Now, how did the rubbish bag end up on the power lines? Perhaps the crow has the answer. Looks like the crow was on it's way to stash food, and failed to dodge the electric cables.
Even the animals are concerned about keeping the environment clean, and this monitor lizard decided to do its part.
Micro-organisms, whether beneficial, neutral or pathogenic, are still micro-organisms and any uncontrolled introduction into the environment will disrupt the existing micro-biota in the ecosystem. Hence, Effective Micro-organism (EM) mudballs application into the environment, polluted or not, raises concern of such a disturbance, which might have a long term effect.
Many micro-organisms, when stressed by changes in nutrient, pH or temperature, will turn into opportunistic pathogens or parasites to ensure their own survival. High inputs of EM might also impact the flora and fauna in the ecosystem.
Therefore, I strongly believe that EM mudballs application should be encouraged only after a thorough investigation on their impact to the environment. Let us not be eager to achieve observable results which might hamper us from doing what is right.
Members of the public throwing EM mudballs along Gurney Drive, Penang. Personally, I would prefer wastewater to be treated at a treatment plant prior to release into the river or sea. By doing so, the application of micro-organisms is restricted within the treatment plant and is not mass-introduced into the natural ecosystem.
Also, what happens to the EM in the introduced site? Will they continue to proliferate and subsequently dominate the niche, eradicating indigenous microbial species? What happens if a surplus of these EM overflows into the marine ecosystem? Or, do the EM die at the end of their function and if so, what happens to the microbial cells? Perhaps the Department of Environment has collected sufficient data for implementing this EM mudballs practice.
Nevertheless, tread with caution as micro-organisms are highly mutating species. Bear in mind that each new generation of cells , (achievable in 24 to 48 hours) can result in a microbial boom which might lead to unforeseen problems rather than a solution.
Lastly, I notice that the pictures in the article show volunteers making and throwing EM mudballs without wearing gloves. Again, beneficial organisms such as EM do not mean they do not have any pathogenic potential. Not wearing gloves is like soiling your hands with microbes and this is not a good practice, especially if you have wounds or skin abrasions. Always wear gloves when dealing with micro-organisms.
Science is about innovation and creativity, as well as responsibility to ourselves, other beings and the environment.
Adeline Ting, PhD
Kuala Lumpur
Documenting green crimes has grown increasingly dangerous for journalists.
IN a report that focuses on threats faced by environmental journalists worldwide, media advocacy group Reporters Without Borders – better known by its French acronym RSF or Reporters Sans Frontieres – warned that these journalists are on the frontlines of a new war.
"There is a lot at stake in the environment. The gathering of information alone is threatening for many companies, organised crime groups, governments and the various kinds of intermediaries that profit from misuse of the environment.
"Environmental concerns complicate their plans. As a result, investigative journalists and environmental activists are seen as an unwanted menace and even as enemies to be physically eliminated," said the report, The Dangers For Journalists Who Expose Environmental Issues.
The seven-page report documented 21 cases in 17 countries, the majority of which are developing countries where depletion of natural resources have proven to be politically sensitive issues.
Show of support: People staging a rally in central Moscow last November in support of journalist Mikhail Beketov who was then in hospital after he was found unconscious in a pool of blood in front of his house in Khimki, just outside Moscow . Beketov is well-known for his critical articles against local authorities in Khimki. Death threats, abductions, physical assaults and libel suits were levelled at 14 journalists, one blogger and one filmmaker in the last decade.
It included the hideous maiming of Russian journalist Mikhail Beketov, a vocal critic of local authorities who fought to save the Khimki forest affected by the construction of a motorway between Moscow and St Petersburg. He survived a savage beating outside his house in 2008 after having a leg and several fingers amputated.
Another Russian journalist, Grigory Pasko, battled espionage charges after he supplied footage of the Russian naval fleet dumping radioactive waste in the Sea of Japan to Japanese TV station NHK in 1997.
After spending 20 months in prison, he was tried and sentenced to four years in prison in 2001. He served two-thirds of his sentence and was released on parole. He has filed his case at the European Court of Human Rights to challenge the Russian court verdict that branded him a traitor.
Logging in the tropical rainforest appears to be a taboo subject for journalists. In the Philippines, Joey Estriber, a radio host in Aurora province (north-east of Manila) has been missing since March 2006 following his kidnap by four men. He had criticised logging by companies with allies inside the government and had campaigned to have the logging permits withdrawn.
Journalists who exposed illegal logging in Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Guinea-Bissau received threatening phone calls. Radio Free Asia reporter Lem Piseth of Cambodia fled to Thailand after getting this threatening phonecall: "You are insolent, do you want to die? ... There will not be enough land to bury you."
Lucio Flavio Pinto, the founder and editor of Jornal Pessoal, a Brazilian bi-monthly in the northern state of Para in the Amazon basin, faced 33 lawsuits for publishing a series of reports on deforestation.
His Brazilian colleagues were also constant targets of intimidation. Vilma Berna, the editor of an environmental daily who had exposed clandestine overfishing in Rio de Janeiro Bay, hired bodyguards after a half-burnt body was dumped outside his house as a warning in May 2006. He, however, is without protection now as he could no longer afford the security fees.
Another Brazilian, Fabricio Ribeiro Pimenta, fled his hometown of Espirito Santo after being assaulted in July for denouncing an illegal marble factory of causing toxic dust pollution in a residential district.
Uzbek journalist Solidzhon Abdurakhmanov, who had written extensively about the Aral Sea ecological disaster, was arrested on a drug trafficking charge in June 2008 and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment despite irregularities and enormous gaps in the prosecution case. His arrest is said to be deliberately planned to punish him for his reporting.
Egyptian blogger Tamer Mabrouk was fined 6,000 (RM30,000) in May for libel after he blogged about a chemical company dumping untreated water into Lake Manzalah and the Suez Canal, near Port Said.
The report also highlighted the difficulties in gathering information when investigative journalists are shunned by the local population that are beholden to the polluters for employment.
In southern China, for example, foreign journalists were chased out of villages where most of the world's discarded computers are stripped apart in an environmentally disastrous manner.
The report also noted the curse of "envelope journalism" where reporters are bribed into silence and whistle-blowers are jailed under punitive security laws.
■ Read the full report at www.rsf.org/IMG/rapport_en_mdf.pdf
All across China, villagers are suffering the consequences of the country's economic boom.
ONE needs to look no further than the river that runs through Shangba to understand the extent of the heavy metals pollution that experts say has turned the hamlets in this region of southern China into cancer villages.
