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Showing posts with label wildlife. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wildlife. Show all posts
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Wild Malayan Porcupine found on Ubin
In 2006, the Malayan Porcupine (Hystrix brachyura) was caught on film by a camera trap on Pulau Tekong, an island just east of Pulau Ubin. Prior to that, Malayan Porcupines were never before reported on Pulau Tekong, and hardly seen since the 1970's. Habitatnews cited a study by Yang, Yong & Lim in 1990 that suggested while the Malayan Porcupine (Hystrix brachyura) was once common in forested areas between 19th century to the 1960's, and was "sometimes found in secondary forests" by 1973, by 1990, it "must be very rare if it still exists in Singapore".
Fast forward to 2012, the Malayan Porcupine was yet again spotted, but this time on Pulau Ubin! Robert Teo from the National Parks Board (NParks) shares a video on youtube of a Malayan Porcupine that had wandered into a ubin resident's compound in late Jan 2012. It was cornered by the resident's dogs, subsequently caught and caged. The NParks Forest Patrol discovered the little guy and helped to release him back into the forest.
It's great to know that the wild Malayan Porcupine population seems to have thrived despite the rapid disappearance of their natural forest habitats in Singapore.
Happy Earth Day everyone!
Update @ 23 April 2012
Robert shared more on this first official sighting of the Malayan Porcupine on Ubin:
"During our regular Forest Patrol on 30 Mar 2012, my staff and volunteers found a Malayan Porcupine (Hystrix brachyura) caged in a resident’s home. It measured about 60-70 cm from nose to base of tail and appeared to be a female. The porcupine entered the resident’s compound in late Jan 2012 and was cornered by her dogs. It was subsequently netted and a cage was constructed to house it. The resident fed it with apples, carrots & kangkong.
The resident was reluctant to let it go as she thought it would not be able to survive on its own. She even asked that we send it to the zoo. We explained that the porcupine is a wild animal and would be able to fend for itself, and that the right thing to do was to return it to the wild. She requested to keep it over the weekend to show her relatives. On the morning of 2 Apr, we transported the cage to the forest nearby and released the porcupine."
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Greater Mousedeer Populations on Pulau Ubin
A picture of the lesser mousedeer taken in Singapore at the central catchment by the Annotated Budak. Not exactly the greater mousedeer and not on Ubin but it was in the wilderness of Singapore!
Previously we mentioned mousedeers being sighted on Ubin. NUS biology honors student, Marcus Chua, who has been surveying these mammals for a while now for his honors research thesis, will now be presenting his findings at this upcoming talk on the Greater Mousedeer Populations on Ubin.
Greater Mousedeer Populations on Pulau Ubin.
Talk by Marcus Chua, NUS, Honours Student
The greater mouse deer was recently rediscovered in Pulau Ubin, an island which is one of Singapore's last rural places and a popular recreation area. What led to their rediscovery and comeback? What other mammals can be found on Pulau Ubin? Why are they threatened? Can this little hoofed creature and other medium-sized mammals live alongside man on Pulau Ubin?
The title of his thesis is "Can Medium-sized Mammals Co-exist with Man on Pulau Ubin". And it was his honours research project.
Date : 24 Jul 2009 12:00 pm - 12:45 pm
Venue : Singapore Botanic Gardens,
Botany Centre, Function Hall
Please register at this website
(Click on "Mousedeer Talk" tab)
Editor's Note:
I will not be able to attend this event as I will be giving a talk on the same day. Is anybody interested or willing to write a blog report of this talk for Pulau Ubin Stories? Volunteers would be most appreciated. Feel free to leave a comment. Thank you!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Greater Mouse Deer sighted in Pulau Ubin
Finally the news is out! There has been greater mouse deers sighted in Pulau Ubin these past year by Biology undergrad Marcus Chua and the Nparks staff and volunteers around the island. What exciting news!
Photo by Arthur Chng taken from WildSingapore News
Greater Mouse Deer sighted in Pulau Ubin
Animal thought to be extinct in Singapore spotted for first time in 80 years
Ang Yiying, Straits Times 26 Mar 09;
SEPARATE sightings of mouse deer here and on Pulau Ubin have brought hope that native wildlife is making a comeback in Singapore.
The Greater Mouse Deer - one of the smallest hoofed animals in the world - was seen on Pulau Ubin during a survey by the National University of Singapore and National Parks Board (NParks) from last September to this month.
This is the first official sighting of the wild Greater Mouse Deer in more than 80 years, confirmed NParks.
