STOMPer's plea to park users: Please throw your litter into rubbish bins

Rhythm with Nature @ Gardens by the Bay

The Gardens by the Bay are finally open, and apparently saw more than 70,000 visitors over the first 2 days of its opening. I was part of that crowd on Saturday evening, as I had managed to win a pair of free tickets to catch local singer-songwriter Corrinne May, who was performing as part of Rhythm With Nature. Thanks Timberland Singapore for the tickets (and the shoes), which I had won as part of their Earthkeepers 101 blogging contest.

Macaques, Conflict and Keyboard Warriors

(Photo by John 3000)

About a week ago, someone named Paul Chan wrote in to the Straits Times Forum, in response to reports of several long-tailed macaques attacking visitors to the Forest Walk along the Southern Ridges.


Long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis);
(Photo by gamebit)
(The photos in this post feature several macaques that have been encountered by visitors to various parts of the Southern Ridges over the past few years)

Cull monkeys if over-population is the problem (Mirror)

I WAS shocked to read that a search was on for a monkey believed to have attacked three people over the past three weeks ("Attacks spark hunt for monkey"; last Friday).

I was also disappointed with the response of National Parks Board (NParks) officials that the monkey-feeding problem might have reached a tipping point and that sometimes, animals just go crazy. Did NParks do an extensive survey or study to arrive at such conclusions?

Despite many reports of rogue monkeys attacking people and foraging for food at bus stops and households, NParks prefers to pin the blame on human feeding or provocation.

The attack on Hort Park visitor Tang Mae Lynn was apparently due to the monkey pack invading her personal space at the Forest Walk; she carried no food or drink. The problem could be due to monkey over-population or lack of monitoring by NParks officials.

I disagree with NParks about not going after the monkeys because the creatures belong there as much as humans. Does that mean we should silently accept monkey attacks as normal?

It is the job of NParks to ensure monkeys behave where they co-exist with us. NParks has a duty to patrol and monitor the growth of the animal population within the forest boundaries. The animals should be culled if they encroach on human living space and disturb our peace. They should also be punished if they misbehave.

NParks could install closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras along the Forest Walk and areas prone to monkey attacks to check on the culprits while initiating programmes to control such disturbances so that both animals and people can share the limited space on our island in peace.

Paul Chan

Wild boar spotted at Punggol Riverside gets 'friendly' with passers-by

Monday Morgue: 29th November 2010

Giant African snail (Achatina fulica)
Sengkang Riverside Park, 27th November 2010

The Giant African Snail: A Problem in Economic Malacology
PetSnails.co.uk
ARKive
Global Invasive Species Database
National Invasive Species Information Centre
Caribbean Pest Information Network
The Spread of the Snail Achatina fulica to South China
Invasive Snails and an Emerging Infectious Disease: Results from the First National Survey on Angiostrongylus cantonensis in China

Weeds removed, Seng Kang garden spruced up, says TC

Ang Mo Kio-Yio Chu Kang Town Council have spruced up and removed the weeds from a garden in Seng Kang after STOMPer abchua's previous feedback about its untidy state.

A Town Council spokesperson said in an email:

"We refer to STOMPer abchua's feedback on the untidy state of a garden at Fernvale Road that was posted on 26 April 2010.

"The Town Council is pleased to inform STOMPer abchua that the garden has been spruced up and the overgrowing weeds removed.

"We thank the STOMPer for his feedback."

Related post: Neglected garden in Sengkang overgrowing with weeds (26th April 2010)

Neglected garden in Sengkang overgrowing with weeds

STOMPer abchua spotted the untidy state of this garden, below the HDB flats in Sengkang, and hopes that it will be taken care of soon.

In an email, the STOMPer said:

"I happen to pass by this garden near Blocks 408 and 409 along Fernvale Road in Sengkang.

"I noticed that the garden was overgrowing with weeds.

"It seemed like no one had taken care of it at all for the past few months.

"I hope that the town council will look into this soon."