The river's flow ranges from murky white to a bright shade of orange and the waters are so viscous that they barely ripple in the breeze. In Shangba, the river brings death, not sustenance.
"All the fish died, even chickens and ducks that drank from the river died. If you put your leg in the water, you'll get rashes and a terrible itch," said He Shuncai, a 34-year-old rice farmer who has lived in Shangba all his life. "Last year alone, six people in our village died from cancer and they were in their 30s and 40s."
Highly polluted: Heavy metals contamination has coloured this lake near Dabaoshan in north Guangdong, a sick red. Pollution has turned hamlets in this region of southern China into cancer villages. Cancer casts a shadow over the villages in this region of China in southern Guangdong province, nestled among farmland contaminated by heavy metals used to make batteries, computer parts and other electronics devices. Every year, an estimated 460,000 people die prematurely in China due to exposure to air and water pollution, according to a 2007 World Bank study.
Yun Yaoshun's two granddaughters died at the ages of 12 and 18, succumbing to kidney and stomach cancer even though these types of cancers rarely affect children. The World Health Organisation has suggested that the high rate of such digestive cancers are due to the ingestion of polluted water.
"It's because of Dabaoshan and the dirty water," said the 82-year-old grandmother. "The girls were always playing in the river, even our well water is contaminated," Yun said.
The river where the children played stretches from the bottom of the Dabaoshan mine, owned by state-owned Guangdong Dabaoshan Mining Co, past the ramshackle family home. Its waters are contaminated by cadmium, lead, indium and zinc and other metals.
The villagers use well water in Shangba for drinking but tests published by BioMed Central in July show that it contains excessive amounts of cadmium, a heavy metal that is a known carcinogen, as well as zinc which in large quantities can damage the liver and lead to cancer.
"China has many 'cancer villages' and it is very likely that these increased cases of cancer are due to water pollution," said Edward Chan, an official with Greenpeace in southern China.
But it's not just water, the carcinogenic heavy metals are also entering the food chain.
Mounds of tailings from mineral mining are discarded alongside paddy fields throughout the region.
"If you test this rice, it will be toxic but we eat it too, otherwise, we will starve," said He, the farmer, as he shovelled freshly milled rice into a sack. "Yes, we sell this rice too."
Few families in the villages downstream from the Dabaoshan mine have been left untouched by cancer. The most common cancers are those of the stomach, liver, kidney and colon, accounting for about 85% of cancers. Cancer incidence rates in these villages are not available, but rights groups say they are far higher than the national average.
He Kangcai, 60, who is suffering from stomach cancer, at his home at Shangba village, north Guangdong. The river that runs through the village is heavily polluted and is said to have sickened villagers. "In southern China, where communities depend largely from ponds or lakes for drinking water, the rates of digestive system cancer are very high," said a report Environment And People's Health In China, published by the World Health Organisation and United Nations Development Programme in 2001.
Across China, there are hundreds, perhaps thousands of small, anonymous villages that are suffering the consequences of the country's rapid economic expansion, villages with rates and types of cancers that experts say can only be due to pollution. This may be the fate of more and more of China's population as mines and factories spew out tens of millions of tonnes of pollution every year, into the water system as well as the air, to produce the fruits of China's economic growth.
Death rates from cancer rose 19% in cities and 23% in rural areas in 2006, compared to 2005, according to official Chinese media, although they did not give exact figures. The health burden has an economic price. The cost of cancer treatment has reached almost 100 billion yuan a year (RM52.5bil), accounting for 20% of China's medical expenditure, according to Chinese media.
The lack of a national health system means that most of the victims must pay their medical bills themselves. Health care costs took up 50% of household income in China in 2006 due to inadequate health insurance, according to a paper published in the Lancet in October 2008.
China does not have a comprehensive state health care system and more than 80% of farmers have no medical insurance at all, although there are plans for sweeping reforms so that by 2011, most of the population will have basic medical coverage.
The residents of so called cancer villages, meanwhile, struggle to fund their medical care, often going into debt to pay crippling pharmaceutical and doctors' bills.
"An official did come to give me our compensation, 20 yuan (RM10.50)," said Liang Xiti, whose husband died of stomach cancer at the age of 46. His medicines alone cost the family 800 yuan (RM400) a month, she said.
Zhang Jingjing, a lawyer who is helping the villagers, said the local mine has promised to distribute a few thousands yuan to all the villagers every year. Even though the funds will barely cover medical expenses, Zhang says it is an encouraging first step. "This means the mine admits it is polluting the environment. If it did no wrong, it won't give out this money." – Reuters
A 24-year-old man was arrested after a short car chase at Sungai Sarang Buaya in Bakri, near here, at about 11pm on Sunday.
About 40 live pangolins, including several babies, were recovered from the car.
The successful seizure followed four days of stake-out by a team headed by Asst Supt Azha Ahmad.
The team had stationed itself at the river estuary and spotted two boats approaching the coast.
One returned to the sea after the other landed near the estuary.
Two men then began loading sacks of the pangolins into a car and sped away after realising they were being watched, said ASP Azha.
"Our men gave chase. After about 100m, the driver lost control of the car and skidded into the river.
"However, he managed to escape in the dark but his friend was arrested," he said.
ASP Azha said the seized animals, with an estimated street value of over RM70,000, were surrendered to the Wildlife and National Parks Department here.
He said the man, from Kampung Parit Enam in Sungai Balang, had been detained to assist investigations into the smuggling of pangolins from Indonesia.
Pangolins are protected animals. The case will be investigated under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
State Wildlife and National Parks Department director Rahim Ahmad said the man, a trader from Kuala Kedah, was questioned and released on a RM3,000 bail posted by a friend at about 11pm on Sunday.
"We are carrying out preliminary analysis by taking pictures and tagging the pelts prior to sending them to our headquarters in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, for DNA tests to determine the animal species.
"We are investigating this case as possession of protected animals under Section 64 and Section 68 of the Wildlife Act 1976/1972," he said.
The Kedah Anti-Smuggling Unit detained the man at the Stadium Darulaman car park after recovering five animal pelts from his car on Sunday. He later led the team to his house where another 12 pelts were recovered.
The pelts are said to be that of tigers, leopards, wolves and hyenas.
It is learnt that a syndicate couriered the pelts from Hong Kong to the man's house.
This is the second time this year that the anti-smuggling unit seized such pelts from smugglers.
On May 29, five tiger pelts worth RM90,000 were seized at a roadblock near the Malaysia-Thai border in Bukit Kayu Hitam.