The Lesser Mouse Deer, which has a browner coat, against the Greater's more orange colouring, was seen around the Lower Peirce Reservoir boardwalk, near Upper Thomson Road, on March 7.
Book distributor Ron Chan, 62, said he spotted the mouse deer when he was taking a walk with his family.
He said: 'It's a very beautiful animal and its eyes are sparkling black.'
He alerted a nearby nature photography enthusiast, Mr Arthur Chng, in his 30s, to take a photo of the creature.
The hobby photographer said it was the first time he had seen a mouse deer, and that it was a good sign that Singapore wildlife has not disappeared due to encroaching urbanisation.
NParks said that over the past two years, there have been four sightings of mouse deer around the Lower Peirce Reservoir boardwalk.
Three were of the Lesser Mouse Deer and the other of the Greater Mouse Deer, which could be one of seven such animals that NParks introduced into the Central Catchment Nature Reserve in 1998.
For NUS life sciences undergraduate Marcus Chua, 25, sighting the Greater Mouse Deer on Pulau Ubin was an unexpected discovery.
He was working with NParks and its volunteers on a survey of medium-sized mammals for his final-year project.
He said: 'At first, there was doubt because it was recorded as extinct in Singapore; that was the first time we saw it. When we got a clearer picture (of the mouse deer), we were very excited.'
On Pulau Ubin, the group has chalked up 100 sightings of the Greater Mouse Deer in more than one area, so it was unlikely that these are abandoned or escaped pets. The species is also not known to swim, so the animals there are unlikely to have come from those released in the catchment area.
'We were quite happy that a population thought to be extinct could have recovered, like bouncing back to life,' Mr Chua said.
Ms Celine Low, co-founder of environmental education group Cicada Tree Eco-Place, said one reason the Greater Mouse Deer was seen again on Pulau Ubin could be the decreased human population and activity there.
She said: 'It could be because the last quarry closed in the 1990s and there are fewer workers there and because of relocation of villagers to the mainland.'
Nature Society of Singapore president Shawn Lum said the presence of mouse deer was a good sign for not just native wildlife but also the eco-system. 'They play an important role in the ecology of the forest...It's great news for the long- term stability and regeneration of the rainforest,' he said.
NParks said it is conducting surveys to ascertain the population of these creatures.
Shy and nocturnal creatures
Straits Times 26 Mar 09;
MOUSE deer are native to Singapore and are known to exist in parts of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, the forested area that borders MacRitchie Reservoir, Lower Peirce Reservoir, Upper Peirce Reservoir and Upper Seletar Reservoir.
Mr Biswajit Guha, assistant director of zoology at the Singapore Zoo, said the Greater and Lesser Mouse Deer are fairly common throughout South-east Asia and not severely threatened.
However, in Singapore, the Greater Mouse Deer is thought to be extinct while the Lesser Mouse Deer is said to be critically endangered.
Said Mr Guha: 'The Greater Mouse Deer sports a more orange coat, while the Lesser has a browner coat.'
GREATER MOUSE DEER (Tragulus napu)
# Head-body length: 520mm to 572mm
# Shoulder height: 300mm to 350mm
# Weight: 3.5kg to 4.5kg
LESSER MOUSE DEER (Tragulus kanchil)
# Head-body length: 400mm to 550mm
# Shoulder height: 200mm to 230mm
# Weight: 1.4kg to 2.5 kg
NParks says sightings of mouse deer are rare, especially during the day. It advises the public to keep quiet when encountering such animals, which are shy and nocturnal by nature.
Photo by Arthur Chng taken from WildSingapore News
Greater Mouse Deer sighted in Pulau Ubin
Animal thought to be extinct in Singapore spotted for first time in 80 years
Ang Yiying, Straits Times 26 Mar 09;
SEPARATE sightings of mouse deer here and on Pulau Ubin have brought hope that native wildlife is making a comeback in Singapore.
The Greater Mouse Deer - one of the smallest hoofed animals in the world - was seen on Pulau Ubin during a survey by the National University of Singapore and National Parks Board (NParks) from last September to this month.
This is the first official sighting of the wild Greater Mouse Deer in more than 80 years, confirmed NParks.
The Lesser Mouse Deer, which has a browner coat, against the Greater's more orange colouring, was seen around the Lower Peirce Reservoir boardwalk, near Upper Thomson Road, on March 7.
Book distributor Ron Chan, 62, said he spotted the mouse deer when he was taking a walk with his family.
He said: 'It's a very beautiful animal and its eyes are sparkling black.'
