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VENESA DEVI The Star 7 Sep 19; What went wrong?: Some of the dead fish found along Pantai Lido. JOHOR BARU: Land reclamation along Pantai Lido could potentially be the main cause of mass fish deaths in the area. State Local Government, Urban Wellbeing and Environment Committee chairman Tan Chen Choon said the Department of Environment (DoE), along with the Fisheries Department, were still investigating the matter and not ruling out land reclamation as the contributing factor. �The DoE visited the location on Thursday upon receiving complaints about the occurrence and found that the dissolved oxygen level of the water was very low at 1.2mg/l,� he said. �The hot weather and disturbance of the water flow here due to land reclamation are believed to be contributing factors, but we are still investigating the matter.� In a statement, Tan said he had instructed the DoE to look into the Environment Impact Assessment for the reclamation project to avoid a recurrence of such incidents. Dozens ...

Goh Pei Pei New Straits Times 8 Sep 19; KUCHING: The Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) enforcement team nabbed two men for selling sea turtle eggs at Pasar Tamu Kubah Ria on Saturday. SFC chief executive officer Zolkipli Mohamad Aton said the first suspect, aged 65, was caught at 9.45am and 214 eggs were seized. �When our team returned to the market for another round of patrol in the afternoon, they arrested a 26-year-old man with 438 sea turtle eggs. We had lodged a police report for further investigation,� he said in a statement today. On the same day, another team raided a stall at Bandar Riyal market in Kota Samarahan for selling wild boar meat. A 62-year-old male suspect was nabbed and 17 packets of the wildlife meat were seized. Zolkipli said anyone who hunts, kills, keeps, sells or consumes protected animals faces a one-year jail term and RM10,000 fine. �In the case of the sea turtle which is a totally protected wildlife in Sarawak, the maximum fine is RM50,000 and five years�...

Olivia Miwil New Straits Times 8 Sep 19; KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is keen to protect sharks and rays in the state�s waters but the problem is the two species of marine life have been a staple food for some locals. A fishmonger of 35 years at the wet market here, who declined to be named, said due to demand from consumers, fisherman continue to net the two species. �I am aware of the move to ban the catching of sharks and rays to prevent both species from becoming extinct. But some people in Sabah including fishermen still consume the meat,� he said, adding sharks and rays were sold between RM8 and RM12 per kilogramme. He however said that the catch involving the two marine species was far less nowadays, compared to three decades ago. �Back then, I used to sell at least a tonne of sharks - guitar sharks and hammerheads in a week. �I remember the biggest shark weighed about 200 kilogrammes. Now the most I get from the suppliers is just 70 kilogrammes and is available only twice or thrice a ...

The Star 8 Sep 19; TEMERLOH: The government will set up an elephant sanctuary in an area spanning 100ha in Perak at a cost of about RM20mil. Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar said the move was part of an ongoing effort to conserve elephants, which were increasingly threatened due to human-elephant conflicts. He said the new sanctuary would be a new addition to the Sungai Deka Elephant Sanctuary in Terengganu and the Johor Elephant Sanctuary in Kota Tinggi. �The Federal Government, in collaboration with the Perak government, has approved the proposal for the construction of the new sanctuary, which will be implemented under the 12th Malaysia Plan,� he said after launching the 2019 World Elephant Day celebration at the Kuala Gandah National Elephant Conservation Centre yesterday. Also present were his deputy Tengku Zulpuri Shah Raja Puji, Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) director-general Datuk Abdul Kadir Abu Hashim and Exim Bank chairm...

Goh Pei Pei New Straits Times 6 Sep 19; KUCHING: The haze in Sarawak worsened today, with visibility in the state capital here reduced to 1.2km. Five other areas are also shrouded in smoke and recorded Air Pollution Index (API) readings of �unhealthy� as of 9am. Sri Aman registered the highest API of 166, followed by Miri at 133, Kuching at 125, Sibu at 123 and Sarikei at 109. Stations in Kuala Baram, Bintulu, Samalaju, Mukah, Kapit, Limbang and Miri recorded moderate API readings of between 62 and 99, said Sarawak State Disaster Management Committee secretariat, Major Ismail Mahedin. Meanwhile, motorists in Kuching have been advised to exercise extra caution amidst reduced visibility. The haze is believed to be caused by 455 hotpots which have been detected in Kalimantan, Indonesia. Four hotspots have also been detected in Betong, Serian, Bintulu and Miri. An API reading of 0 to 50 is categorised as good, 51 to 100 (moderate), 101 to 200 (unhealthy), 201 to 300 (very unhealthy), and ...

