Herons in Rawang

Civic-conscious: Ab Jalal (left) and Dr Ahmad (right) discussing the issue with Sadasivam.


Taking flight: The group of egrets taking off from the nesting site at Taman Garing Rawang.

Another nest seen here, occupied by the eggs of the heron bird.

Fragile: Some of the heron chicks waiting for food in the nests.

Universiti Putra Malaysia’s Dr Ahmad Ismail (pic) showing a heron nest that was still occupied during a site visit to the spot in Taman Garing, Rawang, recently.

Thursday May 14, 2009
Perhilitan goes all out to save the herons
By LIM CHIA YINGPhotos by LIM CHIA YING and courtesy of DR AHMAD ISMAIL

THREE Vietnamese poachers are still waiting for their court mention after they were nabbed last month for stealing the eggs and chicks of the black-crowned night heron.
The next mention has been set for May 18 after it was postponed from an earlier date due to the unavailability of an interpreter.
They were originally supposed to be charged at the Selayang magistrate court on April 22 but that was deferred to the second date, and now, to next Monday.

Thursday May 14, 2009
Perhilitan goes all out to save the herons
By LIM CHIA YINGPhotos by LIM CHIA YING and courtesy of DR AHMAD ISMAIL
THREE Vietnamese poachers are still waiting for their court mention after they were nabbed last month for stealing the eggs and chicks of the black-crowned night heron.
The next mention has been set for May 18 after it was postponed from an earlier date due to the unavailability of an interpreter.
They were originally supposed to be charged at the Selayang magistrate court on April 22 but that was deferred to the second date, and now, to next Monday.

The three have since been remanded by the court at the Sungai Buloh prison.
The Selangor Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) had set up an ‘ambush’ for the poachers after being tipped off by the local residents about suspicious people going in to steal the eggs and chicks of the night heron, a totally protected wild bird under the Protection of Wildlife Act 1972 (Act 76).

According to Selangor Perhilitan law and investigation unit head Ab Jalal Kasim, they are pressing for charges relating to cruelty to animals, possessing immature birds (chicks) and also eggs against the poachers.

Seized together with the poachers were a load of eggs with a light-green hue and several chicks, a few of which were still alive.

Ab Jalal also took StarMetro on a trip to the site to show where the birds had made a nest in Taman Garing, Rawang, on an empty plot of grassland. Half of the plot belong to Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) and the other part is believed to belong to a cement company.
Another nest seen here, occupied by the eggs of the heron bird.

Also present during the visit were several Perhilitan officers and Associate Professor Dr Ahmad Ismail of the Universiti Putra Malaysia’s Biology Department.

The flock of birds, with their black crowns and white or grey bodies, was a sight to behold, and the adults could be seen dipping themselves in the waters or just quietlyt resting. Apparently, the birds only venture out at night to find food.

There were also cattle egrets (another totally protected wild bird) seen in the colony and these were identifiable by their distinctive stocky white bodies.

Ab Jalal said the herons were previously roosting and making their home at Tasik Puteri in Rawang before disturbances in the area caused the flock to migrate to its present location.

“The birds are like nomads now, migrating from one place to another. Even this current spot is not suitable for them as they may just decide to move elsewhere if there are frequent human disturbances,” he said.

Under the hot morning sun where the herons were taking their rest, we quietly tiptoed into the grassy area shielded by tall grass and trees to have a closer look at the young of the herons.

The nest was nestled atop a tree branch carrying two chicks, who looked hungry with their mouths wide open and waiting to be fed by their mothers.

Dr Ahmad is of the opinion that there has to be a permanent, well-managed habitat for the birds since they keep moving.
“While we are hoping this land can be given consideration to be made a temporary shelter and sanctuary for the birds, however, it is important that potential sites like Paya Indah Wetlands can be looked into.
“It’s definitely vital to promote education and conservation of these herons as they can be an ecotourism attraction for visitors,” he said.
The department was also lucky to also receive some help from a local resident whom they dub their hero. M.Sadasivam has been helping tip the department off whenever he notices suspicious characters trying to prey the birds.
“My view is that these birds are not humans’ food. This is why I feel the need to help protect the birds and do something, especially since I’m a resident here,” the 53-year-old cow herd said.
He takes his dozen or so of cows to graze at the patches of grass along the stretch of land every day for a couple of hours, and while waiting, he keeps a lookout for culprits.
“I’ve also heard people shooting the birds while they are flying. I heard that the people prefer the herons as their meat tastes better than the egrets.