He alerted a nearby nature photography enthusiast, Mr Arthur Chng, in his 30s, to take a photo of the creature.
The hobby photographer said it was the first time he had seen a mouse deer, and that it was a good sign that Singapore wildlife has not disappeared due to encroaching urbanisation.
NParks said that over the past two years, there have been four sightings of mouse deer around the Lower Peirce Reservoir boardwalk.
Three were of the Lesser Mouse Deer and the other of the Greater Mouse Deer, which could be one of seven such animals that NParks introduced into the Central Catchment Nature Reserve in 1998.
For NUS life sciences undergraduate Marcus Chua, 25, sighting the Greater Mouse Deer on Pulau Ubin was an unexpected discovery.
He was working with NParks and its volunteers on a survey of medium-sized mammals for his final-year project.
He said: 'At first, there was doubt because it was recorded as extinct in Singapore; that was the first time we saw it. When we got a clearer picture (of the mouse deer), we were very excited.'
On Pulau Ubin, the group has chalked up 100 sightings of the Greater Mouse Deer in more than one area, so it was unlikely that these are abandoned or escaped pets. The species is also not known to swim, so the animals there are unlikely to have come from those released in the catchment area.
'We were quite happy that a population thought to be extinct could have recovered, like bouncing back to life,' Mr Chua said.
Ms Celine Low, co-founder of environmental education group Cicada Tree Eco-Place, said one reason the Greater Mouse Deer was seen again on Pulau Ubin could be the decreased human population and activity there.
She said: 'It could be because the last quarry closed in the 1990s and there are fewer workers there and because of relocation of villagers to the mainland.'
Nature Society of Singapore president Shawn Lum said the presence of mouse deer was a good sign for not just native wildlife but also the eco-system. 'They play an important role in the ecology of the forest...It's great news for the long- term stability and regeneration of the rainforest,' he said.
NParks said it is conducting surveys to ascertain the population of these creatures.
Shy and nocturnal creatures
Straits Times 26 Mar 09;
MOUSE deer are native to Singapore and are known to exist in parts of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, the forested area that borders MacRitchie Reservoir, Lower Peirce Reservoir, Upper Peirce Reservoir and Upper Seletar Reservoir.
Mr Biswajit Guha, assistant director of zoology at the Singapore Zoo, said the Greater and Lesser Mouse Deer are fairly common throughout South-east Asia and not severely threatened.
However, in Singapore, the Greater Mouse Deer is thought to be extinct while the Lesser Mouse Deer is said to be critically endangered.
Said Mr Guha: 'The Greater Mouse Deer sports a more orange coat, while the Lesser has a browner coat.'
GREATER MOUSE DEER (Tragulus napu)
# Head-body length: 520mm to 572mm
# Shoulder height: 300mm to 350mm
# Weight: 3.5kg to 4.5kg
LESSER MOUSE DEER (Tragulus kanchil)
# Head-body length: 400mm to 550mm
# Shoulder height: 200mm to 230mm
# Weight: 1.4kg to 2.5 kg
NParks says sightings of mouse deer are rare, especially during the day. It advises the public to keep quiet when encountering such animals, which are shy and nocturnal by nature.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Wildlife sighting on Ubin
There appears to be quite a fair bit of wildlife sightings on Pulau Ubin of late. It's always wonderful news to hear of possibly other mammals on the island other than wild boars and homosapiens! (Oh, and we have civet cats and otters too!)
On the other hand, Ubin has had its share of mega faunas such as the tapirs and a visiting elephant in the 90s.
Related Reads:
"It's a zoo out there", Pulau Ubin Stories, 03 June 2004
Animals of Ubin, Pulau Ubin Stories, 4 April 2005
Assorted Elephant Stories on Pulau Ubin Stories
On the other hand, Ubin has had its share of mega faunas such as the tapirs and a visiting elephant in the 90s.
Related Reads:
"It's a zoo out there", Pulau Ubin Stories, 03 June 2004
Animals of Ubin, Pulau Ubin Stories, 4 April 2005
Assorted Elephant Stories on Pulau Ubin Stories
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Family of otters spotted at Jelutong!
Last Saturday, 2 August 2008, 2 days after I came back from research in Malaysia, I decided to take a trip to Ubin for a leisurely ride. First time in 5 years that I visit Ubin purely to relax and enjoy. As such, I was duely rewarded. Perhaps as my friend suggested, it's because the less people you're with the higher chance of seeing wildlife. Well, I was most pleasantly surprised when my friend yelled "Otters! Right in front of you" at Jelutong River after a feast of coconuts at about 3pm in the afternoon.