Reuters New Straits Times 6 Sep 19; JAKARTA/KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia�s science ministry will urge Indonesia to take immediate action to fight haze, it said on Friday, as Jakarta detected a spike in the number of hot spots indicating worsening forest fires across the archipelago. During the dry season, Indonesian farmers use fire to clear land, often for palm and pulp plantations, but the flames can rage out of control to produce a choking haze that spreads to neighbours like Singapore and Malaysia. A mild El Nino weather pattern this year has aggravated the impact of fires, with the number of hot spots rising to the highest since devastating fires in 2015. In a statement, Malaysia�s ministry of science, technology and innovation said it would �send a diplomatic note to Indonesia, so immediate action will be taken to put out the fires and prevent repeated burning.� A spokesman for Indonesia�s foreign ministry, Teuku Faizasyah, declined immediate comment, but said he would check if Jakart...

Antara 7 Sep 19; Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA) - The Pekanbaru meteorology station reported that 448 hotspots were observed throughout Sumatra Island, comprising 154 hotspots in Riau Province�s eight districts on Saturday morning, depleting the air quality in parts of the province. Of the total figure, 60 were spotted in Pelalawan District, 42 in Indragiri Hulu, 34 in Indragiri Hilir, six in Meranti, five in Kuansing, three in Bengkalis, and two respectively in Kampar and Rokan Hilir, Ahmad Agus Widodo, analyst at the Pekanbaru meteorology station, remarked here on Saturday. At least 97 of the 154 hotspots had developed into firespots, strongly suggestive of forest fires. A total of 45 firespots were found in Pelalawan, 25 in Indragiri Hulu, 19 in Indragiri Hilir, one in Kuansing, three in Meranti, and two each in Rokan Hilir and Bengkalis. The air quality in parts of Riau was considered unhealthy, including in Rokan Hilir and Pekanbaru, where the air quality was also very unhealthy. Last ...

Helen Briggs BBC News 6 Sep 19; The number of whales and dolphins washing up around the UK coastline has risen, according to new figures. In 2017 alone, 1,000 animals were stranded - more than in any year since records began. A total of 4,896 whales, dolphins and porpoises died on beaches between 2011 and 2017 - up 15% on the previous seven years. Scientists found a number of causes for the deaths, including infectious diseases, fishing and plastic. It's difficult to say conclusively what's driven the rise, but it's associated with multiple causes, including rises in some dolphin and whale populations, they say. "Strandings aren't actually in and of themselves bad news," Rob Deaville of ZSL (Zoological Society of London), who led the report, told BBC News. "There's a misconception that we're trying to stop strandings - we're not, we're trying to learn more about those that are due to human activities and then try and mitigate those where ...

Business Mirror 9 Sep 19; More than 100 new �butanding� (whale shark), including juveniles, spotted in Donsol, the highest number in several years. DONSOL, Sorsogon�One-hundred-four new butanding (whale shark) individuals have been identified in Ticao Pass off the coast of Donsol, Sorsogon, between January and June 2019, according to a report from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines. Whale shark, classified as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on their Red List of Threatened Species, is a filter-feeding carpet shark and the largest living fish species in the world. Each whale shark can be identified based on the unique pattern of spots behind its gills, which serves as a �fingerprint� for identification. Just as no two human fingerprints are alike, no two whale sharks have the same spot pattern. The addition of these new sightings puts the total number of whale shark individuals spotted in Donsol at 676 since the monitoring began in 2...

Roy Goh New Straits Times 5 Sep 19; KOTA KINABALU: Elephants in Sabah are evolving to lose their tusks to survive, a phenomenon that is also happening in other parts of the world. Sightings of such tusk-less bull Bornean pygmy elephants are getting more common and a senior veterinarian believes more research needs to be done on the phenomenon and its implications. Sabah Wildlife department assistant director Dr Sen Nathan said it used to be rare, seeing a tusk-less male, but these days it's becoming common. "I have been involved in trans-locating elephants for more than 20 years and other senior colleagues dealt with the animal longer, more than 30 years, and now, we see this phenomenon becoming more common. "Seeing elephants with tusks measuring close to two metres was common before but not these days. "Heavy poaching pressure seems to have caused the Bornean elephants to lose their tusks," Sen said. "This is something we would like to analyse further and...

