Sunday, April 13, 2014

Protecting hornbills from total wipeout by Rintos Mail, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on April 13, 2014,

The Rhinoceros hornbill enjoys an exalted status as the Sarawak state emblem. — Photos courtesy of SFC.

HORNBILLS (bucerotidae) have many ornithological admirers – with their long eyelashes (modified feathers), dark eyes and an almost comically large, curved bill.

They range from the size of a pigeon to a large bird with a 1.8m wingspan. You can easily pick out hornbills from other birds by a special body part atop their bill called casque.

Hornbills have long tails, broad wings and white and black, brown, or gray feathers. This contrasts with the brightly coloured necks, faces, bills, and casques in many species. Females and males often have different coloured faces and eyes.

I had seen a hornbill – possibly from the Oriental-pied species – flying above Logan Bunut Lake in Lawas while I was making a boat tour around the lake in 2010.

Actually, it’s not uncommon to find hornbills in the forests or see them winging across the land in search of food or back to roost in the hollowed out part of a tree trunk.

There are 10 hornbill species in Malaysia, eight of which are found in Sarawak, according to Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC).

The two species found in the peninsula are Plain Pouch and Great Hornbills while the eight indigenous to Sarawak are Oriental-pied Hornbill (anthracoceros albirostris), Black Hornbill (anthracoceros malayanus), Bushy-crested Hornbill (anorrhinus galeritus), White-crowned (crested) Hornbill (berenicornis comatus), Rhinoceros Hornbill (buceros rhinoceros), Helmeted Hornbill (Rhinoplax vigil), Wrinkled Hornbill (aceros corrugatus) and wreathed Hornbill (aceros undulatus).

Sarawak is known as the Land of Hornbills because these birds can be found in most parts of the state. The Black Hornbill is the most common while the Rhinoceros Hornbill is the largest of the bucerotidae family in Sarawak.

An adult Rhinoceros Hornbill is about the size of a swan – 91-122 cm long and weighing two to three kilogrammes. It’s found in lowlands and montane, tropical and subtropical regions, and mountain rainforests up to an altitude of 1,400 metres in Borneo, Sumatra, Java, the Malay Peninsula, Singapore and southern Thailand. It can live in captivity up to 90 years.

State bird of Sarawak

The Rhinoceros Hornbill is the state bird of Sarawak. For some Dayaks, especially the Ibans, the hornbill represents the chief of worldly birds or the supreme worldly bird, and its statue is used to welcome Sengalang Burong, the god of the augural birds, to the feast and celebration of humankind.

The Rhinoceros Hornbill is noted for the loud ‘whooshing’ sound of its huge wings and the rasping harshness of its haunting call. Today, it still enjoys the exalted status as the Sarawak state emblem.

But is Sarawak still truly the Land of Hornbills?

Widespread logging and poaching are allegedly threatening to push some of the popular species to the brink of extinction in the forests of Borneo. Moreover, hornbills are reportedly also hunted for food.

The Jakarta Post (November 2012) reported that hornbill body parts had been smuggled out of Kalimantan, Indonesia. As many as 285 bills from enggang gading (Helmeted Hornbill) were confiscated in smuggling attempts foiled by the Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA) of West Kalimantan.

Describing the seizure as “unusually large,” the Centre said this had, without doubt, resulted in a reduction of the male hornbill population in the area.

The casques, bound for China, are processed into objects of art such as sword handles and other items. Middlemen buy them for between 1 million rupiah (US$105) and 3 million rupiah apiece while the price can escalate on the international market, the report said.

On borrowed time

It seems the hornbill is on borrowed time with hunting and habitat loss posing as major threats to a potential wipeout of this particular avian species, not only in Sarawak but also other parts of the world such as Thailand, Indonesia, India, Africa and the Philippines.

The Rhinoceros Hornbill population especially is under a cloud, being a much sought after hunting and poaching target.