“The last time, the birds numbered even more but their population has dwindled. It’s sad and unfortunate, so I do my part by alerting the authorities whenever I see something amiss,” said Sadasivam.
During the visit, Ab Jalal and his team saw the birds flying out unusually, en masse. Suspicious, they quickly went into the forested area to check out possible disturbances, since the birds would flutter off startlingly if there was any encroachment.
Half an hour later, the officers returned saying that the interloper had been a monitor lizard out looking for food.
“If the encroacher is an animal, then we just leave things as they are because it is the natural cycle of things and we will not interfere with that. However, it’s a different story altogether if humans are the hunters,” Ab Jalal said.
He added that he had also recently caught two locals who were illegally trading in the Goffin Cockatoo online.
“We actually set a trap for them and one of my officers pretended to be an interested buyer.
“The two persons were caught red-handed and we will continue to monitor such illegal activities closely.
“The supplier is believed to have smuggled the animals in from neighbouring countries and, although we did not manage to catch the culprit, we are on high alert.”
The two locals are currently awaiting their hearing date on May 26 to be heard at the magistrate court in Jalan Duta.
If found guilty, they can be fined RM3,000 or face imprisonment for three years or both.
Meanwhile, if the three Vietnamese poachers caught are found guilty, they will be punished under the Protection of Wildlife Act 1972 (Act 76), under Section 65 (for possessing immature birds or babies), Section 67 (for destroying nests and possessing the eggs), and Section 92 (for cruelty).
Under Section 65, the penalty is RM6,000 or six years imprisonment or both, while Section 67 has a penalty of RM5,000 or five years jail or both, and Section 92 imposes a RM5,000 fine or three years imprisonment or both.

WOC09 & CTI Menado

Coral Triangle could die by century's end: WWF

AFP - Thursday, May 14
MANADO, Indonesia (AFP) - - Climate change could wipe out the world's richest ocean wilderness by the end of the century without drastic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, environmental group WWF said Wednesday.
Rising water temperatures, sea levels and acidity are threatening to destroy the vast region of Southeast Asia known as the Coral Triangle, labelled the ocean's answer to the Amazon rainforest, the WWF said in a new report.
Collapse of the reefs would send food production in the region plummeting by 80 percent and imperil the livelihoods of over 100 million people.
With too little action on climate change, "you get a world in which you have perhaps tens of millions of people homeless by the inundation of coastlines through rapid sea level rises," report lead author Ove Hoegh-Guldberg said.
"You see the erosion of food security and you see a world by the end of this century which is, I think, pretty much a nightmare."
WWF Coral Triangle Initiative Network head Lida Pet Soede said the seas in the triangle -- bordered by East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and the Solomon Islands -- were vital sources of biodiversity.
"Some of the locations in the Coral Triangle are really important areas for all sorts of fish. The migration of tuna and turtles that spawn in the Coral Triangle are not going to have a next generation," she told AFP.
Saving the Coral Triangle will require countries to commit to deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.
Heat-trapping carbon gases -- notably from burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas -- are blamed for warming Earth's atmosphere and driving changes to weather patterns, as well as creating acidic seas hostile to much marine life.
The warnings come ahead of tough negotiations over a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol in the Danish capital Copenhagen in December.
Emissions cuts of 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050 will be needed to avert the worst effects on the region, home to more than half the world's coral reefs and a lynchpin for ocean life, the WWF said.
Local communities and governments will also have to curb over-fishing and pollution, the report said.
"If you continue down the path of the over-exploitation of resources, even if you get an incredible reduction in emissions, there will still be a threat," WWF climate campaigner Richard Leck said.
The report was released as ministers and officials from over 70 countries meet in the Indonesian city of Manado for the World Ocean Conference, the first global meeting on the relationship between oceans and climate change.
Nations at the conference hope to pass a joint declaration aimed at influencing the direction of the Copenhagen talks.
A meeting Friday will also see leaders from the six Coral Triangle nations pass a joint plan on conserving the region.
Leck said that despite the gloomy forecasts he was impressed by the response from littoral states.
"What is amazing is the level of political commitment we are seeing this week," he said.
However, report author Hoegh-Guldberg warned: "If we don't get decisive action in Copenhagen, then doing all the enormously important things that we're doing with the Coral Triangle Initiative will be pointless."