KRISTY INUS The Star 5 Sep 19; KOTA KINABALU: The banteng, the wild cattle of Borneo, are not just being poached but increasingly turning up as bycatch in snares set for other animals, say conservation groups. In a joint statement, the Sabah Wildlife Department and the Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) said the population of the animal, estimated to number fewer than 500 in the state, was already facing fragmentation due to deforestation, infrastructure development and human activity. �Besides being targeted for bush meat, the mammal has often become a bycatch in snares meant for smaller animals like wild boar and deer,� said DGFC director Dr Benoit Goossens yesterday. This had resulted in the animals suffering from potentially catastrophic injuries such as loss of limb, he said. �During our study, several images documented incidences of injuries sustained by the Bornean banteng from these snares,� he said. Dr Goossen was among researchers from the centre and the Cardiff University who...

STEPHEN THEN, MUGUNTAN VANAR and MEI MEI CHU The Star 4 Sep 19; PETALING JAYA: From urban centres to deep jungles, the illegal wildlife trade is a multimillion-ringgit business spread across the peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak. It leaves a trail of cruelty starting from the forest � to the longhouses, markets in cities and towns, to certain �pet shops� and then onwards to the homes of the well-heeled, both within and out of Malaysia. Some of these rare wildlife are endangered and protected under the law, and the most popular animals include macaques, hornbills, rare parrots, colourful birds, rare reptiles, baby sunbears, deer, tortoises, leopard cats and so on. The United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime estimates the global wildlife trafficking industry to be worth between US$7bil (RM28bil) and US$23bil (RM92bil) annually. Malaysia, one of the world�s most biodiverse countries, is known as a notorious �destination airport� and transit location on the wildlife trade route. A 2016 report...

R.S.N.MURALI The Star 5 Sep 19; MELAKA: On top of the problem of immigrants making their way illegally into Melaka via the strait, the state is currently facing another trans-boundary issue � the invasion of wild boars from Indonesia. Melaka Agriculture, Agro-Based, Entrepreneur Development and Cooperative Committee chairman Norhizam Hassan Baktee said wild boars were excellent swimmers, but the state never expected them to cross the narrow Strait of Malacca from Sumatera in search of new habitats here. �The sea-borne invasion of wild boars leaves us in despair as the animal population is increasing in Melaka. �The mystical island of Pulau Besar here has witnessed widespread damage from the �migration' of dozens of these wild boars, including piglets, � he said on Thursday (Sept 5). Norhizam said fishermen reported seeing snouts in the dark along the coastal lines of Melaka almost every night. �Now Melaka is populated with wild boars from Indonesia, � he said. He said the number o...

N. TRISHA The Star 5 Sep 19; Stifling situation: Motorists driving on the Penang Bridge that is barely visible. GEORGE TOWN: The public have been told to wear masks while outdoors as the state is expected to be hit by prolonged hazy conditions. The advice came from state environment committee chairman Phee Boon Poh. �The haze is here to stay as we are approaching the inter-monsoon period before the north-east monsoon starts in October. �We have been monitoring the situation and over the past three days, the Air Pollutant Index (API) readings were between 75 and 88. �The readings on the island are always higher than the mainland. �Although it may still be below the critical level, we appeal to the people to avoid strenuous exercise, especially in urban areas. �If you want to exercise, it will be better to go to parks such as the Penang Botanic Gardens or the Penang City Park,� he said. A check with the Environment Department website at 1pm yesterday showed that the readings in Seberang...

Antara 4 Sep 19; Pontianak, W Kalimantan (ANTARA) - The LAPAN satellite image data showed 949 hotspots were spotted in West Kalimantan on Sept 3-4, 2019, a notable surge, from 15 hotspots on Sept 2-3, according to the Supadio-Pontianak meteorology station. Of the total, 433 hotspots were found in Ketapang District, 123 in Sintang, 102 in Sanggau, 87 in Sekadau, 61 in North Kayong, 49 in Landak, 41 in Melawi, 29 in Kubu Raya, 14 in Bengkayang, six in Kapuas Hulu and Sambas, Erika Mardiyanti, head of the meteorology station, stated here on Wednesday. West Kalimantan Deputy Governor Ria Norsan noted that the provincial administration had issued Government Regulation No. 39 of 2019 on Prevention and Mitigation of Forest Fires to curtail slash and burn practices. West Kalimantan Police Chief Insp. Gen. Didi Haryono confirmed that the West Kalimantan Police had arrested 52 suspects in land and forest fire cases in the province. "A total of 52 suspects were arrested in 44 cases comprisi...