According to native folklore, this species holds mythical powers. When offered for sacrifice, its yellow-orange beak slightly curved out shape is taken out, and when carved and worn as a necklace, possesses the power to “control other people.”

The feathers are used for traditional costumes or some kind of ornaments to be hung on a warrior’s weapon such as spear, blowpipe, wooden shield and machete. Such weapons, it is believed, have magical powers to invoke durability, tenacity and courage during a battle.

The traditional costumes and talismans are preserved from generation to generation and used only during the grandest occasions such as marriages and other auspicious festivities.

To conserve the species, the Wild Life Protection Ordinance, 1998, has classified the hornbill as totally protected. A totally protected species is defined as one in danger of extinction due to hunting and habitat destruction.

Section 29 of the Ordinance metes out the penalty of a maximum RM25,000 fine and two years’ imprisonment for keeping hornbills as pets, killing, hunting, capturing, selling, trading or disturbing them, or possessing any recognisable hornbill parts.

According to SFC, the most recent incident of hornbill-related offence was the well-publicised poaching of the Oriental-pied Hornbill named Faridah in Miri. A 20-year-old man was jailed three months and fined RM20,000 in connection with the case.

No specific data

SFC chief executive officer Datu Ali Yusop said in Sarawak, hornbills could be seen in most totally protected areas such as Similajau National Park, Santubong National Park, Tanjung Datu National Park, Gunung Gading National Park.

Other areas where they can commonly be spotted include Gunong Mulu National Park, Pulong Tau National Park and Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary.

However, Ali, said there is presently no specific data on hornbill population in Sarawak.

“We are still in the early stages of a population survey although information on the distribution of the eight species is available and a database is being developed.

“Now, we can’t tell you exactly whether the population of any of the species is declining but none of the eight species is extinct and we are earnestly intensifying efforts to ensure their habitats are well protected,” he assured.

Ali said threats to hornbill existence may be due to loss of habitat and deforestation, lack of food source as well as nesting sites.

He stressed habitat loss posed a severe threat to hornbills since they only used large tree cavities for nesting – for example the dipterocarpus species, one of the most valuable timber types in Sarawak.

“Hornbills are also dependent on the forests for their food source.  Most are dependent on primary forests and only two species – the Black and Oriental-pied Hornbills – can be found in disturbed areas such as at the proposed Piasau Nature Reserve in Miri,” he added.

Ali said there were many ways to save hornbills, adding that with available data, conservation was not only about protecting the species, but also their habitats.

However, he pointed out that all these required funds and other resources.

He said hornbill habitats must be protected through land gazettement while population survey and monitoring should be conducted from time to time.

“Donations to buy artificial nesting boxs are also needed.”

On conservation, Ali said SFC had taken proactive action, including gazettement of Piasau Camp as a Nature reserve-urban park for a population of Oriental-pied Hornbills nesting there; setting up of Fig Garden at Kubah National Park (habitat enhancement) and conducting a population survey.

He disclosed a five-year programme had been drawn up, encompassing studies on hornbills in the totally protected areas of western Sarawak.

“We are yet to see the effectiveness of our initiatives as holistic population surveys have not to be conducted. But at least, these steps are useful for hornbill conservation – in particular, the species involved.

“As for Piasau Camp, the public must have heightened awareness of hornbills to portray their love for Nature which, in return, will benefit the long-term survival of the species,” he said.

Hornbills are primarily frugivorous, eating a variety of fruits, with figs being predominant in their diet. They also eat a variety of animal prey.

Walking with palms.by Mary Margaret. Posted on April 13, 2014

Kubah National Park is home to 86 species of palms.

PALMS, palms, palms …

The cool diffused light filtered through the tall trees onto the forest floor. It played games with the understory plants, flung shadows here and there.

The palm fronds in unexpected shapes, sizes and colours bathed in the muted light.

Dark green, lime, jade, emerald, olive, sea and bottle green leaves basked in the filtered light. Palm fronds of a multitude of shapes and sizes waved in the gentle breeze. The large circular palm fronds, sprouting directly from the ground, pulled me from the boat-shaped leaves.