Kelab Sukan Komuniti Subang Jaya

Joint the Club, active in sports and bring community together through sports.

Active sports in Subang Jaya; futsal, food ball, basket ball, sepak takraw, rugby, badminton, bowling, bola jaring.

We have wide range of membership from stewardess, teachers, engineers, doctors to property manager and politician.

EARTH DAY ON HELLO MALAYSIA TV BERNAMA

Earth Day, a day dedicated to the environmental health of our planet. Earth Day is observed in many countries around the world with programs designed to educate people about Earth’s environment and threats to the environment.
Activities intended to improve the environment also take place. Earth Day is most often celebrated on April 22, but some people observe it on March 21. Activities surrounding Earth Day may continue for weeks or months.

Earth Day was first observed on April 22, 1970

Environmental groups use Earth Day as an occasion to draw attention to current local and global environmental problems and to discuss commonsense solutions. At fairs, festivals, and talks, people learn about air pollution, water pollution, and soil pollution; the destruction of habitats, Ecosystem; the devastation of hundreds of thousands of plant and animal species (Endangered Species); the depletion of nonrenewable resources (Conservation); and global warming. They explore exhibits on such topics as conserving energy, recycling, renewing natural habitats, leading healthier lives, making their backyards friendly to wildlife, and protecting endangered species. Volunteers gather to pick up litter; clean up streams, reservoirs, and other water supplies; restore parks; plant trees; and participate in other environmental activities.


Each person must plant at least two trees to support themself.

Herons in Rawang

Prof Dr. Ahmad Ismail (UPM) inspecting heron's eggs at Rawang.

Thousands of herons (night herons and cattle egrets) are roosting and nesting there.

They need space to continue their life.

There will be no future for them at their roosting and nesting area now.

They need to move again.

They are nomadic now but until when and where to.

Heron's eggs

Heron's chicks

Kuala Lumpur - Malaysian wildlife officers arrested three Vietnamese men in a mangrove swamp for poaching protected species of birds, a news report said Sunday.
About 400 black-crowned night heron (Nycticoraqx nycticorax) eggs and chicks were seized from the suspects, aged 21 to 34, the Star daily reported.
Wildlife director Rahmat Topani, who led the operation Saturday after a month’s surveillance, said they were alerted by several conservationists living nearby.
The Vietnamese men believed that consumption of the bird’s meat would increase the libido, he said.
Rahmat said all three men had admitted to poaching for self-consumption with fellow Vietnamese workers from a nearby printing factory in the central Selangor state.
The suspects would be charged on Wednesday, and could face fines of 6,000 ringgit (1,740 dollars) and up to six years in jail.

_________________________________________________________________

STAR

Sunday April 19, 2009
Viets held for heron poaching
SHAH ALAM: Conservationists helped the Selangor Wildlife and National Parks Department nab three Vietnamese poachers at the Kuala Garing mangrove swamp area in Rawang.
About 400 black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) eggs of a light green hue and eight month-old chicks were seized from the Vietnamese, aged 21, 22 and 34.
Wildlife director Rahmat Topani, who led the operation after a month’s surveillance, said the department was alerted about the suspected poachers at 10.50am yesterday by several conservationists living nearby.
At a press conference yesterday, Rahmat said all three men admitted to poaching for self-consumption with fellow Vietnamese workers from a nearby printing firm in Taman Selingan.
It is learnt that the Vietnamese men would cook the Asian migratory bird, a protected species, by frying it with chillies, and the meal is downed with beer.
According to a Vietnamese migrant worker in Klang, the bird’s meat increases the libido.
Rahmat said the three men would be charged at the Selayang magistrates court on Wednesday. If found guilty, they could be fined RM6,000 or jailed for six years, or both.
“We hope to work with residents living in other parts of Selangor close to swamp areas to nab such culprits,” Rahmat said.