Image: Dog day afternoon

Date : Sunday, 31-May-2009

by Sharmila

The most affectionate creature in the world is a wet dog. — Ambrose Bierce.

This image was taken from: The Star Online: Thumbnails 31 May 2009

Image: It’s a dog eat dog world

Back To Previous Page

Date : Sunday, 31-May-2009

by Hii Boh Teck

This intruder is getting severely punished by the resident hounds.

This image was taken from: The Star Online: Thumbnails 31 May 2009

Note: I personally feel, the person taking this photograph could have helped stopped the poor dog from being attacked rather than just photographing this.

Image: Motorbarker

Date : Sunday, 31-May-2009 

by Goh Cheng Yik

Unlike a good number of Mat Rempit, this dog has a licence. Good dog.

This image was taken from: The Star Online: Thumbnails 31 May 2009

Image: Mini driver

Date : Sunday, 31-May-2009

by Felicia Tan Por Lin

The 21st century dog does not go for walks anymore. It drives to the nearest tree.

This image was taken from: The Star Online: Thumbnails 31 May 2009

Image: Coney dog

Date : Sunday, 31-May-2009

by Lim Yuu Foon

I wonder if this dog's hearing improves with the e-collar on.

This image was taken from: The Star Online: Thumbnails 31 May 2009

Article: BRATs go green

Sunday May 31, 2009

WHOEVER said that being green is boring obviously doesn't know what they're talking about. Environment is and has always been a topic close to our heart and trust us, being green is definitely cool.

Don't believe us? Well, then come on to The Star's Environment Day Celebration 2009 next week and see for yourself just how much fun it is to be green.

The R.AGE team and The Star BRATs are setting up a booth at the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) in Sungai Buloh, and trust us, it's going to be a riot!

This we say from our past experience as we had so much fun at our booth last year, during The Star's Green Every Day - Act Now event.

Our booth attracted manyvisitors who were interested in the environmental campaigns initiated by the StarYouth P2P (Peer-To-Peer) Greeniz (who had just recently returned from their environmental programme in Kinabatangan, Sabah back then).

The peer educators definitely had a lot of things to say about the environment! They even managed to sell some environmentally-friendly products (which were made out of recyclable items) as part of the campaign.

There was also face-painting, yummy food and games available at our booth. It was so much fun that no one wanted to leave the venue when the event was over!

Guess what? We're planning to have as much, or possibly even more fun this year at the Environment Day Celebration 2009. The event will take place on June 7 from 8am to 3pm at FRIM. There will be face-painting, a drum-circle, popcorn, fun games and interesting memorabilia for sale at the R.AGE/BRATs booth. Be sure to join us there!

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Lifestyle: Focus 31 May 2009

Article: Firm releases 1,300 fry by Sime Darby

Friday May 29, 2009

By FAZLEENA AZIZ

SOME 1,300 fry were released into the mangrove forest on Carey Island by Sime Darby Bhd recently.

It was the first attempt by Sime Darby, who released the fry at different spots suitable for their survival.

The move comes after 174 sign-ups were made on the Sime Darby environmental website to "Release a Fish" by April 30.

The species released included ikan parang (wolf-herring), ikan garupa (groupers) and ikan siakap (barramundi), which are commonly found and part of the ecosystem.

For survival: Sime Darby Plantations Sdn Bhd's head of corporate communications Amir Mahmood Abdul Razak releasing the fish.

The idea behind the exercise was aimed at creating an awareness on mangroves, which are found at the island.

Mangrove forests are a unique ecosystem generally found along sheltered coasts where they grow abundantly in saline soil and brackish water subject to periodic fresh- and salt-water inundation.

Sime Darby has even established a dedicated Mangrove Research Centre, which was one of the first in Malaysia.

It serves as the focal point for research, learning and public service activities.

Apart from the mangroves, there are vast palm oil estates and the Sime Darby Plantations Academy located on the island.

There are also barns for the owls to control the rat problem at the oil palm estate.

According to Sime Darby's environmental website, this method is used as it encourages a greater, healthier yield without resorting to environmentally damaging methods.

As part of its continuous environmental effort, Sime Darby practises zero discharge and zero waste with a lot of recycling including turning waste into compost at the island.

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Metro: North 30 May 2009

Article:The ride of their lives for Salvation Army kids get a rare treat

Saturday May 30, 2009

IT was a fun-filled day for 41 kids from the Salvation Army Penang Children's Home as they enjoyed horseback riding and exciting games at a charity event at the Penang Times Square's Open Plaza.

Organised by Ivorycares, the charitable arm of Ivory Properties Group, the event last Saturday was aimed at providing the kids, aged five to 17, with an opportunity to experience the excitement of outdoor activities and mix around with other children without any social boundaries.

State Health, Welfare, Caring Society and Environment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh, who was present to join in the fun, said such events were in line with the company's social responsibility.

"I commend the company for giving the children a change of environment. I also hope that similar community-oriented events will figure prominently among the mall's future attractions.

"In many countries, malls aren't just a place for shopping, but also for family outings. With the environment of a modern shopping centre and lots of facilities, the Penang Times Square is a good place for families to spend quality time," he said.

The children were clearly enjoying themselves as they were taken on horseback rides around the mall's open space. Among other games they participated in were the leg-run, paper dance, blindfold games and passing the parcel. They were also treated to a meal at Marrybrown, one of the mall's fast food outlets.

Each child received a goodie bag, while winners of the games also received prizes, ensuring everyone went home with something. In a gesture of goodwill, Ivory's staff also donated provision items which were handed over to the home at the end of the event.

"In most of our past charity events, we visited the home itself. So this time, we decided to do something different and bring the kids outside, as they don't usually get the opportunity to enjoy some outdoor fun," added Ivorycares vice-president D'Yani Ramoo.

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Metro: North 30 May 2009

Article: Rearing up for gala time

Saturday May 30, 2009

By ALEX TENG

THE 2009 National Horse Show will officially open next Friday and it promises to be an exceptional event not to be missed.

The Penang Turf Club (PTC) will play the perfect host of the 2009 National Horse Show and it is leaving no stone unturned to make this year's event one of the most memorable horse shows ever held in the country.

Traditionally, the National Horse Show is the venue where the nation's topnotch riders get to flex their muscles but this year, the 2009 National Horse Show has been given an extra dimension.

Apart from lending support to our equestrian programme, the PTC is making sure the 2009 National Horse Show will be both entertaining and educational for everybody, thus, paving the way for the public especially the youth to have a chance to interact with the equestrian sport.

About 872 students including 60 international students from Universiti Sains Malaysia have been invited to attend the opening ceremony of the 2009 National Horse Show where Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng is expected to launch it.

National riders like Qabil Ambak, Quzandria Nur and Diani Lee will lead an array of top-class equestrian riders from Malaysia and Hong Kong who will be taking part in the 2009 National Horse Show at the oldest turf club in the country.

"Although, the opening ceremony is on June 5, equine enthusiasts can still visit the site on June 3 and June 4 as there will also be the unofficial fun and games for pony club members and the unofficial competition. Bring along the entire family and you are sure to have a good time here at the show," said Johari Lee, the 2009 National Horse Show director. An event many should also find captivating, according to Johari, is the farriery competition.

This contest touches on the aspect of shoeing and trimming of horses' feet by professional equine blacksmiths. The judge for this event is Australian Peter Strafford, the present chief farrier at the Victoria Racing Club.

At the carnival ground, the children should be kept occupied with pony and carriage rides, the strolling clowns, face painting, magicians and stage performances while the breed display, exposition of equine products and services and a horse chiropractor demonstration should appeal more to the adults.

There is also a wide range of other products available at the bazaar including booths from Zeon Computer, Chocolate Boutique, Party Girls Collection, B & R Gifts, Hiroko's Porcelain Doll, Pearl Health Supplement Enterprise, Abundant Resources and etc.