The palm, Licuala orbicularis or parasol palm, truly looked like a round umbrella. Its name orbicularis means circular, perfectly describing this stunning palm. I wondered if during heavy tropical rainstorms this leaf would be sufficient to prevent a soaking. (Later I found out that it was used as an umbrella.)

This spectacular stemless palm, a member of the palm, Arecaceae, family, with large fan-shaped leaves is endemic to Sarawak and grows only in a few locations including Kubah National Park.

Biru bulat, biru ruai or berupat, as it is known locally, is adapted to rainy weather and is an understory species in Mixed Dipterocarp Forests requiring indirect light. It is found at altitudes from 30 to 330 metres in well-drained slightly acidic soils.

The leaves are used for wrapping, making umbrellas and as atap roofing. Pearce in her 1992 report ‘The Palms of Kubah National Park’ indicated that this palm is endangered due to habitat destruction as the forest is logged or the land use changed. Another threat is the collection of seeds for plant nurseries.

An online search for Licuala orbicularis leads to websites from around the world offering seeds for sale and / or giving advice on growing this exotically beautiful plant. It is a visually pleasing, unusual palm that would be a stunning addition to any garden. However, as mentioned, this industry is a threat to wild populations. If seeds are collected from these populations, the palms have reduced chances of successfully reproducing.

The writers of the websites also mention the difficulty encountered in growing these palms in controlled environments — so imagine the slim chance of a seed landing in a spot in the jungle which meets water and soil requirements, is not eaten by a hungry animal, germinates, as well as has exactly the right amount of light required. What are the odds of a seed landing in the right place at the right time? Very slim. This explains why the collection of seeds from wild populations endangers the survival of the plant in the wild.

Malaysia hosts 33 genera and 398 species — 86 species from this family are found the in 2,230ha Kubah National Park. A total of 18 palm species endemic to Sarawak are found in or near the park. Kubah National Park, 22km west of Kuching, was established in 1989 and opened to the public in 1995.

Kubah National Park and its surroundings have long been recognised as a species diverse area with a high number of endemics. Odoardo Beccari, during his travels in the 19th century, spent 1865 collecting palms and other plants in the area. When he returned to Italy, he described several new species. The diverse ecological niches, geological history and range of altitudes are believed to have enabled species to evolve.

The ecologically diverse and important Kubah National Park should be visited several times over time. The Main or Palmetum Trail introduces visitors to the wonders and the variety of the palm species that inhabit the forests of Kubah and Sarawak. We can touch and reconnect with the natural world and its wonders.

For more information on Sarawak’s national parks read ‘The National Parks of Sarawak’ by Hans Hazebroek and Abang Kashim Abang Morshidi, which was published by Natural History Publications in 2000 or the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) website at www.sarawakforestry.com. Dr K Pearce’s 1992 report ‘The Palms of Kubah National Park, Matang, Kuching Division’ can also be found online.

Kubah National Park is known for its palms and frogs. The Bornean Frog Race 2014 is being jointly organised with Universiti Sarawak Malaysia and SFC at the national park on April 26. It provides a perfect opportunity to visit the park and become acquainted with its frogs and palms.

To learn more about the Bornean Frog Race or to register visit theinternationalborneanfrograce.weebly.com.

Palm fronds are used for wrapping, making umbrellas and as atap roofing.

The Malaysian Nature Society
Established in 1940, the Malaysian Nature Society is the oldest scientific and non-governmental organisation in Malaysia. Our mission is to promote the study, appreciation conservation and protection of Malaysia’s nature heritage. Our 5,000-strong membership, spread across 12 branches nationwide, come from all walks of life, bound by a comment interest in nature. For further information on membership or our activities in Kuching contact us at mnskuchinggmail.com. For information on our activities in Miri contact Musa Musbah (sammua@yahoo.com). You can also visit www.mns.org.my, http://mnskuching@blogspot.com or www.facebook.com/mnskb.