There weren't just 1 otter but 7 of them! [See above photo. I counted several times to be sure]
We observed them for a while and it was really quite interesting. I'm no expert in otters but they seem to play "follow the leader" and all of them will line up in the water and swim where the leader goes. Then they went and "queue up" at the shore which is when this photo above was taken. They seem to be looking at the camera!
After that they played hide and seek with us and we were running after them every time they surface and catching on our game, they quickly duck through the mud and mangrove before we decided to give up.
We also saw 2 wild boars, 1 at an abandoned rubber plantation from mamam beach and 1 at chek jawa! The mamam encounter was just a tad scary since it was stopped in front of my path and we were the only ones around. I gave it some time to excuse itself before proceeding. Too bad I was too shocked to take any photos.
Of course we also saw the "mandatory" sea eagle at jejawi tower. It might have been a brahminy kite... couldn't see its underside clearly to tell. It was quite a sight and charmed all the visitors on the tower.
Only a dugong sighting at chek jawa would have topped my day. Perhaps that's an encounter for another day.
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Ubin Elephant Gets Female Escort Home
Another article in the series on the 1991 elephant visitor on Pulau Ubin. It's interesting to note that this is not the first visitor across the straits that we've had in Singapore, there were 3 others at Pulau Tekong in 1990.
Caption reads: "One of the two trained female elephants which will help to lead the wild male out of Pulau Ubin today." Source: Straits Times
Ubin Elephant Gets Female Escort Home
Saturday, March 9, 1991
The Straits Times
Image of the actual article [0.6MB]
The wild elephant which has made its home in Pulau Ubin for more than a week will be going home this morning.
Yesterday afternoon, two trained female elephants arrived on the island to help in moving the runaway male elephant, believed to have swum over from Johor.
It will be released into the Endau-Rompin reserve on the border between Johor and Pahahg.
The two trained females, Cik Mek and Mek Bunga, had helped move the tree wild elephants captured on Pulau Tekong in May last year.
Also called monitor elephants, they are part of the Malaysian Wildlife Department's Elephant Capture and Translocation Unit.
The unit had assisted Singapore authorities in trapping the runaway elephant on Ubin.
The presence of the stray elephant was first known when it attacked an islander on March 1 with its trunk.
RELATED POSTS:
"Flying elephants do not cross the river"
It's a zoo out there!
"Ubin Elephant Caught"
"Jumbo Hunt on in Pulau Ubin"
Caption reads: "One of the two trained female elephants which will help to lead the wild male out of Pulau Ubin today." Source: Straits Times
Ubin Elephant Gets Female Escort Home
Saturday, March 9, 1991
The Straits Times
Image of the actual article [0.6MB]
The wild elephant which has made its home in Pulau Ubin for more than a week will be going home this morning.
Yesterday afternoon, two trained female elephants arrived on the island to help in moving the runaway male elephant, believed to have swum over from Johor.
It will be released into the Endau-Rompin reserve on the border between Johor and Pahahg.
The two trained females, Cik Mek and Mek Bunga, had helped move the tree wild elephants captured on Pulau Tekong in May last year.
Also called monitor elephants, they are part of the Malaysian Wildlife Department's Elephant Capture and Translocation Unit.
The unit had assisted Singapore authorities in trapping the runaway elephant on Ubin.
The presence of the stray elephant was first known when it attacked an islander on March 1 with its trunk.
RELATED POSTS:
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Jumbo Hunt on in Pulau Ubin
During the 1991 visit from an unexpected visitor from across the straits, a fury of newspaper articles traced the "jumbo hunt" on Pulau Ubin.
Caption reads: "Mr Tan Kit Sun, the zoo's assistant curator, helping to track the elephant down to the eastern and central parts of Pulau Ubin yesterday. According to his estimates, based on the animal's footprints found in the soft earth behind the shrine, the animal stands about 2.3m high at the shoulder."
Jumbo Hunt on in Pulau Ubin
Saturday, March 9, 1991
The Straits Times
Image of the actual article [0.6MB]
Mr Ngo Tai Leong, 64, was probably accidentally hit on the head by the elephant's trunk while praying at the small shrine in the jungle on Friday.
Mr Bernard Harrison, the Singapore Zoological Gardens' executive director, who was in Pulau Ubin yesterday to supervise the tracking, added that the animal was probably ambling around in the jungle looking for food when he came across the man around 11.30pm that night.
RELATED POSTS:
"Flying elephants do not cross the river"
It's a zoo out there!