At the expo site, visitors can also explore the stalls set up by Fireflyz, Hong Leong Bank, O'Driscoll Produce, the National Stud Farm, the PTC Equestrian Centre, Mitavite Asia, the Malaysian Equine Council, the MSM Horse Feeds, Tallahesse, the Department of Veterinary Services Malaysia, De Dengkil Stable and Arabian Stud Farm, KM Vet Pharma and Network Medical.

There are also six stalls managed by St Nicholas Home, Penang Cheshire Home, Rumah Relau Charis, Kiwanis Club of Butterworth, Asia Community Centre and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

A trip to the 2009 National Horse Show will not be complete without paying a visit to the hawker's fair where a variety of Penang's famous food like hokkien mee, laksa, char koay teow, nasi lemak and many more will be showcased.

While admission to the 2009 National Horse Show is free, visitors will have to pay RM2 for the pony ride and RM3 for the carriage ride.

The 2009 National Horse Show is sanctioned by the Equestrian Association of Malaysia and the Malaysian Equine Council. This is the third time that Penang is hosting the national event since it was first introduced in 1994. PTC also hosted it in 2001 and 2004.

The 2009 National Horse Show is mainly sponsored by the Lembaga Totalisator Malaysia and the Pan Malaysian Pools. The Star is the media sponsor.

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Metro: North 30 May 2009

Article: Rescue team

Saturday May 30, 2009

Not all Malaysians are uncaring. In fact, some go to great lengths to make personal sacrifices for a good cause.

Pamela Lim Cheng Yoke,

professional diving instructor

"I was editor-in-chief of a new magazine in Malaysia when I heard the story of the Pulau Ketam dogs. I volunteered to help Furry Friends Farm (FFF) on their rescue mission. At first, I couldn't do much except create awareness through Facebook. In my free time, I would join the rescue team at Pulau Selat Kering.

"As director of rescue operations for FFF, I am often in the thick of the rescue, on the island, in the sea and camping on the nearby kelong.

"The kelong owner and their workers are so kind. They allow us the use of their premises. The workers help by going out with us on their motorboats to rescue dogs and top up feeding stations.

"Despite having their own work to do, these people find the time to help us but their own dog, Kuning, has gone missing. I believe he might have been accidentally retrieved by other groups launching their own rescue missions because Kuning often swims over to Pulau Selat Kering."

Cheng has posted a photo of Kuning on her blog http://pitch.pummkin.net appealing to whoever took him to please return Kuning as the workers have been so demoralised since his disappearance. Updates on the rescue can also be read here.

Donald G. H. Tan,

retired businessman

"My wife and I help take the rescued dogs back to our house in Klang for a night of rest and recuperation. The next morning, we take them to the veterinary clinic. Then, I co-ordinate with other volunteers to transport them to Furry Friends Farm in Kundang.

"I will never forget the day at Pulau Selat Kering when I noticed a mixed Shih Tzu and Maltese dog looking forlornly at us. She reminded me of my own girl, Xiao Mei.

"I tried so hard to save her because I knew a toy breed like that would never survive the harsh conditions of the island. They would never be fast or strong enough to get to the food first and their long hair is a disadvantage. Alas, she was too afraid and I failed. I cried for days.

"When I see the vets removing flesh-eating maggots from the dogs, I get so angry. It is painful for the dogs, but imagine if we didn't get to them . . . they would've been eaten alive by these maggots, if not cannibalised by the stronger dogs."

o Tan's updates on the rescue can be read at http://birdstalkingtoo.blogspot.com/

Adrian Kuah, project executive,

National Kidney Foundation

"I started a forum on Lowyat.net in early May to create awareness. I was amazed when cages, boots, dog food, free boat rental and other offers flooded in.

"I was surprised to receive 1,000 hits in just two days. The public's kindness touched me deeply and made me all the more determined to rescue the dogs.

"Four college students also joined me, and as a team, we went to the islands to see what we could do. We wanted to see for ourselves which organisation was really doing the work as there are confusing reports of several different parties asking for donations.

"We volunteered our services to FFF and will donate the items people have given us to them.''

o Visit Kuah's forum at http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/1023541

Shyam Priah,

group marketing and promotions

executive for an on-line publication

"Soon after I organised Sampah Masyarakat last Wesak Day, I heard about the Pulau Ketam dogs and was appalled at how low humans could stoop.

"Sampah Masyarakat was organised to encourage the Malaysian public to care for the environment and weed out this culture of littering.

"Now I'm determined to organise a fund-raising event for Furry Friends Farm (FFF) to support the rescue, recuperation and re-homing of the Pulau Ketam dogs. Cruelty to animals will only result in creating a cold-hearted, apathetic society.

"This fund-raising event will be held sometime at the end of June and will have a carnival-like atmosphere with a charity car wash, jumble sale, cat and dog adoption drive, food sale, workshops and other exciting activities.

"I hope the public will support this cause as it will be in aid of the rescued dogs of Pulau Ketam."

o To learn more about this event go to www.salammanis.blogspot.com

Related Story:
The height of animal cruelty

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Lifestyle: Focus 30 May 2009

Article: The height of animal cruelty

Saturday May 30, 2009

Stories by SHOBA MANO

The dog rescuers of Pulau Selat Kering and Pulau Tengah are returning with gruesome stories of starving dogs turning on each other and indifferent Pulau Ketam islanders.

In late April, animal activist Sabrina Yeap read a Chinese newspaper report where independent animal rescuers complained of dogs being abandoned on uninhabited islands off Pulau Ketam, near Port Klang.

Shocked, Yeap shared her concerns with fellow activist and blogger, Terence Victor Smith, better known as TV Smith. He immediately went on an expedition to investigate the matter.

What Smith reported shocked the world — Pulau Ketam villagers were rounding up stray dogs by the hundreds and shipping them off to die a slow and painful death on uninhabited islands, Pulau Selat Kering and Pulau Tengah, where food is scarce.

Struggling to survive in the mangrove swamps, the larger dogs cannibalised the weaker, smaller ones.

Rescuers (L-R): activist TV Smith, Hulu Langat district councillor Karin Lee, Furry Friends Farm's Sabrina Yeap and Tracks Adventures' Marjorie Gabriel.

Others held on for dear life on twigs, branches and mangroves which were also home to venomous snakes.

Smith spoke with the Sg Lima village headman who was about to embark on his own "deportation" mission, and convinced him to take him (Smith) along to the island dumps.

"I was shocked to see scrawny dogs loitering on the fringes of what wasn't much of an island. The ground was just tree branches and twigs over seawater.

"The dogs were trying to sit and stand on the mangrove roots and branches. The soil there was like quicksand, and their weight just pulled the animals in," said Smith.

Local fishermen told Smith that since there was no food or drinking water on the islands, the desperate dogs swam to nearby kelongs (fish farm made up of wooden platforms and sheds out in the sea) to save themselves.

However, they were thrown back into the sea.

The fishermen said some drowned and others, having no other choice, returned to the islands.

Armed with a haunting photo of a wet puppy trying to balance itself on fallen branches, Smith rode the boat home, determined to expose the problem.

"When I called Sabrina, she immediately asked me to commit to taking 20 dogs from Sg Lima, to stop the headman there from dumping the dogs.

"It worked. The Sg Lima headman postponed his mission," said Smith, who turned the haunting photo of the wet puppy into a poster which he uploaded on his blog site.

It resulted in a global outcry. Donations poured in from Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, the UK and the US, which allowed Yeap and Smith to immediately embark on a rescue mission.

They set up the Rescue Mission Secretariat run by volunteers who are all independent animal rescuers. Now, they also help reply to hundreds of e-mails which arrive each day from around the world. An update has been posted on Smith's blog site, http://www.mycen.com.my/rescue/updates02.html.