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Maximizing benefits of urban forest

Greening towns and cities with trees

by Rintos Mail, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on April 6, 2014, Sunday

Some of the imported tree species planted in the city area.

THE environment in Sarawak is still quite clean and healthy.

Basically, the state has laid a strong foundation for the overall task of preserving the forests as a healthy green place for future generations.

It has been able to perform better than any other producing countries in using forest resources as sources of revenue.

The private sector too has become more convinced that sustainable management has become a way of life in the timber industry — not just a form of management.

It is believed at least six big companies have adopted forests not as something to be exploited in the short-run but as a source of renewable resources which must be developed with long-term policies.

In the urban, the local councils have been tasked to not only organise tree-planting campaigns but also monitor and manage mature trees within their respective areas to promote public health.

For example, the Padawan Muncipal Council (MPP) will undertake to plant 46,050 trees between 2010 and end of this year.

But even before that, MPP had taken steps to ensure sufficient trees were planted in the open space under its jurisdiction.

MPP landscape division head Willie Ngelai said the council’s existing trees and new planting initiatives worked in tandem to make a better world.

He added that it was the state’s policy to make it compulsory for every housing estate to allocate at least 20 per cent of its area to planting trees.

He noted that under the national policy, any housing estate with 1,000 people must have at least two hectares of open space where trees can be planted within the area.

“Trees can be planted around the open space of the housing estate, including along jogging tracks and the roadside.

“Normally, the developers are required to plant trees in the open space provided for a housing estate. These trees are maintained by the developer for about a year before being handed over to the council,” he said.

Willie noted that so far, MPP was maintaining about 7,236 matured trees all over its area.

He said the types of trees planted were in accordance with MPP’s landscape masterplan, focusing on housing estates and roadsides.

He added that generally, large trees were planted along major roads where wide planting verges were provided, and in car parks, while smaller trees were planted along narrower roads such as in housing estates and along the driveways.

“We plant different types of trees in every land district to enable us to manage and maintain them properly.

“There are nine land districts in MPP and you can see different types of trees growing in every one of them at housing and commercial areas as well as open space.”

Willie said MPP did not simply cut down trees as this needed the State Secretary’s approval.

He pointed out that if MPP cut down one tree, it had to replace that tree with another tree.

“Normally, we plant more than we cut. There was even a time when we pulled a few trees from the site of a proposed development project and relocated them to a new nearby site at Mile 7.

“The council fully acknowledges the importance of trees to the environment and the people.”

He added that MPP believed policies and investments, aimed at protecting and managing trees in and around the urban, were needed to strengthen urban livelihood and improve urban environment as the state became increasingly urbanised.

He said as more people under MMP’s jurisdiction now lived in urban areas, the council had to pay more attention to managing and protecting urban and semi-urban forests and trees.

In view of climate change, it’s worrisome to see some local councils tending to destroy the last vestiges of farming and tree canopies.

Cities or towns, having lost their own green covers, are no longer models of future cities or towns as they need to catch up in the greening project.

And like other parts of the world, towns and cities in Sarawak will continue to experience rapid growth in population and thus, these places must have a concrete plan to plant more trees for environmental preservation.

Trees are planted between the main roads within MPP area.

Maximizing benefits of urban forest

IT’S hard to imagine life without trees – whether we live in the city or countryside.

Trees provide shade on a hot day while the wood can be made into buildings, houses and objects —from chairs to broom sticks.

Trees are also homes for small animals like birds and squirrels. And many trees provide food for both people and animals as well.

Tree roots help lessen the chance of flooding in certain areas and can help clean the soil and the air by absorbing pollutants.

However, the most important reason why we need trees is that they help in the breathing process.

Human beings breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. Trees do the opposite. They take in carbon dioxide and expel oxygen, the gas humans need to live.