ALOR SETAR: When Awang started to shriek, it was fortunate that a family of seven paid attention – the pet macaque was warning them about a lethal intruder.
In the 3pm incident on Sunday, a cobra slithered towards the house in Kampung Bukit Teriak, about 25km from here.
Munirah Mustaffa, 42, and her six children, aged between four and 20, were about to leave their house at that time.
"When we heard Awang making noises, we assumed some wild monkeys had disturbed him. One of my sons, Mohd Sidqi Mat Isa, 11, volunteered to chase them away and he went out.
Uninvited guest: Alor Setar Civil Defence personnel showing the cobra they captured at Munirah's house on Sunday. "It was then that he saw the cobra slithering towards the house," she said, adding that he tried to run back into the house.
"I saw the snake approaching and quickly slammed the door shut," said Munirah.
"To my horror, I realised my son was still outside," she said at her home yesterday.
She said she heard her son shouting, and through the window saw Mohd Sidqi running helter-skelter to escape the snake.
"He managed to escape as the reptile had changed its focus on the family cat," said Munirah. "Fortunately, the cat also managed to run away."
She alerted her husband who was working in Sik at the time. He contacted the Civil Defence Depart-ment.
Munirah said the snake, which was hiding in some bushes, was caught some four hours later.
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"Because of this, the tarantula is regarded as a free and common species," the spokesman said.
He added that tarantulas living in the highlands such as Fraser's Hill and Cameron Highlands were local species, while those sold at pet shops were mostly imported.
"Because it is a free, common species, conservationists usually will not carry out surveys of the population," he said.
According to him, most insects were not protected under the Act except for a few butterflies and moths.
An officer with the Perhilitan office in Kuantan, Pahang, said there were people, mostly expatriates, who exported live insects and this was not illegal.
Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) communications head Andrew Sebastian was shocked to learn that since the tarantulas were not a protected species, there was nothing against trading it.
"Frasers's Hill is a gazetted wildlife sanctuary and permanent forest reserve. Under the Forestry Act, this means that not even a piece of wood can be taken out.
"Every specimen that is indigenous should be afforded protection," he said.
The wait, however, could be indefinite, and any dealings with the seller will be carried out furtively.
Tarantula hunters on Fraser's Hill have become more discreet after the authorities began monitoring them earlier this year.
StarMetro visited the hill resort recently to check on the situation. We visited one of the few restaurants at Fraser's Hill and asked the owner about the tarantulas, considered a tourist attraction there.
The owner said tarantula-catching was a favourite pastime when he was younger.
"I knew where and when the tarantulas would come out and how to catch them. We would leave one in a bottle and it was harmless fun for us," he added.
However, he did not know if there was anyone selling the arachnids.
"The tarantula population here has dwindled considerably. They used to be a common sight at night but it's hard to spot them now.
"Perhaps too many have been caught or the weather is no longer favourable. It's hardly cold here these days and there isn't as much mist in the night," he said.
At another shop, we asked the elderly man behind the counter if he knew of anyone selling tarantulas. He looked suspicious and asked how we knew that tarantulas were being sold in the area.
We told him that a friend had bought one to rear as a pet. He was satisfied with the answer and said he had to keep a low profile as there were many prying eyes who would report such activities to the authorities.
When offered RM500 for a tarantula, he said the price was right but it would take some time as he would have to catch the spider first.
However, during follow-up calls to the man, he claimed that he had not been able to catch a tarantula.
"It's getting more difficult these days. A lot of people have disturbed the area so the tarantulas hardly come out of their burrows," he claimed.
Local tourist guide K.S. Durai is among those against the sale of tarantulas.
"We don't want people to disturb the nests. If the selling continues, then in a few years, the spiders will be gone," Durai said.
He claimed that five years ago, the locals would sell the tarantulas to visitors but after being educated, many stopped.
"We also work closely with the police so if they spot anyone catching tarantulas, they would notify me and I would speak to them.
"We are working closely with the Wildlife Department to endorse tarantulas as a protected species," Durai said.
Meanwhile, a check at a pet shop in Kuala Lumpur showed a lone tarantula being sold for RM450.
A pet shop employee claimed the tarantula was a local species. He also said one did not need a licence to keep it as a pet.
When contacted a week later, the employee said several im- imported species had been brought in and were being sold at RM180 each.
KOTA KINABALU: A durian species is turning heads among visitors to Sabah, thanks to its uniquely reddish flesh.
Known among the Kadazandusun community as sukang or tabelak, the fruit is also called "durian hutan", as it is mainly found growing wild in the jungles of Sabah.
Thorny abundance: A sukang or 'durian hutan' tree heavy with fruits during its fruiting season. Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjum said he did not know anyone cultivating sukang (its scientific name is Durio gravolens) as there was generally not much enthusiasm among locals for wild durian.
Its flesh is said to be thinner and drier compared with the cultivated fruit which is of thicker and creamier texture.
The taste is about similar with other durians, although some have described it as sweetish sour.
Masidi said the sukang's main attraction is its red-coloured flesh.
Rare colour: Once opened, the red flesh of the sukang is revealed. "That's the main thing that makes it stand out," he said, adding that this type of durian also fetched a lower price than the more common fruit.
The small-sized fruits, some about the size of a sepak takraw ball, are sold for as little as RM2 to RM3 when they are in season.
Masidi, who grew up in interior Ranau where sukang are plentiful, said some people who had tasted the fruit for the first time claimed that it had a more potent "kick".
"Maybe it's because this particular type of durian is generally more pungent," he added. Others who have tasted sukang describe it having a carrot-like flavour.
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Photographer Cheang Kum Seng's love affair with the limestone hills of the Kinta Valley has yielded thousands of photos spanning two decades.
RENOWNED photographer Cheang Kum Seng hopes to instil awareness on the importance of conserving the hills of the Kinta Valley through the images he has captured in the past two decades.
His fascinating photographs of the valley's hills, caves and landscape were published recently in a book called Limestone Hills & Caves of the Kinta Valley. The author of the book is Ipoh-born freelance writer S. L. Wong, who specialises in environmental and travel writing.
Serene pursuit: Boating in the lake near Pencil Rock in Tambun. Cheang, 65, is a retired bank employee who has found a second career as an industrial and commercial photographer. His images have appeared in numerous magazines, newspapers and books, and have been used regularly on the cover of the Malaysian Nature Society's (MNS) Malaysian Naturalist between 1995 and 2000.
