection against enemies. Mothers will lick this toxin onto their

offspring before leaving them to search for food.

 

Parish also used the opportunity to state repercussions that could result

from the extinction of such animals.

 

" Essentially if you take any animal out of an ecosystem, there is going to

be a significant impact because it is so finely balanced, " she said, adding

that this was even truer when it comes to primates.

 

" Primates play the role of pollinators where they eat the seeds and then

defecate them, facilitating seed propagation. They also eat insects so they

are pest control animals, " she added.

 

Parish was in the country to lead the one-day workshop covering various

topics such as the taxonomy, identification, behaviour, look-alike species,

common smuggling techniques, captive care and release protocol of the

primate.

 

The workshop, attended by some 60 participants and stakeholders from various

government agencies such as staff and personnel from District Offices,

Forestry Department, Agriculture Department, Royal Customs and Excise and

the Royal Brunei Police Force, among others, was also hoped to enhance the

ability of the relevant authorities to identify and care for the primate in

captivity while reducing the illegal trade on slow loris in the

region. -- *Courtesy

of The Brunei Times*