"Ubin Elephant Caught"
Caption reads: "Mr Tan Kit Sun, the zoo's assistant curator, helping to track the elephant down to the eastern and central parts of Pulau Ubin yesterday. According to his estimates, based on the animal's footprints found in the soft earth behind the shrine, the animal stands about 2.3m high at the shoulder."
Jumbo Hunt on in Pulau Ubin
Saturday, March 9, 1991
The Straits Times
Image of the actual article [0.6MB]
Mr Ngo Tai Leong, 64, was probably accidentally hit on the head by the elephant's trunk while praying at the small shrine in the jungle on Friday.
Mr Bernard Harrison, the Singapore Zoological Gardens' executive director, who was in Pulau Ubin yesterday to supervise the tracking, added that the animal was probably ambling around in the jungle looking for food when he came across the man around 11.30pm that night.
RELATED POSTS:
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Ubin Elephant Caught
In 1991, an elephant from across the Straits of Johore visited the island of Pulau Ubin and caused considerable excitement on the island. Below is one of several newspaper cuttings taken from The Straits Times of the media coverage of the time.
Caption reads: "The chained elephant... it is expected to be brought back to Johor tomorrow"
Ubin Elephant Caught
Saturday, March 9, 1991
David Miller
The Straits Time
Image of the actual article [1.6MB]
PULAU UBIN - The elephant which injured a man and damaged a taxi on Pulau Ubin was caught yesterday morning.
The 2.3 metre-tall bull was tranquillised by a single dart fired from the rifle of a Malaysian wildlife ranger.
It is expected to be returned to the jungle in Johor tomorrow.
Early yesterday morning, experts from the Johor Wildlife Department set out to track it.
Residents on the island were asked to call the police post if they saw the elephant.
At about 8.15am, one villager did, saying that he saw the animal in the north-western part of the island.
The hunters went there immediately and found the elephant 40 minutes later.
"The elephant wasn't aggressive. It made one mock attack when it was shot, but then retreated," said Mr Tan Kit Sun, the zoo's assistant curator.
It ran off towards a clump of trees, where it collapsed about six minutes later, when the sedative took effect.
The Singapore's Zoo veterinarian, Dr Shirley Llizo, who examined the animal while it was sedated, said it was in good health.
The animal, estimated to be between seven and 10 years old, was chained to a nearby tree to stop it from moving around.
A team from the Malaysian Wildlife Department's Translocation Unit is expected to take the animal back to Johor, where it is believed to have come from, tomorrow.
To do this, a special ramp will be built leading up to a lorry. Two trained elephants will then sandwich the captured animal and lead it onto the vehicle for its homeward journey.
Even though it has been captured, the authorities are restricting visits to the island.
Police are waiting to see if any more elephants are sighted on the island.
RELATED POSTS:
"Flying elephants do not cross the river"
It's a zoo out there!
Caption reads: "The chained elephant... it is expected to be brought back to Johor tomorrow"
Ubin Elephant Caught
Saturday, March 9, 1991
David Miller
The Straits Time
Image of the actual article [1.6MB]
PULAU UBIN - The elephant which injured a man and damaged a taxi on Pulau Ubin was caught yesterday morning.
The 2.3 metre-tall bull was tranquillised by a single dart fired from the rifle of a Malaysian wildlife ranger.
It is expected to be returned to the jungle in Johor tomorrow.
Early yesterday morning, experts from the Johor Wildlife Department set out to track it.
Residents on the island were asked to call the police post if they saw the elephant.
At about 8.15am, one villager did, saying that he saw the animal in the north-western part of the island.
The hunters went there immediately and found the elephant 40 minutes later.
"The elephant wasn't aggressive. It made one mock attack when it was shot, but then retreated," said Mr Tan Kit Sun, the zoo's assistant curator.
It ran off towards a clump of trees, where it collapsed about six minutes later, when the sedative took effect.
The Singapore's Zoo veterinarian, Dr Shirley Llizo, who examined the animal while it was sedated, said it was in good health.
The animal, estimated to be between seven and 10 years old, was chained to a nearby tree to stop it from moving around.
A team from the Malaysian Wildlife Department's Translocation Unit is expected to take the animal back to Johor, where it is believed to have come from, tomorrow.
To do this, a special ramp will be built leading up to a lorry. Two trained elephants will then sandwich the captured animal and lead it onto the vehicle for its homeward journey.
Even though it has been captured, the authorities are restricting visits to the island.
Police are waiting to see if any more elephants are sighted on the island.
RELATED POSTS:
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