Cheang has snapped thousands of photographs of the hills in the Kinta Valley and some of his favourites are featured in the book. Many of the photographs were taken between 1990 and 1991 when he was commissioned as a photographer for the Kinta Valley Limestone Hill Survey Project by the MNS and as the photographer for the Gua Tempurung project by Heritage Acres Sdn Bhd.
"The photographs in the book depict not only existing hills and caves but also landscapes that no longer exist due to development and changes in the use of land. I hope the book will serve as an encouragement for all of us to stand up and protect Malaysia's natural heritage," Cheang said in an interview.
His photographs are a testament to his passion for nature and the patience needed to bring out the very best in his subjects. Most of Cheang's photographs were taken before digital photography became popular. He used two 35mm and a 120mm camera for taking slides and negatives during his outings.
Cheang's crew were usually made up of his three sons and MNS members who shared his interest in caving activities.
The second chamber in Perak Tong, a cave temple near Tasek. "We would visit the hills in the morning to start exploring the caves to look for interesting sites with unique features. It was a time-consuming job as we were only using torches. You need lots of patience to be able to study the formations before you are able to capture the images.
"Once we had identified our target, we would set up the cameras and positioned the helpers to light up the cave using multiple flashes. At times, we had to wait for rays of sunlight to seep through the cave ceiling to impart a surreal impact on the photographs.
"We could only take about two shots in each outing and had to leave the cave in the evening," he recalled.
Cheang, an associate of the Royal Photography Society of Great Britain, has been a member of the MNS since 1992 and a member of the Malaysian Karst Society since 2002.
Photographer Cheang Kum Seng has immortalised the landscapes of the Kinta Valley. MNS president Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Mohd Nor said in the book's foreword that the Kinta Valley Hills have immeasurable conservation value and would be a perfect candidate for a World Heritage Site. It is significant in terms of its features and richness in biological diversity, but more significantly, it has a fascinating prehistoric past, he said.
Dr Salleh said that the Kinta Valley Hills, reputed to be between 240 and 570 million years old, are breathtaking limestone formations that have inspired many a traveller and researcher. With Limestone Hills & Caves of the Kinta Valley, the unique features of the limestone hills and caves can be recorded for posterity, for future generations to appreciate, he said.
Prof Dr Bernard Pierson, Shell Chair in Petroleum Geosciences, Universiti Teknologi Petronas, said the beautiful and long overdue book was a tribute to the geological treasures of the Kinta Valley.
Those interested in the book can contact the MNS at (03) 2287 9422.
KOTA KINABALU: State-owned Yayasan Sabah is ceasing all conventional logging operations near the Maliau Basin by year's end, said Forestry Department director Datuk Sam Mannan.
He said the closure of the designated logging areas would pave the way the for the implementation of reduced-impact logging in the affected commercial forest reserves such as Sungai Pinangah, Sapulut, Kalabakan and Gunung Rara from 2010.
He had been asked about concerns voiced by various groups about logging within the buffer zones of the Maliau Basin.
The reduced-impact logging would include third party auditing similar to what has been done at the Malua forest reserve.
"This has proven effective in reducing damage by 50% compared to conventional logging operations," he said.
Mannan said logging operations within the buffer zones of conservation areas such as the 590sq km Maliau Basin, which is about double the size of Penang island, was completely legal.
"Now, the standards for harvesting within these buffer zones have been raised to reduced-impact logging standards by next year," Mannan said.
Mannan said logging in such areas was not new as forest harvesting was also carried out at the buffer zone in the eastern boundary of another pristine area, the Danum Valley in the 1980s and early 1990s.
The logging was carried out on a massive scale by Yayasan Sabah at what was dubbed its "industrial reserve" to feed its mills in Silam, he added.
He said those logged-over areas were now being reforested as part of the Innoprise-FACE Foundation Rainforest Rehabilitation Project (Infapro).
IPOH: The state government will gazette the Kinta Nature Park (KNP) as a wildlife sanctuary to prevent encroachment,
State Tourism Committee chairman Datuk Hamidah Osman said gazetting the park would not take much time as the groundwork for it had been prepared when Datuk Seri Tajol Rosli Ghazali was the Perak mentri besar.
"We will have to decide on which agency would manage and upgrade the facilities," she told reporters after inspecting the park in Batu Gajah following complaints received from the Perak branch of the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) yesterday.
"It will be a waste if a potential tourist attraction is neglected. The park is said to be the best place for bird watching in Malaysia.
"It is home to more than 130 species of birds and has the largest heronry in the country on one of its islands," she said.
It was reported in The Star on Tuesday that the the park will lose the heronry if illegal activities continue there.
Almost 60% of the birds in the park are listed as totally protected or protected under the Protection of Wild Life Act 1976.
A recent check by the MNS revealed that someone had fenced up the whole lake where the heronry, with five breeding species of 2,000 waterbirds, is located with the intention of starting commercial fish farming.
The MNS had complained that pristine mining pools at the southern end of the Park have been taken over by duck farms and that incursions by sand extraction activities have increased.
The lack of a management body had resulted in the park's infrastructure being damaged and fallen into disrepair.
Hamidah said the Park was managed by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan).
"We would like the park to be managed by the Kampar district office with Perhilitan playing a monitoring role," said Hamidah.
She agreed to look into a suggestion by MNS to place the park under the Perak State Parks Corporation.
Duck farms operating without a permit would have to stop operations Hamidah said, adding that she would discuss with the Kampar District Office not to renew the permits for sand mining in the park.
Accompanying her were MNS Perak branch vice-chairman Lee Ping Kong, MNS council member Tan Chin Tong and ornithologist Lim Kim Chye who is the MNS Perak Branch bird group coordinator.
GEORGE TOWN: After the controversial tiger park plan in Relau met stiff resistance, the state has come up with plans for a park to house cats and dogs in the same area.
The Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) is looking into a proposal to lease out a 0.4ha plot of land to a non-governmental organisation (NGO) to build a dog park.
Councillor Lim Siew Khim said the park would house stray dogs and cats in a move to cut down the number of animals being put down in the state.
"We have received an application from the Penang Animal Sanctuary Society that is made up of animal lovers to set up a park for strays and abandoned dogs.
"If approved, the park will be equipped with proper kennels and also be able to handle the spaying and neutering of the animals," Lim said.
She said the council was currently discussing the proposal and its Valuation and Property Management department had been asked to assess a possible site for the park in Relau.
"The management and cost of the park will be borne by the NGO but as it is a social project to help the community, the council will try to help by charging a nominal rental," Lim said.