The first rescue took place on May 2. They retrieved a black-and-white terrier whom rescuers named Hope. The next day, rescuers managed to save the "poster puppy" and named her Cleo.

Yeap now has her hands full with 21 rescued dogs at her animal sanctuary, Furry Friends Farm (FFF) in Kundang, Selangor.

She said it broke her heart to think of all the money going into rescue missions, when it could have been more effectively spent on spaying and neutering campaigns instead.

FFF's rescue mission soon hit the headlines of Malaysia's mainstream newspapers.

Then, The Star made another shocking revelation: Pulau Ketam residents had trapped and dumped the dogs on the island since early March, with allocations allegedly provided by Klang Municipal councillor (MPK), Tee Beng Lee.

"The MPK should have initiated proper spaying campaigns and enacted regulations to stop pet dumping and illegal breeders from flourishing," said Yeap.

Yeap with MBPJ councillor K. W. Mak comforting a rescued dog. — DANIEL TANG

Pamela Lim Cheng Yoke, a diving instructor and FFF volunteer and director of rescue operations, said, "I've camped overnight at the rescue site and heard the wails of anguish from a multitude of dogs drifting out from the island. It is a desperate cry so urgent that I am frustrated I cannot move faster to save them."

Smith said fishermen told them that the snakes in the swamps were so venomous that an adult could die within 20 minutes of being bitten! And the nearest hospital is an hour away.

"Once, I fell into quicksand and had to be pulled out by the rescue party. Any dog who encountered the same would not have been so lucky," he added.

On May 19, an insurance agent from Prudential Assurance Malaysia, who had heard of the dangers faced by the rescue team, persuaded his company to provide free personal accident insurance coverage for them.

Hulu Selangor district councillor Karin Lee was among the rescuers. Rolling up her sleeves, she worked with the volunteers to build feeding stations for the abandoned animals. She even dove into the sea to save a dog.

"I understand the rescue team's frustration. I am now convinced that Ronnie Liu (chairman of the Selangor State Exco for Local Government) is right in his goal of creating a 'Humane Selangor'.

"This is why I am organising a spaying and neutering campaign at a residential area in Kuala Kubu Baru this June. I'm hoping this will be a pilot project that can be replicated in other districts and eventually throughout the country," she said.

"On one of my trips to Pulau Ketam, I noticed a dog tied up in the compound of a house. I asked the lady beside it why it was necessary to tie the dog in its own compound. She said it's fierce and must be kept secure," said Smith.

"Then I asked if she could at least put it on a longer leash, at which point she asked what I was doing there. I said I was part of the team rescuing the dogs on Pulau Selat Kering.

"She then said 'Oh, I hear the dogs are eating each other there', and burst into laughter. It made my blood go cold," said Smith, who believes this attitude proves that the lack of animal welfare education in Malaysia and an apathetic federal government is the root of the problem.

FFF is appealing to the public to come forward and adopt the rescued dogs.

"They have been through a great ordeal and we will only consider those who are sincere and committed to giving them loving homes," said Yeap.

• For updates on the rescue mission and to learn how to help the Furry Friends Farm to rescue, recuperate and re-home Pulau Ketam's abandoned dogs, visit: http://www.mycen.com.my/rescue/updates02.html, write to tvsmith@gmail.com or call Sabrina Yeap at 016-631 9018.

Related Story:
Rescue team

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Lifestyle: Focus 30 May 2009

Article: Gaga over garbage

Saturday May 30, 2009

By NEETA LAL

Indian entrepreneur Anita Ahuja uses recycled rubbish to craft stunning designer products.

A plethora of nattily crafted handbags, photo frames, wallets, footwear, file covers, necklaces, pen holders and other products greet me at conservationist Anita Ahuja's workshop in New Delhi.

As I negotiate myself through her busy team of tailors and factory workers, I find it tough to believe that each of these uber chic products has been crafted from recycled trash!

But then one shouldn't be surprised. Anita, a concerned ecologist, established Conserve, a non-profit organisation in 1998 to work in energy efficiency and waste management. Since then her organisation has implemented a slew of programmes on pollution control, composting of waste, training in waste segregation, youth energy clubs and energy efficiency management practices.

In 2002, Conserve — now a non-governmental organisation — developed an alternative recycling process that uses freely available waste plastic bags as a resource for income generation for the urban poor. It converted discarded plastic bags into a "renewed" material called Handmade Recycled Plastic (HRP) which is used to make high-fashion products with great market appeal.

As I touch and feel the products, Anita, 50, looks delighted! Indeed she has reason to be. Conserve is today a multi-million dollar outfit that not only generates employment for Delhi's poor but is also wowing domestic and international buyers with its innovative products.

"Since its inception," says Anita, who is president, "Conserve has addressed a number of socio-economic concerns like recycling non-biodegradable trash and creating jobs for the unemployed poor. Delhi is a landlocked city, so if we don't come up fast with viable waste management ideas, we'll soon get buried under our own garbage!"

The social entrepreneur has spent more than 12 years working to find solutions for society's most pressing social problems. Considering waste an "enemy" and recycling a "solution" for minimising and ultimately eradicating this widespread problem, she came up with ideas that were modern, user-friendly and ethical.

When the Delhi government launched the Bhagidari campaign in the 90s, asking the capital city's residents to participate in civic initiatives, Anita and her engineer husband Shalabh rose to the challenge. With a seed grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), they began advocating waste management through seminars and workshops.

Together with the local Resident Welfare Associations (RWA), the Ahujas would collect the waste of several colonies in a park and then segregate it. Wet kitchen waste would be converted into compost while dry refuse like polythene bags would be put aside. Excited volunteers would then think up new ideas to recycle the mountains of plastic bags at the Ahujas' lab-cum-home. Among other things, the team first tried braiding the bags to make various products out of them. But these unravelled very fast and the product soon fell apart.

The relentless brainstorming continued. And after months of patience and diligence, the volunteers hit upon the idea of washing, drying and compressing the plastic into sheets, using a pressing machine designed by Conserve. The sheets were then lined to make a few sample handbags.

The stunning bags were a hit! Sold tentatively at a few retail outlets in Delhi, they were lapped up by the masses as well as the ecologically-sensitive customers who kept coming back for more. The products sold at reasonable prices — handbags retailed between Rs300 (RM20) and Rs1,500 (RM100) while shopping bags were tagged at Rs50 to Rs250 (RM3.30-RM16.50) and wallets between Rs100 and Rs300 (RM7-RM20).

Buoyed by their initial success, the Conserve project grew in size and today involves 2,000 people in Delhi's various slums who collect, sort, weigh and clean plastic bags. The plastic is melted together to create a thicker more durable plastic material. Since the plastic bags come in multifarious colours, different designs are created using strips and cut-outs of bags. No toxic dyes or inks are used.

With the good response from local buyers, the Ahujas felt enthused enough to tap the export market. Today, Conserve exports its products to the US, Europe, Brazil, Mexico and Venezuela. Anita has also tied up with Bestsellers, a lifestyle products' chain with 3,500 retail outlets worldwide to sell her products.

"Waste management is a global problem," opines Anita. "We actively promote recycling through our products that are made from Hand Made Recycled Plastic. Today, the project sustains hundreds of families, providing them with an opportunity for upward mobility. Whole communities can be supported through our business model by further developing the collection centres and fabrication units, while cleaning up the surroundings."

Anita and her group have created a raft of colours with the throwaway plastic bags. Once the design samples are approved by buyers and retail shops, the plastic sheets are given to fabricators who live in crowded slums. Experimentation is key and Conserve keeps playing around with novel ideas to launch new accessories, occasionally even embellishing the plastic sheets with embroidery, sequins and other bling.