According to data from the Northwest Territories Forest management website, 22 trees are required to produce the amount of oxygen consumed by one person. And an acre of trees produces enough oxygen for 18 people.

The data also indicate a 100-feet tall tree with an 18-inch diameter at its base can produce 6,000 pounds of oxygen. However, the amount of oxygen, produced by a tree, also depends on its species, age, health and surroundings.

So, trees are making something we need to survive.

Just take some time to have a walk in the park, bite a juicy citrus, climb a wooden staircase and take a breath. Remember, you cannot do any of these things without trees.

The trees around us are extremely important and have always been necessary for improving the human condition — both during its life and after harvest.

Without trees, probably, humans may not exist on this planet.

Research has found the removal of tree canopy as part of urban infill may worsen health problems associated with climate change.

People living in an urban environment are especially susceptible to heat-related stresses as in Urban Heat Islands (UHIs), caused by reduction in vegetation, and increases in man-made surfaces can be created in built-up areas.

According to the research, the loss of tree canopy is a significant contributor to the creation of UHIs whose effects can be reduced by green spaces and vegetation.

Trees have been shown to provide multiple benefits to people and the environment, and international and national support for the retention and planning of urban trees is getting stronger nowadays.

The most important fact about trees is that they produce oxygen for all of us.

The Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) in 2011 reported the world’s forests were much more important than previously thought in absorbing CO2.

It pointed out that the University of Leeds research found forests absorb nearly 40 per cent of the 38 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide created by mankind every year.

The first study to look at all the world’s forests together found that established forests, from boreal forests in the north to tropical rainforests in the south, absorb 8.8 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.

Scientists have worked out how much carbon is being absorbed by measuring the density of wood, height and width of different tree species over time.

According to a Reuters report in November last year, global carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels was expected to rise to a record 39.683 billion tons by end of 2013.

The emission was generated by deforestation, vehicles, factories and other sources of fossil fuels.

The report by the Global Carbon Project, which compiles data from research institutes worldwide each year, was published in the journal Earth Systems Data Discussions, according to Reuter.

Its 2013 estimate represented a 2.1 per cent gain versus 2012 and a 61 per cent increase since 1990, the baseline year for the UN’s Kyoto Protocol, the only global agreement that places binding limits on national CO2 emission levels.

Emissions are increasing because strong growth in coal consumption has outweighed any reductions from the rapid growth in renewable energy in recent years, according to Glen Peters, an author of the report based at CICERO, a climate research institute in Norway.

Some of the trees within Samarahan District Council jurisdiction have their canopies removed.

Beautiful sounds from jungle pools

by Mary Margaret. Posted on April 6, 2014, Sunday

Frogs may be found in forest streams such as this.

Listen for nature’s music in the forest.

A SYMPHONY of lows and highs intertwined creating beautifully enchanting music. Dramatic unexpected notes and low drum-like rolls tugged at the heartstrings.

Last January out of 12 finalists, ‘Dusk by a Frog Pond’ recorded at Kubah National Park by sound recordist and photographer Marc Anderson – who’s based in Sydney, Australia – was voted the most beautiful sound in the world in a contest organised by Beautiful Now (www.beautifulnow.is).

Julian Treasure, the chairman of the organiser Sound Agency, in an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Cooperation (www.cbc.ca), discussed the challenges of selecting the 12 finalists from the hundreds of entries and why he believed ‘Dusk by the Frog Pond’ touched the hearts of the listeners.

Treasure, who is from the United Kingdom, said he had never heard frogs call like the ones in the frog pond at Kubah National Park.

Perceptions of beauty, including sounds, are personal; what I like will be different from you. The startling and dramatic piece connected us city dwellers with nature. It showed life – frogs, insects and frogs – at its most abundant and varied.

I have heard the jungle, I have heard frog calls – but this recording halted me in my steps, forcing me to savour nature’s music. I wonder how many have heard and stopped to listen to the music.