Sick and dying trees at Jurong Park Connector must be saved

Many of the trees that line the pathway at Jurong Park Connector have been stricken with disease and are in danger of dying out, says STOMPer Rambler, who is worried about the state of the park.

These trees are important to park users as they provide shade for those walking or jogging along, he says.

In an email, Rambler says:

"Last week I went for a ramble at the Jurong Park Connector, which begins at the Jurong Town Hall Rd and ending at Yuan Ching Rd.

"To my surprise, I noticed that the trees look unhealthy and stunted.

"I went nearer to take a closer look and found that the leaves had yellow and black "bubbles" on the surface.

"The leaves must have been infected by some disease which I hope the arborists in NParks could enlighten me about.

"NParks officials could do something to save these trees as they provide shade for joggers and ramblers who love the fresh air at Jurong Lake."

Related post: Please save the dying trees at Jurong Park Connector (9th March 2009)

These appear to be galls formed by some sort of insect. Whether or not these are serious enough to pose any threat to the survival of the trees, I cannot say.

This park connector does not connect to anywhere

STOMPer Jogger wonders why the Jurong Park Connector does not connect to anywhere and ends at different locations.

Said the STOMPer:

"The Jurong PCN is a haven for joggers and cyclists.

"Recently, PUB, JTC and NParks have embarked on developing the surrounding areas and the vicinity of Jurong Lake.

"Part of the Jurong Park connector abruptly ends at Boon Lay Way without connecting Jurong Town Hall Rd and Yuan Ching Rd.

"The PCN can be continuous if a bridge was built to link point A to point B (in diagram), that is the area where the canal empties into Jurong Lake

"Why a disjointed park connector?"

As far as I know, based on the map for Jurong Park Connector, the 2 sides are indeed connected, so this person is just talking nonsense.

Monkeys getting more daring at Forest Walk: One snatches food from passerby

29-year-old engineer Chris was shocked by how bold these monkeys at Forest Walk were, when they snatched a packet of yellow curry gravy from a passerby.

The STOMPer told STOMP about the incident which occurred last week (Jan 23) at about 1pm.

"The monkeys just snatched the yellow curry gravy from a person just enjoying a walk through the forest walk part of the southern ridges, furthermore making a mess of the place as it spills the gravy all over the bridge.

"Trekkers were scared and intimidated by the behaviour.

"Please don't feed the monkeys as it will promote aggressive behaviour to humans."

Yet another example illustrating why feeding the monkeys is a bad idea.

The long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) which are commonly encountered in our forests and nature areas may look cute and endearing, but they certainly can become a nuisance. Once they have learned to associate people with food, they soon find out that it is easy to intimidate, harass and bully people in an attempt to get them to surrender any edible items. Bags are stolen and ransacked, and one should never underestimate the possible damage a macaque may deal with its canines, not to mention the risk of disease transmission due to such close contact.

One does wonder; what on Earth was a person doing, carrying a bag of curry into the forest? The idea of an idyllic picnic in the woods is but a myth, and possible only in places where much of the larger fauna has been trapped, shot, and poisoned out of existence, or wisely chooses to hide away so as not to offend trespassing humans.

Be careful of gaps on the ground when you're at Henderson Waves

STOMPer Entomologist is concerned about the wide gaps found on the ground at Henderson Waves.

In an email to STOMP today (Jan 29), the STOMPer says:

"The other day I hiked from Alexandra Road to Mt Faber and the journey took me across the Alexandra Arch and the Henderson Waves. Near Preston Road I came across this beautiful rain shelter and decided to take a rest. However there were no benches provided and I had to sit on the floor.

"When I reached Henderson Waves, I saw several tall trees growing out of the ground and the trunks were surrounded by some wrought iron wire mesh. There were wide gaps between the trunk and the wire mesh.

"Children are curious by nature and I shudder to think what would have happened if a child were to step into the gap.

"This gap is an allurement for children and I hope it can be sealed up to prevent an accident from happening."

First of all, any parent irresponsible enough to allow his or her child to wander close to these holes unsupervised probably has no business allowing his or her genes to survive.