"Once the basic template of recycling plastic bags into sheets has been established, they can be made into anything — fashion accessories, footwear, lampshades, home accessories — the only limit is our imagination. In fact we're now busy working on our home accessories line that will include soft furnishings, tiles, curtains, footmats, the whole gamut," explains Anita.

Not too long ago Conserve was dependent on funding from the Asian Development Bank but now it is self-sustaining. The organisation is also getting invited to various national and international forums to showcase its unique product line.

Anita had been invited to showcase her accessories line at the Wills India Fashion Week in New Delhi where her handbags sold out in a few hours despite being priced at a whopping Rs10,000 each (RM700).

The conservationist has also presented her collection at the Alter Mundi Gallery in Paris and featured in prestigious publications like Forbes and Fortune for its spectacular waste management ideas. Going gaga over garbage has indeed paid Anita rich dividends!

Related Story:
Recycling the trash

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Lifestyle: Living 30 May 2009

Article: Recycling the trash

Saturday May 30, 2009

Conserve (a non-profit organisation) morphs tons of unused plastic bags into stunning products which are then sold in the domestic and international markets.

Social conservationist Anita Ahuja employs teams of rag-pickers — the most marginalised lot in Indian society — in a colony close to her home. These rag pickers collect plastic bags from Delhi's slums by scavenging in garbage bins and choked drains. Besides the plastic gathered by women from the slums, plastic bags are also collected from the local plastic sellers.

Anita says she, too, chips in by collecting plastic in her own unique way.

"Much to my family's embarrassment," says the entrepreneur, "I often get out of my car at traffic lights to collect discarded plastic bags from the roadside!"

The collected plastic is then treated. The workers wear masks to protect themselves from plastic toxicity. The handles and bottoms of the plastic bags are snipped and the open sheets scoured with detergent on a cemented buffalo water trough.

They are then hung to dry on a clothesline and layered together and pressed to make sheets that are designed, cut and stitched to specifications. These bags then go into a machine designed by Conserve, which presses them into thick sheets.

These sheets are then bought by Conserve. It takes about 60 plastic bags to make one sheet, which is then cut, lined with cloth and stitched or moulded into various products.

It is difficult to colour plastic so no dyes are used. Its natural color gives the final product its hues. The more colourful the plastic bags, the more colourful the product.

Of course the slum women making the sheets must wash the plastic very carefully, for buyers scout for both quality and cleanliness.

The handbags and fancier products are made by fabricators at the Conserve workshops. However, ordinary items such as shopping bags and tablemats are made by the women who have collected and processed the plastic.

Conserve has also set up numerous plastic bag collection units throughout Delhi and on its outskirts. From raw ingredient to finished product, the process takes about a week.

Related Story:
Gaga over garbage

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Lifestyle: Living 30 May 2009

Article:Unit pounces on tiger skin smugglers

Saturday May 30, 2009

By G.C. TAN

BUKIT KAYU HITAM: The Kedah Anti-Smuggling Unit (UPP) has foiled an attempt to smuggle out five pieces of dried tiger skins worth RM90,000 meant for home owners who are keen to buy them as collector's items.

A Thai national, who was wearing the uniform of a security agency from his country, was with a fellow Thai accomplice travelling in a Thai-registered vehicle when they were stopped by an anti-smuggling team led by Sjn L. Gunasundram at a roadblock near the Malaysian-Thai border crossing at around 7am yesterday. The duo, aged 51 and 52, have been detained.

Fur trade: Kedah anti-smuggling unit personnel holding the five seized tiger skins during a press conference at the unit's headquarters in Bukit Kayu Hitam Friday.

The skins were from endangered tiger species panthera tigris, found in the jungles of Peninsular Malaysia. It's locally called harimau belang.

In another case, the UPP seized several undeclared China-made goods such as satellite dishes, fertiliser, herbal medicines and tea packets worth about RM12,742 from a house in Jalan Kilang Tebu here around 5pm on Wednesday.

A 48-year-old man was arrested in the bust.

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Nation 30 May 2009

Article: Jumbo task to ensure Temengor is gazetted

Friday May 29, 2009

YOUR article "Elephant found dead after encroaching into plantation" (The Star, May 27) highlights the absolute urgency to gazette the Temengor rainforest and its surrounding areas.

The article was of an innocent elephant found poisoned by smallholders of an illegal oil palm estate nearby.

The poor animal was found dead last week. Not only have these smallholders encroached into state land illegally, they have also resolved to poisoning the animal which apparently "had been disturbing the plantation".

Firstly, the Belum-Temengor complex and its surrounding areas of Gerik are home to many protected wildlife and they are the rightful owners of the land that we humans have conveniently invaded.

Secondly, unlike Royal Belum, Temengor is unprotected, and without control the land is accessible to anyone and any form of activities such as logging and illegal plantations, etc.

Thirdly, do these animals know when they've crossed the border and that they have stepped into unprotected territory? Last but not least, who is to assure that such killing will not happen again?

The Body Shop and Malaysian Nature Society have been campaigning for years to protect the Belum-Temengor Rainforest complex. We are determined to redouble our relentless efforts to lobby for its conservation and protection.

The Government has done the right thing in the gazetting of Royal Belum in 1997, but this latest "murder" will not be the last unless Temengor is gazetted as well.

These animals deserve to live and roam free in their own home.

As Malaysians living in a planet with vanishing resources, we have to protect what is left for our future generations.

Don't let this outrage be forgotten.

The Body Shop,
Kuala Lumpur.

This article was taken from: The Star Newspaper: News: Opinion 29 May 2009

Image: Cruel killings of pilot whales

This image was taken from: The Star Newspaper: Star Foto Folder: World W40, 29 May 2009

Image: Marmoset Newborns

This image was taken from: The Star Newspaper: Star Foto Folder: World W40, 29 May 2009

Image: Poultry puzzle

Date : Friday, 29-May-2009

by Sukri Radzali

Of all the places at my parent's house in Besut, the hen chose to lay eggs on the windscreen of my father's car. This is as baffling as the famous causality dilemma: 'Chicken or egg, which came first?'

This image was taken from: The Star Online: Thumbnails 29 May 2009

Article: Nesting ground for water birds in danger

Thursday May 28, 2009

MY heart sank when I heard about the deteriorating condition of the fireflies at Kuala Selangor. It is a national and international treasure that gladdens the heart.

I am writing to alert the authorities of yet another environmental disaster.

I recently visited the Kinta Nature Park in Batu Gajah after a lapse of six months, and was surprised to see that the park which used to attract water birds such as herons and egrets to nest has been significantly damaged.

Many trees have died, as have many of the aquatic plants, leaving the whole park exposed and barren. From information available, it appears that the bank of the Sungei Kinta had burst and flowed into the park.

However, this is not the only degradation. I saw more than 10 persons fishing in the park – some were using large cast nets!

In addition, sand mining and farming activities around the park seem to have diminished its size.

Anyone who had visited the park in the past would have been amazed at the beauty and diversity of the birds it once attracted. It was a great place to bring schoolchildren to learn about our natural heritage.

The Malaysian Nature Society had fought quite hard to get the authorities to protect this area so as to allow these large water birds a place to breed. It seems our indifference to environmental issues has again led to the destruction of another natural heritage.

I hope the authorities can act urgently to preserve what is left.

DATUK DR AMAR-SINGH HSS,

Ipoh.

This article was taken from: The Star Online: News: Opinion 28 May 2009

Article: Rare white tiger kills zookeeper in New Zealand

This article was taken from: The Star Newspaper: World W37, 28 May 2009

Image: Wrapped and ready

Back To Previous Page

Date : Thursday, 28-May-2009

by Hii Boh Teck

These chickens and ducks are wrapped in newspapers and waiting for customers at the Central Market in Sibu to take them home.