Frogs and toads, members of the Anura order, as well as other amphibians including temperate salamanders – which superficially resemble lizards, and legless tropical ceaecillians – which could be mistaken for earthworms or snakes, are facing a mass extinction on the same scale as the one that wiped out dinosaurs.

Several factors have been identified as contributing to their demise including pollution, pesticides, habitat loss, climate change, hunting, predators, pet trade but the most deadly is a disease – chytrid fungal pathogen (Batrachochytrium dendrobactidis). It is fatal because the fungus coats the delicate amphibian skin blocking the pores, which are used for water and moisture transfer, thus killing the frog from dehydration and heart failure.

Frogs and toads are a diverse group filling a vast array of ecological niches ranging from streams, to pools in the forests and even in liquid-filled pitcher plant cups. Amphibians have a water phase and a land phase. The sago pudding like egg masses are generally laid in water including ponds and streams. The herbivorous tadpoles, which hatch from the eggs, go through metamorphosis. Gills develop into lungs; limbs develop, as does the nervous system. It is a dramatic transformation.

The enchanting and life-giving frog calls are exactly that – life-giving as generally they are mating calls for male frogs, attracting the females. The calls show location and mark territory. Each species has a recognisable energy draining call that is used in courtship and mating rituals. There can be slight variations in the call depending on the area in which the species is found. The calls are more often heard than the frogs are seen and are used to identify species.

Air is forced from the lungs, through the vocal cords, in the vocal sac. Male frogs have a vocal sac just under their chins that can blow up like a balloon creating a resonating chamber like, for example the body of a guitar, in which the sound is created.

Kubah National Park, 22km west of Kuching, was established in 1989 and opened to the public in 1995. Trails criss-cross this 2,230ha park enabling trekkers to walk to the summit of Gunung Serapi, bathe in waterfall-fed pools and embrace the beauty of the Mixed Dipterocarp Forest. The frog pond is located off the paved road that leads to Gunung Serapi.

April 26 is International Save the Frog Day because as mentioned, worldwide populations of frogs are plummeting. On this day, from 12 noon to 12 midnight, the Bornean Frog Race 2014 will be jointly held by Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) and Sarawak Forestry Corporation at Kubah National Park. No, the frogs are not racing, but participants are racing to photograph the frogs.

This event aims to create awareness about the diversity of frog populations in Sarawak, their importance and to increase our appreciation of frogs and nature in general. Participants will have the opportunity to join workshops and talks while being serenaded by the most beautiful sound in the world – the call of frogs.

To learn more about Bornean Frog Race or to register go to theinternationalborneanfrograce.weebly.com.

For more information about Kubah National Park and some of the frogs that inhabit the park read ‘National Parks of Sarawak’ by Han Hazebroek and Abang Kashim Abang Morshidi.

Clouded Leopards seen at Mount Santubong

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Clouded Leopards seen at Mount Santubong

Posted on April 6, 2014, Sunday

A close-up photo of the Bornean Clouded Leopard. There has been recent reported sighting of clouded leopard on Gunung Santubong.

KUCHING: Malaysian Nature Society has called for an immediate evaluation study of Mount Santubong as a home for Sarawak’s largest cat, the Bornean Clouded Leopard.

In February, there was a reported sighting of three Clouded Leopards on Mount Santubong.

The Bornean Clouded Leopard or ‘Neofelis diardi’ is an endemic medium-sized cat found only in Borneo, known locally as Entulu.

It is the smallest of the “large cats”, which is the general term used for the large members of the Felidae, like the tiger, lion and leopard. At over 2 metres in length, and weighing up to 25kg, this highly endangered cat in Sarawak is severely threatened by hunting and loss of its forest habitat.

In a press release issued yesterday, the Malaysia Nature Society Kuching Branch (MNSKB) chairman Anthony Sebastian said the sightings of three clouded leopards on Santubong, Sarawak’s newest gazetted National Park, is of great significance.

“MNSKB has been highlighting the biodiversity and historical importance of Gunung Santubong for many years. With more and more attention paid to Kuching’s iconic mountain, new discoveries are being made,” he said.