MOHD FARHAAN SHAH The Star 3 Sep 19; JOHOR BARU: The lack of rainfall and the ongoing hot weather in the last two weeks have caused the water level at the Machap Dam to fall to critical level, disrupting supply to almost 150,000 consumers in three areas in Johor. In a statement on Tuesday (Sept 3), the National Water Services Commission (Span) said the condition at the dam had forced water supply company, SAJ Ranhill, to activate scheduled cuts for about a month. "Following this, it is estimated that a total of 149,550 consumers from 29,910 accounts around Simpang Renggam, Layang-Layang and Pontian Utara would be affected from Monday until Oct 2. "To ensure that clean water supply is optimised under limited resource conditions, Ranhill SAJ will arrange to supply water for 36 hours, followed by the next 36 hours without water," said the statement. Span also pointed out that besides Machap, three other dams in Johor were also at critical levels - the Lebam dam, Upper Laya...

MOHD FARHAAN SHAH The Star 2 Sep 19; JOHOR BARU: Mentri Besar Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal (pic) has urged the public, in particular, farmers, not to conduct any open burning during the current hot spell. He said the public must understand the difficulties faced by the Fire and Rescue Department to put out fires during the dry season. For instance, he said firemen had been battling a forest fire in Kampung Pekajang, Gelang Patah, for more than 12 days. �The area is mostly peat soil where the underground heat can spread the fire quickly but (it) takes a long time to be doused, which is why we hope people will not do any open burning, � he said after officiating the state-level Maal Hijrah celebration yesterday. A total of 140 firemen along with personnel from other agencies have been working round the clock to douse the fire, which is believed to have been caused by the hot and dry weather since Aug 21. They have been using �total flooding� as well as �fire break� techniques to prevent the...

Stephen Then The Star 3 Sep 19; MIRI: Firefighters dousing the remains of forests ravaged by wildfires in the Kuala Baram district in northern Sarawak have uncovered dead animals, including a leopard cat. Miri Fire and Rescue Department said Bomba firefighters and voluntary firefighters from land developer Naim Cendera Sdn Bhd were dousing burning ambers near the Industrial Training Institute and Hamidah Orphanage, when they found the dead animals. Miri fire chief Supt Law Poh Kiong said the discovery was made on Tuesday morning (Sept 3). He said he had informed the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC). "The feedback I got from the SFC is that the dead wildlife is possibly a leopard cat. "It's such a pity," Supt Law said in his latest updates on the forest fires' aftermath. "Firefighters are combing the burnt areas to snuff out burning amber that are still causing smog," he added. Malaysian Nature Society Miri branch also expressed sadness that many spec...

Antara 3 Sep 19; Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA) - Few wild elephants fled their habitats, entering residential areas after wildfires spread through the Tesso Nilo National Park, Riau Province, for the past week, the Natural Resources Conservation Office (BBKSDA) stated here, Tuesday. Riau BBKSDA Chief Andi Hansen Siregar remarked that the national park's rangers had conducted monitoring of the movement of wild Sumatran elephants (Elephas maximus sumatranus) from the rainforest to Bongkal Malang Village in Indragiri Hulu District. Following a tip-off from villagers, two wild Sumatran elephants were spotted roaming around the plantation areas. "Some secondary traces, such as dirt and footprints, were found. These elephants had roamed for two days," Siregar stated. An initial identification launched by the rangers indicated that one of the wild animals was an adult male Sumatran elephant that had allegedly destroyed the villager's palm plantation. Despite detection of their t...

Apriadi Gunawan The Jakarta Post 3 Sep 19; North Sumatra authorities have postponed a plan to release a female Sumatran tapir into the wild after discovering that she is pregnant. The tapir was previously rescued from a plantation in Asahan regency. After finding out that the tapir was pregnant, the North Sumatra Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) decided to transfer the mammal to the Pematang Siantar animal conservation park until it gave birth. North Sumatra BKSDA head Hotmauli Sianturi said the agency would ultimately release the female tapir into the Dolok Surungan wildlife reserve, which is a natural habitat for tapirs. �We were supposed to release the tapir today. However, since she is pregnant, the agency decided it would be safer for it to be released after it has given birth,� Hotmauli told The Jakarta Post on Monday. Hotmauli said an ultrasonography revealed that the tapir was three to four months pregnant. He added that the gestation sac, which contains the embry...