This image was taken from: The Star Online: thumbnails 28 May 2009

Article: Carnival fun at national horse show

Wednesday May 27, 2009

THE 15th National Horse Show will be held at the Penang Turf Club on Jalan Bukit Gantong, Penang, next weekend to showcase equestrian-related activities.

And there will be a carnival at the event scheduled for June 5 to June 7, from 10am to 6pm daily.

There will be a stage show, a hawker food fair, a bazaar, a breed display and a trade exposition showcasing equestrian-related products.

During the breed display, 13 horses of different breeds will be put on display.

Deputy organising committee chairman Robin Tan said the bazaar, held for the first time, would have 18 stalls selling items like handmade craft, decorative items, Malaysian chocolates, Penang white coffee, computers, handphones and health products.

He said six of the stalls would be managed by charitable homes such as St Nicholas Home, Penang Cheshire Home and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

Organising committee chairman Alex Rodgers said the club wanted to encourage the public, especially children, to have a closer look at the sports and familiarise themselves with their equine friends. Children will also be treated to pony and carriage rides during the event, he said.

"The public will also get an insight on how the horses are transported in air-conditioned trailers from one place to another," he added.

He said admission and parking were free for visitors while the club would also provide shuttle buses to transport people from designated carparks around the turf club.

Rodgers said Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng was expected to officiate the carnival.

He said 20 equestrian clubs and 113 horses would be participating in this year's national horse show.

National riders like Qabil Ambak, Quzandria Nur and Diani Lee will be competing against each other in the equestrian competition.

This is the third time the club is hosting the national event.

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Metro: North: 27 May 2009

Image: Green Message

This image was taken from: The Star Newspaper: Netion: Star Foto Folder: N30, 27 May 2009

Article: Elephant found dead after encroaching into plantation

Wednesday May 27, 2009

By HILARY CHIEW

KUALA LUMPUR: A female elephant, which was part of a small herd reported to be causing damage in several oil palm plantations, was found dead in Gerik last week. She was believed to have been poisoned.

The animal, almost an adult judging from the measurement of its front soles, succumbed to blood poisoning caused by ingestion of pesticide-laced food, said sources.

The carcass was discovered by wildlife rangers on May 18, at Kampung Strang, located next to a forest reserve that connects to the Belum-Temenggor forest complex.

A source alleged that the oil palm estate was an illegal operation by smallholders that encroached into state land.

He said there had been complaints of animal disturbance in the area by three elephants.

He added that the damage was not severe but "yet, they resorted to poisoning the innocent elephants."

Department of Wildlife and National Park (Perhilitan) deputy director-general Misliah Mohamed Bashir confirmed that a report had been received.

"We will act against the culprit but we must get the proof. Our people in Gerik are still investigating the matter," she said.

Elephants are protected species under the Wildlife Protection Act. Killing one without a licence is an offence that carries a fine not exceeding RM3,000 or imprisonment not exceeding three years or both, upon conviction.

To manage the human-wildlife conflict, more than 100 elephants had been relocated in the last 15 years.

This article was taken from:The Star Online: Nation 27 May 2009

Image: Bread for the world

Date : Wednesday, 27-May-2009

by Judy Leng

A survivor of dwindling habitat indulging in its new staple diet: food 'gathered' from humans.

This image was taken from: The Star Online: Thumbnails 27 May 2009

Image: Fried gecko

Date : Wednesday, 27-May-2009 

by Kenny Kok

Poor lizard thought it had found a nice snug spot, tch tch tch ... .

This image was taken from: The Star Online: Thumbnails 27 May 2009

Article: Up close with nature

Tuesday May 26, 2009

The Green Fest, The Star's annual event to mark World Environment Day, returns to the lush greenery of the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) this year.

And like in previous years' events, visitors can get the chance to revel in nature plus learn about ways to conserve the environment.

These are some of the activities lined for the event on June 7:

·Philips Malaysia will offer tips on energy conservation and give you an energy-saving light bulb in exchange for your old one.

·Get to know the conservation work of the Worldwide Fund for Nature and the Malaysian Nature Society. You can support their efforts by signing up as members or giving a donation. WWF will also be collecting signatures for its turtle conservation campaign.

·Learn about the research work of FRIM scientists on forests as well as wild flora and fauna.

·Kids can sign up for the Kuntum colouring competition, join the T-shirt painting event or have their faces painted.

·Try making music from all kinds of everyday implements, with help from members of the Drum Circle.

·Join the guided walk along one of the many jungle trails found in FRIM, to get a real close look at the many wonders found in the forest.

·For a bird's eye view of the forest, go on the canopy walk. This 200m-long suspension bridge brings you up to the tree tops for a superb view of tree canopies and the city skyline.

·Permanis will give away a bottle of Revive to the first 200 people who bring in recyclables.

·Sampling and redemption of Marigold drinks.

·Entertainment will be provided by TV3 and Suria FM.

• The Green Fest is sponsored by Bonuslink and Philips Malaysia.

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Lifestyle: Focus 26 May 2009

Article: Modern twist to legend

Tuesday May 26, 2009

By ANN TAN

Worthy effort: Members of various NGOs hurling mud balls into the sea off the Gurney Drive coast.

LEGEND has it that friends and supporters of scholar-poet Qu Yuan threw dumplings into the river to save Qu but some 80 women threw mud balls instead into the sea off the Gurney Drive coast in Penang on Sunday to save Mother Earth.

The group of women from various non-governmental organisations (NGO) in Penang was spotted throwing a total of 2,589 effective microorganisms (EM) mud balls and 100 litres of EM activated solution into the sea with only their hats and umbrellas as their shields against the blazing sun.

Penang Youth, Sports, Women, Family and Community Development Committee chairman Lydia Ong Kok Fooi said the mud balls were thrown as a symbolic gesture in conjunction with the Bak Chang (Dumpling) Festival and Mother's Day.

"I hope the hoteliers and restaurant owners in the area can 'adopt' Gurney Drive soon just like how Hunza Properties Bhd and the International Real Estate Federation Penang branch adopted Sungai Kelian in Batu Ferringhi under their sustainable environmental project," she said.

"One of the criteria to achieve an International City standard is cleanliness and for that, we must go green by ensuring that our rivers and sea are clean.

"Gurney Drive is a popular tourist attraction and maintaining its cleanliness reflects the state's image," she said.

The event was themed 'Giving Back to Mother Earth.' The mud balls were prepared at the Rumah Seri Teratai, the Chief Minister's official residence at Macalister Road, on May 10 to celebrate Mother's Day.

The EM mud balls, a Japanese technology, are known to stop algae growth and break down sludge in ponds, lakes and drains.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's wife Betty Chew said the state Women, Family and Community Development Committee and Pertubuhan Wanita Mutiara, the organisation of wives of Penang's state assemblymen, would be setting up an environmental committee with the Gurney Drive hoteliers as an ongoing effort to keep the place clean.

"We are also looking into possibilities of creating job opportunities for the disabled people and single mothers whereby they can be paid up to 20 sen for each mud ball made.

"We hope in years to come, the sea at the Gurney Drive coast will be so clean that we can see fish swimming and thriving," she said.

This image was taken from: The Star Newspaper: Metro: North 26 May 2009

Article: Toxic Shipment

This image was taken from: The Star Newspaper: Startwo 26 May 2009

Image: Parade

This image was taken from: The Star Newspaper: Star Foto Folder: World 26 May 2009

Image: Fishing Competition

This image was taken from: The Star Newspaper: Star Foto Folder: World 26 May 2009

Article: Five parks in one

Tuesday May 26, 2009

FRESHKILLS Park will have five parks fully completed: the Confluence (made up of Creek Landing and The Point), North Park, South Park, East Park and West Park. Each area will have a distinct character and programming approach.