Secondly, I presume that the gaps are there so as to provide allowance for the tree to expand its girth as it continues to grow. While I'm not sure if it's an adequate long-term solution (will the tree ever grow to a point where its girth may exceed the space given?), I trust that the people who planned such features have taken a reasonable approach towards reaching a compromise; allowing the trees to develop and mature without having their growth excessively hampered, while refraining from posing any excessive threat to the safety of visitors.

Take a nice stroll down Jurong Lake Park

STOMPer Johnny Walker would like to share these beautiful pictures he took at Jurong Lake Park with fellow STOMPers.

In an email to STOMP today (Jan 12), the STOMPer says:

"These pictures were taken at the Lake View Promenade adjoining Jurong Lake. This picture was taken just before sunrise at 6.30 am and you can see the silhouettes of tall buildings and trees.

"The Jurong Lake teems with fish and when the water is still, you can see the reflection of trees in the water.

"The notice put up by JTC says, 'PLEASE KEEP AWAY FROM THIS UNUSED STRUCTURE.'

"The old jetty has been partially dismantled leaving the concrete pillars standing in the water. Instead of totally removing the old jetty, these pillars are now an eyesore. JTC should have removed the whole jetty.

"Some stray dogs are a menace to early morning joggers. As I was jogging in the park, these dogs snarled at me and kept baring their teeth. I had to use a stick to protect myself from these ferocious dogs.

"A motorboat was cruising across the lake in the morning."

So much rubbish for these small bins at Henderson Waves

These bins along the Henderson Waves bridge are too small to handle the volume of rubbish picnickers leave behind them on weekends, says STOMPer May.

Here's what she wrote in an email today:

"I took these pictures today (Nov 1) at 7:50am.

"I hope NParks will look into this matter. There are only four small bins along the entire length of the bridge, and the bins are of a relatively small capacity.

"Over the weekends there are many people picnicking on the bridge and their leftover food is not placed into the bins as they were already full."

Note the pair of long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) foraging among the trash in the first photo.

It certainly does pose a problem when there are insufficient rubbish disposal facilities in our parks and nature areas. If left uncleared, the garbage will attract scavenging animals, and might also end up polluting the environment. However, these photos also indicate a problem with the mindsets of many people who use our parks and nature areas. Instead of complaining about a lack of bins along this stretch, why don't people just hold on to their garbage until they find another one that isn't full?

Here in Singapore, we have become used to the idea of having a dustbin conveniently situated every few metres, even in the middle of our nature reserves. However, this is not the case elsewhere; in most other countries, when out hiking or camping, it is basic decency to take all trash with you when you leave. Perhaps it would be a good idea to introduce and reinforce the idea of a hiker's basic code of conduct here in Singapore; it does seem that basic hiking etiquette is sorely lacking in many people who use our parks and nature areas.

Monkey population in Bukit Panjang growing too fast

STOMPer icebleue says that the monkey population at Bukit Panjang has been growing because residents feed them, and worries that this could become a problem.

Says the STOMPer:

"I wish to highlight the monkey problem surfacing in Bukit Panjang.

"It all started with two or three monkeys appearing at Zhenghua Park along Petir Road, near Blk 203.

"Recently, due to irresponsible feeding from a resident at Blk 203, throwing oranges and food around 4-5pm daily, the monkey population has grown to about 20.

"Today, a fed up resident, also from the block, started throwing water bombs to frighten the monkeys away.

"I hope the irresponsible resident could stop his/her ugly act of throwing food for the monkeys.

"The monkeys need to survive on their own.

"Imagine 100 monkeys next year at the same park."

People just don't understand why feeding of wildlife is a bad idea, do they?

Long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) may seem cute and amusing, but feeding brings a whole lot of problems, creating unnecessary conflicts that usually leads to the monkeys being culled.

Here's a page giving more details as to why we should not feed the monkeys.

Stop treating Little Guilin as a dumping ground!

STOMPer Mountaineer is upset that visitors have been treating Little Guilin as a dumping ground and throwing heaps of rubbish into the lake there.