"People treat their dogs like their children when they like the dog, but when they tire of them or it gets inconvenient, they simply leave the animal anywhere.
"When not monitored, the dogs breed in an uncontrolled manner," Lim added.
Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Penang administrator Lily Leng welcomed the move, saying that this would give the strays and abandoned dogs a chance to get a proper home.
"In this way, there will be more shelters for abandoned dogs and we won't have to put that many dogs to sleep," she added.
Council president Tan Cheng Chui said the council guidelines allowed houseowners to only keep a maximum of two dogs per house.
"If an owner wants to keep more, the council's veterinary doctor will have to pay a visit to the house to inspect the place and check on other conditions," he said.
THE Muhibbah spirit was evident at a kampung house in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.
Every Hari Raya, Malaysia Cat Club president Khalid Rashid invites his friends from Austria, Germany, Iran, the United States, Britain, South Africa and Poland to his open house.
Khalid has been inviting friends over to his place since six years ago and some are members of the Malaysia Cat Club while others are friends he made via cat shows.
Welcome: Khalid (right) introducing one of his cats to (from left) Dr Kosta and the Kuschers. "They (the guests) are more like family. For us, we must not only open the doors to guests but we must also open our hearts and spend more time with them to make them feel at home," said the owner of six Persian and Bengal cats.
No doubt, the cats were the centre of attraction.
Malaysia Cat Club secretary Habbil Hussain had everyone gushing over his white Birman cat that clung to him as he introduced it to guests.
Club members Leo and Elisabeth Kuscher from Austria are proud owners of Persian cats.
Elisabeth considers herself two-thirds Malaysian as that is the amount of time she had spent in Malaysia.
"I love the idea of open houses. There's delicious food and company. The festive spirit is in the air and it makes everyone happy and relaxed," she said, adding that she made it a point to visit Tun Mahathir Mohamad's open house every year.
For Iranian Reza Saeedi, the concept of open houses is somewhat similar to what they have in Iran where they visit relatives and friends during the festivity.
"Instead of Hari Raya Aidilfitri, we call it Eid-e-fetr.
"The dishes are different, too, as we serve traditional Iranian cuisine during the festival," he said.
While Fee Lin Chew is not a member of the club, she is a friend of Khalid. She visited him last Raya.
"I try to visit my friends during the festive season but since many have gone back to their hometowns, I would have to wait until they get back to KL," the 49-year-old government servant of Thai parentage said.
The fact that there was a dog-lover among the cat-lovers reinforced the spirit of Muhibbah.
Although Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) professor Dr Joan C. Kosta, who is from New York, prefers dogs to cats, she feels that the open house concept is wonderful.
"We could spend time in a home environment and learn about different cultures," she said, adding that this is the first time that she had tried lemang.
PETALING JAYA: It has been two months since her two shih tzus have gone missing, but owner Esther Chik is determined to keep on searching.
So intent was she to find her dogs that she even paid thousands of ringgit to shout out her plight in a huge billboard put up along the busy stretch of the LDP.
"I just want my dogs back. I am very attached to them," said the 33-year-old lawyer who lost the dogs to burglars who had broken into her house on July 22.
Chik: 'I just want my dogs back' Her shih tzus are a mother and daughter pair. The elder one is a milky white nine-year-old called Wa Wa, while her baby is Bi Bi, a six-year-old with light brown fur and patches.
"We have been together for close to 10 years. Before I got married, we slept in the same room and she had her own bed and blanket," Chik said of Wa Wa.
During the first month after her dogs were stolen, Chik was very emotional.
"I kept crying. I would hand out flyers on Wa Wa and Bi Bi in coffeeshops and pet shops, and the tears would just flow," she said.
Chik said her husband Alvin Lim, a senior bank officer, was also sad as he was quite attached to Bi Bi.
As for the unconventional method of advertising her missing dogs using the billboard, Lee believed the money spent was worth it.
Chik in front of the billboard along the Damansara- Puchong Highway hoping someone will give her information on her shih tzus. — DARRAN TAN / The Star "I think the billboard will be effective in spreading the message. It is just that nobody has seen my dogs. I think I paid a reasonable amount for the billboard. Space in the newspaper classifieds is very expensive as well."
It is learnt that it costs between RM2,000 and RM10,000 a month to advertise on a billboard in Selangor.
The billboard off Jalan SS4 caught the eye of a passer-by who sent in a picture to The Star's Thumbnails page in August.
Chik said she had received many genuine calls but when she went to check them out, the dogs were not hers.
She is offering an unspecified amount as reward for the safe return of her dogs.
Anyone with information can contact Chik and her husband at 012 286 5014 and 016 206 7740 respectively; or the number on the billboard 012-2566404 .
"Don't worry son, I managed to hire a chauffeur...we'll be back home in time to celebrate Hari Raya so just relax and enjoy the breeze!"
Would anyone like to try a snake-lemang with the rendang?
IPOH: The Kinta Royal Wetlands in Batu Gajah is under threat and will lose the largest heronry in the country if illegal and incompatible activities continue.
A recent check by the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) revealed that someone had fenced up the whole lake where the heronry, with five breeding species of 2,000 waterbirds, is located.
MNS Perak Bird Group coordinator Lim Kim Chye believes that the fence was put up by parties interested to use the pond for commercial fish farming.
Such an activity could lead to the farmer trying to get rid of the birds on the heronry to prevent them from feeding on the fishes reared.
Mysterious motive: Someone has fenced up the perimeter of the lake at the Kinta Royal Wetlands Lim, an ornithologist from MNS, had helped set up the park popularly known as the Kinta Nature Park (KNP) in 2001 with the Kinta Barat District Council then.
KNP consists of 14 ex-mining ponds and is home to at least 130 bird species, with almost 60% of them listed as totally protected or protected under the Protection of Wild Life Act 1976.
"Several pristine mining pools at the southern end of the KNP have been taken over by duck farms.
"Incursions such as these have increased recently, with the expansion of sand extraction activities and the establishment of more duck farms and also the cutting down of trees," said Lim.
The lack of a management body had resulted in damage and disrepair to the infrastructure in the parks.
Lim urged that immediate action be taken to save the KNP before its objective as a site for conservation, recreation, tourism and education is destroyed.
He suggested the dormant KNP Technical Committee, set up in 2001 but which had only met once, be revived again.
"All sand-mining activities, whether licensed or not should cease and there should not be any more approval for duck farms and fish ponds in the park," he said.
Lim said 10 years had passed since former mentri besar Datuk Seri Tajol Rosli Ghazali announced the park was in the process of being gazetted as a wildlife sanctuary.