● The first phase of North Park is expected to begin construction this year and will be completed by early 2011.

● The Confluence is the cultural and waterfront recreation core of the park, sited at the confluence of Richmond Creek and Main Creek and encircled by the park road. Two developed areas along this loop are the main activity sites in the park:

– Creek Landing (8ha) will be designed for waterfront activities, including an esplanade, canoe and boat launch, restaurants, a visitor centre and a large event lawn for gatherings, picnics and sunbathing. The area will also allow for ample car parking and will be a central point of arrival and departure of park users.

– The Point (20ha) is designed to accommodate sports fields, event spaces, lawns, artwork and educational programming. A long promenade along the water’s edge will support restaurants, a banquet facility and an open-air market roof.

Old machinery and artefacts from Fresh Kills Landfill operations will act as outdoor sculptural pieces, and the old barges that used to ship waste to Fresh Kills will be converted into floating gardens.

The promenade will be a vibrant social place with fishing piers, a jetty and great views across the water toward the natural beauty of the nearby Isle of Meadows.

● North Park (94ha) will be characterised by simple, vast natural settings – meadows, wetlands and creeks. The area will feature paths and trails for walking, running, bicycling and skating encircling the northern mound. Scenic overlooks and spaces for picnicking, catch-and-release fishing and bird-watching will be provided.

● South Park (170ha) will provide large natural settings and active recreational spaces, including soccer fields, an equestrian facility and mountain biking pathways.

The initial phase of South Park’s build-out will lead visitors to the first publicly accessible part of what was actually former landfill.

South Park is expected to begin construction in 2012 and will be completed by 2014.

● East Park (171ha) has been conceptualised as a nature education area with specially designed wetlands, boardwalks and exhibits and public art installations. The large mound in this area lends itself to a variety of recreational uses, from golf and field sports to archery, informal pickup games, frisbee sport and picnicking.

● West Park (221ha) hosts the site’s largest mound, with the West Shore Expressway to the east and the Arthur Kill to the west. An enormous earthwork monument is envisioned atop the mound in remembrance of the Sept 11 recovery effort that occurred in this location.

Set on a vast hilltop wildflower meadow, the earthwork would be open to the sky and offer spectacular 360° views of the region, including a direct line of sight to lower Manhattan.

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This article was taken from: The Star Online: lifestyle: living 26 May 2009

Article: Call of the island

Tuesday May 26, 2009

IF New York is a city that never sleeps, where does one go for much needed quiet or rest?

Visitors and Manhattanites need not venture far, Staten Island (SI) is just a ferry ride away.

The birthplace of pop diva Christina Aguilera, the island is the greenest and most suburban of New York’s five boroughs (the others are Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx) and the least populated, with less than half a million residents.

An estimated 1.8 million tourists make a round-trip on the SI ferry annually to view the Statue of Liberty for free but few actually stop by and tour the island.

This stone manor, built in 1680, was named the Conference House for the unsuccessful Revolutionary War Peace Conference that was held here on Sept 11, 1776, between the Americans and the English.

It is sometimes a forgotten borough; remembered on those rare occasions for the wrong reasons – its dumps and mobsters, no thanks to the filming of The Godfather here three decades ago.

The local folks are peeved with the negative image and would have you know that their landfill has been closed for eight years and they have the city’s best parks, lowest crime rate and highly-educated people.

There are miles of pretty beaches, sprawling golf courses, theatres, historical and cultural attractions apart from the much touted “best pizzas in the world”.

To create more awareness on their island, Staten Island New York (SINY) was conceived last summer by a group of prominent business and civic leaders.

“We want to create an atmosphere where people want to come here, live here, and work here. We want SI to be a popular ‘staycation’ destination,” said SINY executive director Larry Ambrosino who hosted an island tour for a group of foreign journalists recently.

The former high school principal joked about being tired of garbage talk and “everyone thinking you’re the Sopranos’ kid brother”.

Impressive: The Seguine Mansion in Lemon Creek Park is one of the grandest 19th Century homes on Staten Island.

The third generation Ambrosino whose grandmother migrated from Italy in 1900, proudly lives up to the island’s motto, “SINY – Proud of it!” He considers himself a true blue Staten Islander and more American than Italian.

Unlike other boroughs, SI does not have an extensive subway network that makes it easy for visitors to move around. Realising this, SINY has launched coach tours from the St. George ferry terminal to transport visitors from the terminal to their destinations.

“We need to get people from here to there,” Ambrosino explained.

SINY has also installed a giant video screen in the Whitehall Ferry Terminal (on the Manhattan side) to promote places like the newly merged Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden, Fort Wadsworth, the Staten Island Zoo, the Alice Austen House, Tibetan Museum, the St. George Theatre, Lorenzo’s Cabaret at the Hilton Garden Inn, Historic Richmond Town and the Staten Island Yankees.

Since November, visitors can tour SI’s scenic parks, South Beach (the island’s own version of the French Riviera) and historic Richmond Town or participate in nature walks.

There’s even a “Staten Island Pizza Tour” featuring popular local pizza joints like Denino’s, Lee’s Tavern, Joe & Pat and Jimmy Max.

During the press tour, journalists were taken on a tour of some of NYC’s best parks in SI, conducted by none other than New York City Parks commissioner Adrian Benepe himself.

Benepe’s top picks are:

Peacocks like this one roam freely around the Seguine Mansion in Lemon Creek Park.

● Conference House Park

The 106ha park has breathtaking views of Raritan Bay. It is rich in history; there are four historic houses, including the Conference House where Benjamin Franklin met English leaders during the Revolutionary War Peace Conference in 1776.

● Lemon Creek Park

Visitors can tour the grounds of the 171-year-old Greek-revival Seguine Mansion. Those who are adventurous can visit the park’s red clay bluffs, which are the tallest ocean-facing cliffs in New York state.

● Clove Lakes Park

Staten Islanders considered making this area a park as early as 1897, a year before the consolidation of New York City.

The northwest section of the park is home to the island’s 300-year-old tulip tree which managed to escape the extensive logging and clearing when settlers opened up the area. Tulip trees are known for their straight trunks from which Native Americans carved canoes.

Other interesting sights in Clove Lakes Park include the outcropping of serpentine rock at the crest of the hills. The spine of SI is a broad ridge of serpentine, formed during the Ordovician period (435-500 million years ago) when heat and pressure altered rocks rich in magnesium and iron.

Those interested in visiting Staten Island or its parks can check out www.sinewyork.org and click on the Staycation link.

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This article was taken from: The Star Online: Lifestyle: Living 26 May 2009

Article: Smells like clean spirit

Tuesday May 26, 2009

Stories by LIM AI LEE

Once the world's biggest garbage dump, the Fresh Kills landfill in New York City is being turned into a green lung.

IT was once the world's biggest landfill, with refuse piling 25m higher than the Statue of Liberty across the channel.

Covering 12sq km, the Fresh Kills landfill in Staten Island – one of New York's five boroughs – was an environmental nightmare, receiving 29,000 tonnes of garbage daily from the entire city at its peak.

NYC Parks commissioner Adrian Benepe.

But all that is changing. The ugly and smelly duckling is being given a swan makeover.

Under an ambitious greening project to be implemented over three decades, the 890ha site will be transformed into a world-class city park and an eco-tourism attraction, according to New York City Parks commissioner Adrian Benepe.

When fully completed, Fresh Kills Park will be three times the size of Manhattan's Central Park.

"There will be reclaimed wetlands, recreational facilities and landscaped public parkland. The site is large enough to support many sports and programmes, including nature trails, horseback riding, mountain biking, community events, outdoor dining, sports fields and canoeing," said Benepe who oversees over 2,000 parks in NYC.

Current work includes the creation of 24ha of parkland, the first sections of which are expected to open early next year.