In an email to STOMP today (Oct 8), the STOMPer says:

"These pictures were taken at Little Guilin at Bt Batok East Ave 5. The lake which was previously a disused granite quarry is a haven of peace for man and birds. On Sundays, hordes of anglers come here to pass the day. However, of late, the lake has become a dumping ground for many visitors.

"You can see plastic bottles, cups, metal cans, papers and dead leaves floating in the clear water.

"This is a famous lake where newlyweds come here on weekends to shoot their wedding photographs.

"I hope the residents in the vicinity will keep the lake clean and green so that our Little Guilin will become as well known as Sentosa or Genting Highlands."

Even plants are not spared by vandals

Even plants are not spared by vandals, says STOMPer Cactusian who saw words etched onto the leaves of this desert cactus in Fort Canning Park.

This STOMPer says:

"These pictures were taken at the Fort Canning Park.

"This desert cactus has sharp thorns and succulent leaves.

"Some vandals have chosen to carve their names on the leaves and in doing so have left these permanent scars on the leaves.

"Many tourists visit this park in the heart of the city and on seeing such graffiti they simply shake their heads in disbelief.

"I hope these people will learn to respect public property and keep our parks clean and green."

What a hairy-looking caterpillar!

STOMPer Beachcomber shares some pictures he took at East Coast Park near the Bedok Jetty, including this one of a yellow and hairy caterpillar. 'The beauty of East Coast Park', he says.

Personally, I fail to see how these photos bring out the beauty of East Coast Park.

Several of my friends have visited the shores of East Coast Park in recent months, and they certainly had a lot of surprising encounters. Here's a list of blog posts done by these bold explorers.

From Ria:

• East Coast Lagoon is alive! (23rd June 2009)


• Living sands of East Coast Park (23rd June 2009)


• East Coast Park Rocks! (23rd June 2009)


• The Great Walls of the East Coast (19th August 2009)


• East Coast Park shores are alive! (20th August 2009)

From Kok Sheng:

• Searching for secret shores at East Coast (4th June 2009)


• Exploring secret shores of East Coast (24th June 2009)


• East Coast is packed with sea fans! (23rd July 2009)


• Lively East Coast Shore (25th July 2009)


• Living walls of East Coast (19th August 2009)


• New East Coast shore = New surprises (20th August 2009)

From James:

• East coast (22nd June 2009)


• East coast lagoon (28th July 2009)


• East coast lagoon - Where are the fish? (1st August 2009)


• East Coast - Worms in the walls. (18th August 2009)

And finally, from Marcus:

• East Coast life (20th August 2009)

Another person who has helped show that these shores are far from sterile and lifeless is Wong Hoong Wei, who has published quite a number of short papers in Nature in Singapore, documenting new records of molluscs found along this stretch of coastline.

• A new record of Cymbovula segaliana Cate, 1973 (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Ovulidae) in Singapore.


• A new record of Mitrella moleculina (Duclos, 1840) (Gastropoda: Columbellidae) in Singapore, with notes on colour forms.


• A new record of Coralliophila rubrococcinea Melvill & Standen, 1901 (Gastropoda: Muricoidea) in Singapore.


• A new record of Semele sinensis A. Adams, 1853 (Bivalvia: Tellinoidea) in Singapore.


• The Mactridae (Mollusca: Bivalvia) of East Coast Park, Singapore.

At the same time, however, these coastal environments are very heavily impacted by all sorts of human activities. These range from the actions of individuals, such as fishing and littering, to larger beach 'improvement' projects, development for leisure and recreation, and construction of coastal protection features.

This is a shore that I am certainly quite keen to explore further, especially considering that many of us, such as Liana, James, Kok Sheng, Chay Hoon and I live in the eastern half of Singapore. Hopefully the habitats will be able to withstand and recover from all the development that is going on all the time. The more we explore our shores, the more we realise how easy it is for marine life to colonise formerly barren, artificial shores and establish a thriving ecosystem.