State executive councillor Datuk Hamidah Osman said the tarred road leading to the park was damaged by lorries transporting sand. Repairs would cost about RM500,000.
She said facilities in the park were managed by Perhilitan.
"I want the management of the park handed to the district council as most tourism products are being looked after by the local authorities.
"The state government will discuss the matter first, but we will still seek advice from Perhilitan to tackle issues relating to birds and wildlife," she said when contacted.
Hamidah said she had also received a complaint about the fence and would look into the matter.
All fruits come in different sizes and shapes.
City cats, like city folks, get their fi sh from the hypermarket. This feline buyer was spotted in the NSK hypermarket in Selayang recently.
By sheer good luck, Rufus managed to impress his master's hot date – a dentist.
If you tease the pack of monkeys too far, this will happen. You're gonna need a crowbar to get out of this one.
Even the reptile knows to obey the laws — and use the zebra crossing.
Be prepared for some scandalous animal stories when you visit the petting zoo at the Lost World of Tambun in Perak.
AT the last count, the animal population at the petting zoo of the Lost World of Tambun numbered 4,000, and all are descendants of those at its sister park at Sunway in Petaling Jaya. The only "newbies" are 40 tortoises whose pond is just next to a 10m-high waterfall fed by fresh river water running from the limestone hills of Kinta Valley.
According to Calvin Ho, the general manager, these tortoises were rescued from a temple in Penang after it was found that they were living in terrible conditions. To compound the problem, the temple authorities found out that poachers were stealing the land reptiles and selling them to restaurants.
Handle with care: Petting Zoo keeper Nur Azlan Mohd Hussin, 23, ensures that these colourful birds are carefully handled by visitors. Concerned that these revered crepusculars were coming to such a bad end, the temple authorities called Ho for help.
There are plenty of such anecdotes at the 7,432 sq metre "wildlife resort".
The visitor will get to meet a cobra which had to be spoon-fed after it hurt its throat, no thanks to rough handling from villagers who had found it lurking in a chicken coop.
There is also a marmoset named Ron who has since become Ho's best friend and confidante.
"There are no dark secrets but he knows quite a lot about what's going on in my head," quips the 44-year-old father of two who often starts his day by sitting among these cute furry mammals.
Then there are the raccoons who reside near the zoo's entrance. If the animals had a gossip tabloid, the best fodder for it would come from a certain male raccoon here that has acquired quite a reputation for being a highly amorous "playboy".
"The fellow mates no less than a couple of times within an hour," affirms Ho.
What makes for the contentment and wellbeing of the animals in the Lost World of Tambun is the care they are being given.
Close interaction: Visitors can have direct contact with the animals. According to Ho, the two crucial aspects lie in the conditioning and enrichment programmes devised by the curator and the keepers.
"The animals in our care are not just fed and expected to eat and sleep. To keep them active and stimulated, the keepers place their food between rocks or on branches. The animals will have to locate the grub with their senses," says Ho.
The petting zoo, insists this Penang native, is about simulating the natural habitats of the animals to encourage them to hunt and forage for food. This keeps them alert and ensures their good psychological and emotional well being.
"The idea is to allow them to live in a habitat that resembles conditions in the wild," says Ho.
In simulating the natural habitats of the animals, Ho reveals that first of all, no trees were chopped down during the building of the petting zoo which took four months to complete.
No effort was spared to preserve the original flora and fauna of the area that's set within the majestic limestone hills of Ipoh. Even the water for the streams and waterfall is channelled from a river, which means chlorine-free drinking water for the animals. Extra vegetation such as creepers and trees were planted to treat soil erosion.
Ho attributes the tame disposition of the animals to the constant positive conditioning from the keepers. He eschews the word "train" as he feels that it carries negative connotations like the use of cruel methods.
"When it comes to animals, the interaction has to be like a relationship, like making friends. Just like people, animals, even among the same species, have different personalities. Some are feisty, others adapt more easily.
"When it comes to conditioning a bird to feed from a visitor's hand, for example, this is the result of the interaction that has taken place between the animal and the keeper. It shows the deep relationship and understanding that has developed between the two," says Ho.
Exposing the animals to people, even those which have been previously mistreated by humans, will have drawbacks, but Ho feels such situations can be controlled.
"There are some people who derive pleasure from seeing animals suffer. It is disgusting to watch and I feel that awareness should be raised through education. However, when we took on the running of the petting zoo, we also made sure that the animals' keepers are there to supervise the interaction between visitor and the animal," Ho says.
So, besides caring for the animals, the keepers also need to have a basic understanding of human behaviour.
"Sometimes, visitors are goaded by their friends or are pressured to drape a snake around their neck when they are just not ready for that sort of action. In this case, the keepers will size up the visitor to see how they can best experience the human-animal interaction minus the impositions," says Ho.
So, what can the visitor expect to experience at this petting zoo, aside from getting to stroke the animals? Well, there is the serpentarium, a glass tunnel which allows the visitor a 360° view of the snakes and reptiles in the zoo's collection. This will be as close as one can get to the pythons and monitor lizards clinging to the glass on top, below, by the sides and at one's feet.
Then there is the boardwalk which winds across the Rock Canopy like a rainforest trail. This set-up brings a visitor to a natural paradise where hornbills, macaques, porcupines, prairie dogs and African goats are left to roam free. At the end of this trail is a platform which offers a breathtaking scenery of the wetlands area where Rajah Brooke butterflies can be seen fluttering among wild boars, squirrels, kingfishers and pangolins.
High on the adorable meter is the warrens where cute bunnies with their floppy ears can be seen hopping around.
Children can also do "longkang fishing", a term coined by Ho, here.
"There are baby carp swimming in a small stream and children can scoop the little fish into their nets," says Ho.
However, Ho reiterates that there is a clear line drawn on using animals for entertainment.
"The petting zoo is geared towards education, where children can learn about animals and the role they play in the ecosystem. This is crucial because if one link is broken, there will be an imbalance and this will have a negative effect on us in the end," he says.
While one may argue that books, audio and visual means are able to perform the task adequately, Ho firmly believes that there is no greater teacher than real-life experience. As to whether the animals are happy, Ho gamely points out that their ability to mate and breed is a sure sign that all is well.
This can be seen in the aviary where eggs and new hatchlings can be found in the nests.
■ The Lost World of Tambun is open from 11am to 6pm on weekdays and 10am to 6pm on weekends. It is closed on Tuesdays. For enquiries call 05- 5428888 or visit its website at www.sunway.com.my.