The Fresh Kills landfill, which covers 8% of Staten Island's land area, began receiving waste in 1948. It has been described as the largest man-made structure on Earth, with volume exceeding even that of the Great Wall of China.

In March 2001, the landfill was closed following local pressure with support of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). However, after the Sept 11, 2001, attacks on New York's World Trade Centre, the landfill was temporarily reopened to receive and process much of the debris from the destruction.

It is anticipated that it will take a minimum of 30 years before garbage decomposition is complete, associated gas production and settlement cease, and leachate fully drains from the site.

Benepe is confident that Fresh Kills Park would support rich diverse habitats for wildlife, birds and plants.

Last year, over 200 species of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians were sighted, including the red-tailed hawk, northern snapping turtle, turkey vulture, killdeer, ring-necked pheasant, red-winged blackbird, tree swallow, glossy ibis, great blue heron, egret, Canada goose, muskrat, white-tailed deer and cotton-tailed rabbit.

The public will be able to track the progress of tree growth and stroll past 2.8ha of Founder Seed plots operated by the Department of Parks and Recreation's Greenbelt Native Plant Center.

Harvest from both projects will be used in replanting Fresh Kills Park.

Development over the next several years would focus on providing public access to the interior of the site, Benepe said during a press tour of Staten Island's parks.

He added that development of the park had taken into account environmental safety and sustainability.

"No area will be open to ongoing public access until it has been tested and found safe for park use," Benepe stressed.

While nearly 45% of the site was once used for landfill operations, the remainder is currently composed of wetlands, open waterways, and unfilled lowland areas.

From garbage dump to greenery: An artist impression of Freshkills Park, which will be three times the size of Manhattan's Central Park.

The tops of the landfill mounds now offer spectacular vistas of the expansive site, as well as views of downtown Manhattan.

Two of the four mounds at Fresh Kills are already capped with a thick, impermeable cover that separates the wastes from the public. The remaining two mounds are in the process of being capped.

The city's Department of Sanitation is now working with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to ensure the environmentally-sound closure of the landfill sections that remain to be capped and to prepare for on-site environmental monitoring and control systems.

Since the landfill closed eight years ago, the city's wastes have been transported to landfills in Pennsylvania and Ohio by trucks.

At the former landfill site, the Department of Sanitation is already actively harvesting methane from the decomposing waste buried at Fresh Kills.

This methane is sold to the utility, National Grid, to heat about 22,000 homes on Staten Island and generates about US$11mil (RM39.6mil) in annual revenue for the city.

The park's Draft Master Plan focuses on executing a carefully planned first phase of development that will initiate active use of the park, generate enthusiasm and commitment on the part of stakeholders, and propel later phases of development.

To assure that the park's long–range construction does not become a waiting period, but is a time of dynamic change, each project is independent of the others and is capable of being developed concurrently or in sequence.

Phase I will occur over the first 10 years of the park's development, with projects and facilities opening throughout this period.

Meanwhile, the Parks Department has begun working with local elementary schools to develop lesson plans based on the Fresh Kills Park site and its related issues. Among the lessons integrated with study of the site are ecology, wildlife, environment and remediation, geological history, landfill engineering, waste reduction and recycling.

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This article was taken from: The Star Online: Lifestyle: Living 26 May 2009

Article: The road to ruin

Tuesday May 26, 2009

By TAN CHENG LI

A new road near Taman Negara may well be built at the expense of wildlife and their habitat.

IT would shorten the route by a mere 6.6km – probably 10 minutes of driving – but the new alignment of a stretch of road near Gua Musang, Terengganu, will eat into habitats for wildlife and allow development to inch closer to the country's premier park – Taman Negara.

Bulldozers are already hard at work at both ends of the new road, located about 45km from Gua Musang. This stretch is labelled as Phase 1-Segment 5, and is just one parcel of a bigger project by the Public Works Department (PWD) to upgrade Federal Route 8, the major thoroughfare that connects Bentong, Pahang, to Gua Musang, Kelantan.

While the existing road curves around oil palm and rubber estates for 13.7km, the realigned road will cut through these plantations as well as some tracts of forest, to cut the route by about half.

Negative development: Trees have been felled for the realignment of Phase I-Segment 5 of the Bentong-Gua Musang (Federal Route 8). It is feared that the new road alignment will eat into habitats for wildlife.

Conservationists have questioned the necessity of this shorter route. They say the new road is within the Taman Negara-Sungai Yu corridor, an important ecological bridge between the Main Range and the national park, and an area known to host elephants, tapirs and sun bears.

WWF-Malaysia chief technical officer Surin Suksuwan explains that the Taman Negara-Sungai Yu corridor has almost contiguous forest cover – so its preservation will greatly enlarge the available wilderness.

This link is among several earmarked by the Town and Country Planning Department to connect four major forest complexes spanning the length of the peninsula, to form what is called the Central Forest Spine.

These four wild lands – the Main Range, Taman Negara, south-east Pahang-Chini/Bera wetlands and Endau Rompin-Kluang Wildlife Reserve – are crucial for biodiversity and environmental protection but are now fragmented from one another.

Suksuwan says a report on the Central Forest Spine, the boundaries of which are being finalised now, discourages the widening of roads in areas earmarked for forest corridors.

WWF chief executive officer Datuk Dr Dionysius Sharma fears that the impact will extend beyond the actual site cleared for the road to adjacent forests.

"The upgrading and realignment of the existing road might not only impede wildlife movement between the Main Range and Taman Negara, but also accelerate forest conversion and fragmentation in surrounding areas. This in turn will disrupt ecological functions and lead to the loss of biodiversity."

He says existing forests flanking the road are vulnerable to conversion to other land uses as they are state-owned land with no protected status.

Sharma urges the Pahang state government to gazette these forests as Permanent Reserved Forest under the National Forestry Act 1984, to reduce the risk of forest conversion and maintain the connectivity between the Main Range and Taman Negara,

"It is crucial and urgent that a buffer zone is demarcated for Taman Negara to address a range of mounting concerns such as forest conversion and potential poaching pressures. No development activities should take place in this buffer zone," says Sharma.

As is often the case, new roads spell easier access – in this case, trespassing by poachers into Taman Negara. At their closest point, 2km is all that separates the new stretch of road from the 4,343 sqkm park.

Sharma urges the PWD to share information on the other phases of the road upgrading scheme with key government agencies and non-governmental groups which might be able to provide useful recommendations on ways to minimise the environmental impact of the scheme.

Should the realignment of certain stretches be unavoidable, he proposes that measures such as elevated roads and tunnels as well as wildlife crossings be incorporated into the design, to prevent forest fragmentation.

The PWD, however, has brushed off the claims of WWF.

Responding to questions from StarTwo, it says the realignment of Phase 1-Segment 5 is to make that stretch, an accident-prone spot, safer. Upgrading the existing road will pose greater risk to the locals as vehicle speeds will be higher. It is also cheaper to construct the new alignment.

The PWD says Segment 5 does not encroach into any forest reserves: 3km will cut through secondary forest that makes up the Jalan Merapuh Malay Reserve and another 3.3km, the Felda Cegah Perah Satu oil palm plantation.

It says the existing road as well as the railway line already transect the forest corridor between the Main Range and Taman Negara, hence "the realignment of certain stretches is not a new impact to wildlife in the area that have already adapted to the presence of the road for many years." It also points out that the area is already fragmented and consists of forest, oil palm and settlements.

To minimise impact to wildlife, the PWD has produced a Wildlife Management Plan which among other things, suggests elephant warning signs, lower speed limits and reporting of wildlife sightings. The PWD also intends to construct underpasses for animal crossings in the road upgrading, in compliance with the requirements of wildlife authorities.