“Previously thought to have no hornbills, Santubong is now known to have four species of hornbills. Previously thought to have one otter species, we now know there are possibly three species of otters on Santubong,” he added.

This discovery of Clouded Leopards on Santubong, Sebastian pointed out, was yet another addition to Santubong’s increasingly rich wildlife, and not just another wild cat.

“This is Borneo’s top predator, and largest cat,” he emphasised.

The sightings of these Clouded Leopards were made by surveyors up on the mountain, doing preliminary work for the cable car project, revealed Sebastian.

Unlike hornbills, which are flying birds, and will only be affected by the disturbance caused by infrastructure development on the higher parts of the mountain, he said Clouded Leopards will be adversely affected by such projects.

Before any further plans to be made on Santubong, Sebastian stressed that it would be only prudent that a comprehensive study was commissioned to determine the requirements for Clouded Leopards on this isolated mountain, and what measures need to be put in place to ensure their continued, and permanent survival.

“Sarawak cannot afford to lose a population of a highly endangered large endemic cat living so close to Kuching. As arguably the most beautiful of the world’s wild cats, because of its exquisite bold markings, the opportunities are enormous for Sarawak’s, and Kuching’s tourism industry.”

He hopes that surveyors who sighted the big cats may withhold information on the animals’ exact location for their safety and survival.

The MNS, in its continuing efforts to highlight Santubong cultural, archaeological and biological richness, organised the first ever Santubong Nature Festival in 2013.

This year, the second edition of the Festival will be held in November.

Contact MNS atmnskuching@gmail.com for more information.

Kucing hutan besar di Gunung Santubong perlu dikaji: Anthony

Posted on April 6, 2014, Sunday

SPESIES TERANCAM: Kucing hutan Entulu atau Bornean Clouded Leopard yang dijumpai di Gunung Santubong.

KUCHING: Persatuan Pencinta Alam Malaysia (MNS) meminta agar penyelidikan dilakukan di Gunung Santubong yang merupakan habitat kucing hutan di Sarawak susulan penemuan tiga kucing hutan besar oleh penduduk tempatan di gunung itu pada Februari lepas.

Dikenali sebagai Entulu di kalangan penduduk tempatan atau Bornean Clouded Leopard dalam bahasa Inggerisnya, spesies itu mempunyai tubuh sepanjang dua meter dan berat hingga 25 kilogram.

Spesies berkenaan sangat terancam di Sarawak ekoran aktiviti berburu dan kehilangan habitat di hutan.

Pengerusi MNS Cawangan Kuching Anthony Sebastian dalam kenyataan akhbarnya berkata penemuan tiga kucing hutan di Santubong, kawasan baharu diwartakan sebagai Taman Negara, amat bermakna.

“MNS sekian lama telah menekankan kepentingan dan kepelbagaian biologi di Gunung Santubong.

“Dengan tumpuan yang lebih banyak diberikan kepada gunung ikon Kuching itu, penemuan baharu telah dilakukan.

“Sebelum ini kita fikir tidak ada enggang, Santubong kini dikenali dengan empat spesies enggang.

“Dahulu cuma ada satu spesies memerang, tetapi kini mungkin ada tiga spesies memerang di Santubong,” katanya.

Penemuan Entulu di Santubong merupakan satu tambahan kekayaan hidupan liar di situ.

Ia bukan sekadar kucing hutan malahan kucing pemangsa utama di Borneo dan kucing terbesar, kata Sebastian.

Ia dijumpai oleh juruukur yang bertugas melakukan kerja- kerja awal bagi projek pembinaan kereta kabel.

Kucing tersebut mungkin terjejas akibat projek berkenaan.

Justeru, Sebastian berkata sebelum dilaksanakan pembangunan di Santubong adalah mustahak untuk melakukan kajian menyeluruh agar tidak menjejaskan kewujudan spesies unik itu.