Be prepared for some scandalous animal stories when you visit the petting zoo at the Lost World of Tambun in Perak.
AT the last count, the animal population at the petting zoo of the Lost World of Tambun numbered 4,000, and all are descendants of those at its sister park at Sunway in Petaling Jaya. The only "newbies" are 40 tortoises whose pond is just next to a 10m-high waterfall fed by fresh river water running from the limestone hills of Kinta Valley.
According to Calvin Ho, the general manager, these tortoises were rescued from a temple in Penang after it was found that they were living in terrible conditions. To compound the problem, the temple authorities found out that poachers were stealing the land reptiles and selling them to restaurants.
Handle with care: Petting Zoo keeper Nur Azlan Mohd Hussin, 23, ensures that these colourful birds are carefully handled by visitors. Concerned that these revered crepusculars were coming to such a bad end, the temple authorities called Ho for help.
There are plenty of such anecdotes at the 7,432 sq metre "wildlife resort".
The visitor will get to meet a cobra which had to be spoon-fed after it hurt its throat, no thanks to rough handling from villagers who had found it lurking in a chicken coop.
There is also a marmoset named Ron who has since become Ho's best friend and confidante.
"There are no dark secrets but he knows quite a lot about what's going on in my head," quips the 44-year-old father of two who often starts his day by sitting among these cute furry mammals.
Then there are the raccoons who reside near the zoo's entrance. If the animals had a gossip tabloid, the best fodder for it would come from a certain male raccoon here that has acquired quite a reputation for being a highly amorous "playboy".
"The fellow mates no less than a couple of times within an hour," affirms Ho.
What makes for the contentment and wellbeing of the animals in the Lost World of Tambun is the care they are being given.
Close interaction: Visitors can have direct contact with the animals. According to Ho, the two crucial aspects lie in the conditioning and enrichment programmes devised by the curator and the keepers.
"The animals in our care are not just fed and expected to eat and sleep. To keep them active and stimulated, the keepers place their food between rocks or on branches. The animals will have to locate the grub with their senses," says Ho.
The petting zoo, insists this Penang native, is about simulating the natural habitats of the animals to encourage them to hunt and forage for food. This keeps them alert and ensures their good psychological and emotional well being.
"The idea is to allow them to live in a habitat that resembles conditions in the wild," says Ho.
In simulating the natural habitats of the animals, Ho reveals that first of all, no trees were chopped down during the building of the petting zoo which took four months to complete.
No effort was spared to preserve the original flora and fauna of the area that's set within the majestic limestone hills of Ipoh. Even the water for the streams and waterfall is channelled from a river, which means chlorine-free drinking water for the animals. Extra vegetation such as creepers and trees were planted to treat soil erosion.
Ho attributes the tame disposition of the animals to the constant positive conditioning from the keepers. He eschews the word "train" as he feels that it carries negative connotations like the use of cruel methods.
"When it comes to animals, the interaction has to be like a relationship, like making friends. Just like people, animals, even among the same species, have different personalities. Some are feisty, others adapt more easily.
"When it comes to conditioning a bird to feed from a visitor's hand, for example, this is the result of the interaction that has taken place between the animal and the keeper. It shows the deep relationship and understanding that has developed between the two," says Ho.
Exposing the animals to people, even those which have been previously mistreated by humans, will have drawbacks, but Ho feels such situations can be controlled.
"There are some people who derive pleasure from seeing animals suffer. It is disgusting to watch and I feel that awareness should be raised through education. However, when we took on the running of the petting zoo, we also made sure that the animals' keepers are there to supervise the interaction between visitor and the animal," Ho says.
So, besides caring for the animals, the keepers also need to have a basic understanding of human behaviour.
"Sometimes, visitors are goaded by their friends or are pressured to drape a snake around their neck when they are just not ready for that sort of action. In this case, the keepers will size up the visitor to see how they can best experience the human-animal interaction minus the impositions," says Ho.
So, what can the visitor expect to experience at this petting zoo, aside from getting to stroke the animals? Well, there is the serpentarium, a glass tunnel which allows the visitor a 360° view of the snakes and reptiles in the zoo's collection. This will be as close as one can get to the pythons and monitor lizards clinging to the glass on top, below, by the sides and at one's feet.
Then there is the boardwalk which winds across the Rock Canopy like a rainforest trail. This set-up brings a visitor to a natural paradise where hornbills, macaques, porcupines, prairie dogs and African goats are left to roam free. At the end of this trail is a platform which offers a breathtaking scenery of the wetlands area where Rajah Brooke butterflies can be seen fluttering among wild boars, squirrels, kingfishers and pangolins.
High on the adorable meter is the warrens where cute bunnies with their floppy ears can be seen hopping around.
Children can also do "longkang fishing", a term coined by Ho, here.
"There are baby carp swimming in a small stream and children can scoop the little fish into their nets," says Ho.
However, Ho reiterates that there is a clear line drawn on using animals for entertainment.
"The petting zoo is geared towards education, where children can learn about animals and the role they play in the ecosystem. This is crucial because if one link is broken, there will be an imbalance and this will have a negative effect on us in the end," he says.
While one may argue that books, audio and visual means are able to perform the task adequately, Ho firmly believes that there is no greater teacher than real-life experience. As to whether the animals are happy, Ho gamely points out that their ability to mate and breed is a sure sign that all is well.
This can be seen in the aviary where eggs and new hatchlings can be found in the nests.
■ The Lost World of Tambun is open from 11am to 6pm on weekdays and 10am to 6pm on weekends. It is closed on Tuesdays. For enquiries call 05- 5428888 or visit its website at www.sunway.com.my.
It's common to have monkeys leaping from tree to tree. But in this case, our primate friend plans to be more adventurous by diving into the sea from the bridge in Teluk Chempedak.
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Standing at 183cm and weighing 1.5 tonnes, the cream-coloured, six-year-old bull is a cross-breed between a local variety and the Charolais breed known for its large size.
"I tried to get him to mate twice. Both times, the cows died because their backs broke when he mounted them," said owner Juharani Jafaar, a cafe operator here who calls the animal Bob and treats him as his pet.
Bob's daily diet consists of 50kg of Indian Napier giant grass and 5kg of food pellets.
Quality time: Juharani playing with Bob at his house in Bachok Thursday. — Reuters Juharani, who bought Bob five years ago in Thailand, said: "He only weighed 300kg then but now weighs more than a tonne. He has been banned from entering any competition because he would literally dwarf the competition."
A spokesman from the Veterinary Department said Bob is the largest cross-breed bull the department has on record.