Countering concerns that the new road will worsen poaching of wildlife, the PWD says illegal hunting is already prevalent in the area – traps for porcupine were detected during surveys for the Wildlife Management Plan – due to accessibility. It says poaching can only be solved through deterrent measures such as severe punishment and constant surveillance.

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Lifestyle: Focus 26 May 2009

Article: Lost wilderness

Tuesday May 26, 2009

By TAN CHENG LI

Yet another tract of forest will be sacrificed for dams and timber.

AN expanse of green in the upper reaches of Terengganu, home to countless species of wildlife, including the highly endangered Sumatran rhinoceros, will soon be no more. It is being logged and will eventually be flooded for a new hydroelectric scheme. What is alarming is that the area being cleared is three times larger than that needed for the project.

Under the 212MW hydroelectric project in Kuala Berang, 65km west of Kuala Terengganu, Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) will dam up Sungai Terengganu Mati and Sungai Tembat to create two reservoirs north of Kenyir Lake. In so doing it will flood 6,000ha and 130ha of Tembat and Petuang forest reserves.

As if it is not bad enough that over 6,130ha of wilderness will have to make way for the two reservoirs, the Terengganu state government intends to log another 12,620ha around the inundated area.

Much is at stake: forests and riverine habitats, together with the flora and fauna within. What worries conservationists is that the forest here is among the last few refuges of the highly endangered Sumatran rhinoceros, Malayan tiger and Malayan gaur (seladang). It also harbours the Asian elephant, tapir, primates, wild cats and plants, of which 94 species are Red Listed as threatened by extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

When it rains, Sungai Tembat, north of Kenyir Lake, is silted up due to erosion from logged sites upstream.

The Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA) on the project predicts that logging will have a high impact on wildlife as an area three times larger than that required for the reservoirs will be clear-felled – not selectively logged, which would still leave behind vegetation cover.

WWF-Malaysia has questioned the need to log the additional 12,620ha as not only is the area an important wild habitat, it is also the catchment for Kenyir Lake. Destroying the catchment will hamper water flows, says WWF chief technical officer Surin Suksuwan.

"Erosion resulting from logging can silt up the river and this could reduce the lifespan of the dam and affect electricity generation. It would be a disadvantage for TNB if the catchment is chopped down," he says.

There are valid reasons for preserving Petuang and Tembat. The presence of a highly endangered species, the Sumatran rhinoceros, makes them high-value forests. Tembat has also been identified as an important site for tiger conservation.

And not only are Petuang and Tembat part of the Central Forest Spine, the tract of forest running the length of the peninsular that is crucial for biodiversity and environmental protection, they sit within the ecological corridor that links Taman Negara with the Main Range.

With this corridor, essentially a stretch of forested lands, a larger wild sanctuary will be created for wildlife dispersion and breeding.

But Terengganu is adamant on exploiting the timber housed within Tembat and Petuang. In June 2003, then Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang had said that in view of the TNB project, the state had awarded timber concessions for some 16,000ha. Last August, the state gazette showed 6,168ha of Tembat forest reserve to have been excised, but the degazettement was backdated to November 2006.

Last November, Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said told The Star that the logging was to prevent loss of timber revenue when the area is submerged – but he failed to explain why the state is allowing logging of an extra 12,620ha outside of the 6,130ha that would be flooded.

Tourist attraction: The damming of Sungai Tembat will mean that the popular Tembat waterfalls will be no more.

The hydroelectric project was mooted in the 1990s. TNB had submitted an EIA in 2000 but the review panel deemed it incomplete and asked for more studies. No fresh EIA was submitted, however, until the latest DEIA dated September 2008.

But in blatant disregard for the law, portions of the forest have been laid bare even as experts were vetting the DEIA. Satellite images in the report reveals logging in the area dates back to 2003. From an image taken in January, it is estimated that 5,500ha have been denuded.

The effects of forest destruction are being felt. "When it rains, Sungai Tembat will be the colour of tea," says one tour operator who declined to be named. "It takes a few days for the water to clear up. This has been happening for the past two years."

He foresees that the proposed dams will lead to reduced flows – so boat trips upriver for either fishing or the riverine scenery will be a thing of the past.

The DEIA report states as much. It says silt that is washed into the rivers from barren lands will smother fish spawning grounds and kill aquatic insects which fish feed on. As the river water quality declines, so will ecotourism activities.

Another loss is the Tembat waterfalls, said to be the second biggest in Kenyir. The five cascades along the river will turn into mere trickles with the damming. The stemmed flows downstream of the dams will doom some species, and eventually transform the composition of species. The DEIA foresees a drop in populations of kelah, daun and tengas, which are what draw anglers to Kenyir.

Equally imperilled are endangered plants such as numerous dipterocarp species, orchids, begonias, rafflesia and the ginger kantan hutan (Etlingera terengganuensis) that is endemic to Terengganu.

With the forest destruction comes other problems. The DEIA anticipates more road kills along highways in the area, and poaching too as logging roads will make the remote forest accessible. As it is, the DEIA consultants had come across old and new Thai poachers' camps while surveying the catchment.

To counter these problems, it is suggested that signboards be erected along the highways to warn of wildlife crossings and there be more enforcement and patrols by wildlife and forest rangers.

The logging and dam construction will drive elephants into nearby settlements and plantations, particularly those at the north near Setiu. The DEIA says to safeguard crops, the elephants might have to be trapped and moved to other forests.

But the jumbos of Tembat and Petuang seem destined for a life in captivity. The Mentri Besar in November said the animals will be relocated to an elephant sanctuary.

WWF executive director Datuk Dr Dionysius Sharma does not think this a viable solution. "This would be too costly and the sanctuary would not be able to accommodate all the elephants in the state in the long term. The increase in reports of human-wildlife conflict within the area strongly infers that wildlife habitats are being encroached or are diminishing. More land clearing will result in more elephants and other wildlife being displaced."

With so much at risk, the DEIA has rightly cautioned the state government against logging what remains of Tembat and Petuang forest reserves, urging it to instead gazette them into catchment areas to protect the remaining wildlife and vegetation.

It says the 12,620ha outside the reservoir site should be selectively logged instead of clear-felled to reduce environmental destruction. Also, the sliver of forest west of Kenyir Lake needs to stay to enable movements of wildlife, otherwise Taman Negara and the catchment will be cut off from each other.

Sharma, however, says the suggestion in the DEIA on selective logging will not be effective. "The forest will take many years to regenerate and resume its ecosystem function as water catchment and to prevent soil erosion."

He says it is crucial that both Petuang and Tembat be gazetted as catchment forests immediately, and not after they are logged. This will conform to a National Forestry Council directive for states to protect their catchments.

"Logging or clear-felling should not be allowed in these protected forests, in line with the National Physical Plan which classifies all catchment forests as Environmentally Sensitive Area Rank 1. Logging, development and agricultural activities are not permitted in these areas."

This article was taken from: The Star Online: lifestyle: Focus 26 May 2009

Image: Horse cavalry

Date : Tuesday, 26-May-2009

by Murali Sundareson

The police horse patrol unit taking their horses out for a morning stroll in Cheras.

This image was taken from: The Star Online: thumbnails 26 May 2009

Image: An udder mess

Date : Monday, 25-May-2009

by Nur Zakinah Sahar

A cowherd's job is never done, especially when a silly cow decides to go for a swim instead of following the herd into the barn. Novel approach to steer the animal is apparently by twisting its tail - hard!

This image was taken from: The Star Online: Thumbnails 25 May 2009

Image: Water boar-ding

Date : Monday, 25-May-2009

by Wong Kim Mun

A ham-fisted, pork-barrel solution following the flu scare leading to these poor pigs being shut away in an 'Animal Alcatraz', surrounded by crocodile infested waters? Wonder who's bringing home the bacon.

This image was taken from: The Star Online: Thumbnails 25 May 2009