Apart from sex, size presents other problems for Bob. Juharani said the bull needed up to a minute to get up due to his girth, and his weight led him to suffer a stroke last year.
"I cried when he suffered a stroke, but am thankful that he eventually recovered and is now up and about."
The bull's playful nature earned him the name Bob, derived from children's animated television character Bob the Builder.
"He is like a child. I've taught him to stop, to lift one of his legs and to shake his head," said Juharani, who did not say if he ever intended to put Bob on a diet. — Reuters
MALACCA: A 40-year-old unemployed man "ran fowl" of the law – for transforming his flat into a poultry farm.
Local councillors Alex Lye and Lim Siew Wan had a shock when they found Yong Chin Teck living with more than 50 chickens and ducks in his apartment on the second floor of the Bukit Senjuang Flats at Jalan Bukit Senjuang.
"We were called to investigate complaints by residents about the stench and noises coming from the man's apartment," Lye told reporters after visiting the site yesterday.
"We were shocked to find him breeding chickens and ducks in his squalid apartment."
Smelly enterprise: Yong thought he could make some money by rearing chicken and ducks in his apartment to sell to villagers for Hari Raya. He said that this is not the first time Yong got into hot water with local authorities over his poultry breeding antics.
He did it once in 2006 but stopped following complaints made against him.
Lye added that Yong, who lives alone, has been given two weeks to stop his poultry breeding and clean up his apartment.
"We will also assist Yong to apply for welfare aid so he would not have to resort to such activities again," he said.
Yong, a bachelor, said he had been living in the apartment belonging to his uncle for the past two decades.
"I do not have any work at the moment so I decided to breed the chickens and ducks and sell them to villagers for Hari Raya," he said.
Each live bird was sold for RM10, he added.
He said he hoped to get the welfare aid soon to allow him to clean up his act and avoid living in such squalid conditions.
Yet again, the Fire Dept is called in to deal with a creature made wayward by man's encroachment on its habitat.
In tackling the haze issues, the Department of Environment is taking serious and continuous actions such as strengthening enforcement on smoky vehicles and industries, open burning and earthwork activities which contribute to local air pollution.
Enhanced fire prevention programmes on peat land areas in Selangor, Pahang and Johor are being undertaken, such as the construction of check dams to retain the water level in peat areas, the erection of watch towers in fire-prone areas to detect open burning, and the construction of ground water wells to put out fires in remote areas. In addition to these measures, during prolonged dry periods, the department also intensifies air surveillance in areas considered high risk to fires.
In a recent meeting related to haze, countries in the region agreed to impose a ban on open burning during this hot and dry period, and to strengthen joint efforts to mitigate the haze problem.
Furthermore, the Natural Resources and Environment Minister wrote a letter to his counterpart in Indonesia recently to offer our assistance in fire fighting should the need arise.
Bilateral cooperation between Malaysia and Riau Province, Indonesia, on fire and haze prevention commenced last year.
DR AMERJIT SINGH
For Secretary-General
Natural Resources and Environment Ministry
THE next time you buy made in China or Vietnam clothes, undergarments or socks using synthetic fabric, chances are the raw materials used to make them are from Seberang Prai, Penang.
Seberang Prai Municipal Council Local Agenda 21 (LA21) Committee co-ordinator Chew Eng Seng said a recycling plant in Juru, Bukit Mertajam, was a major supplier of the raw material called Polyethylene Terephtha-late (PET).
He said PET, which is a thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family, was commonly used to make artificial cotton or fiber which were essential ingredients to produce synthetic fabric.
Export-bound: Workers gathering the transparent crystal-like plastic flakes to be packed in plastic sacks and exported to manufacturers in China and Vietnam. And, what's interesting is that PET is mainly obtained from recycled soft drink and mineral water plastic bottles, he said during a visit to the plant, ESH Resource Management Sdn Bhd, on Monday.
Chew said the plant produced about 200 metric tonnes of PET plastic flakes per month, which were mainly exported to China and Vietnam.
He said the company was involved in the basic recycling process of collecting the plastic bottles from various suppliers and agents throughout Penang and from other states.
"About 100 workers will manually sort out the bottles, separating the transparent ones from the coloured ones, before dropping them into machines to be crushed.
"The crushed bottles would then be washed in water and dried using a circulatory blower that would also help remove the labels.
"Next, the bottles are placed into a shredder, which will also separate the shredded bottle caps from the transparent bottles," he added.
Alternative use: A worker at the plant separating plain paper from the coloured ones before sending them to be compacted into bales for sale and reuse. Chew said the translucent crystal-like flakes, would then be packed in plastic sacks and exported, mainly to manufacturers of artificial cotton.
Municipal councillor Oon Neow Aun said households and commercial companies should refrain from throwing away their recyclable wastes into the garbage bins.
"They should learn to separate their wastes and sell the recyclable ones to recycling plants."
Growing business: EHS Resource general manager (marketing and business development) Alice Lim Ai Hun (left) showing the bales of compacted plastic bottles to (from right) councillors Soon and Oon at the recycling plant in Juru, Bukit Mertajam. Apart from plastic bottles, he said, the plant also bought old newspapers, pamphlets, corrugated cartons, plastic kitchenware, plastic bags and bottles.
He added that the plastics could fetch between 50 sen and 80 sen per kg, while paper and glass bottles could fetch between 18 sen and 22 sen per kg as well as 2 sen per kg, respectively.
ESH Resource managing director Lesley Lim Yu Chin said the 23-year-old company, which has two plants in Juru and Batu Maung, received about 100 metric tonnes of recyclable items per day.
"We sell about 5,000 metric tonnes of compacted paper and plastics in bales as well as plastic flakes every month."
Soon Lip Chee. also a councillor, said the council would pick 10 schools in Seberang Prai for a pilot recycling programme in schools whereby pupils would be given incentives for donating recyclable items.
"Several appointed teachers in the schools would weigh the items and jot down the value per kg in the pupils' special recycling passbook.
"The pupils would then be allowed to use the amount collected in their passbook to buy stationery items from their school bookshop," he said, adding that SJK (C) Kwong Wah in Raja Uda had started the programmePets Direct Ribbon Award |
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* A Unique Blog From a Whole New And Interesting Perspective.
* A Useful and Unique Blogger Resource
* Great Literature and/or Informational Quality
* Helping the Preservation and General Well Being of A Specific Breed Type.
* Showing a True Love For a Specific Breed or Pet Type.
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Contact Person: | Ms. Cheah |
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