By Gladys Toh & Xu Weiting
In celebration of the World Civet Day (which falls on April 4th annually), we had the pleasure of inviting two experts who specialise in two incredible animal species. They are the renowned ‘Otterman’, N. Sivasothi, and ‘Civetgirl’, Xu Weiting! Their playful nicknames might have already given it away – yes, they were here to share about civets, and soon, about otters in an upcoming event. Both Siva and Weiting are biodiversity and ecology educators with the NUS Department of Biological Sciences. They are also passionate coordinators of NUS Toddycats. Joining them were a group of student facilitators from Temasek Junior College, who participated in the Biodiversity Friends Forum’s Biodiversity Challenge.
The team behind the event: (from left) “Civetgirl” Xu Weiting, “Otterman” N. Sivasothi, student facilitators from Temasek Junior College and the team from NUS Libraries
We were thrilled to welcome a great crowd—especially with strong support from staff. This was exactly what we hoped for when planning the event during lunch hours: a programme that’s accessible to all. As Siva rightly pointed out, these events should not be limited to students. Staff matters too and these short programmes serve as good midday breaks for everyone.
The programme started with some fun facts on civets (focusing on the Asian Palm Civet, also known as the Common Palm Civet) – how does one distinguish them and where are the sighting spots in Singapore. To the surprise of many (including us!), Kent Ridge campus is one of the places where one can spot the Common Palm Civets. However, these shy creatures are often hidden from people as they go about their lives in the night.
For the second half of the programme, participants teamed up to play a card game, putting their newly acquired civet knowledge to test. We have to be honest – the librarians had a go before the event and we struggled (okay, quite a bit). Questions like “What roles do civets play in their natural environment?” and “What are their social habits?” really made us think. Safe to say, we unlocked some new knowledge.
Specimens on display included a juvenile civet and some carnivoran skulls for the purpose of comparison, courtesy of the Department of Biological Sciences Teaching Lab Collection.
Participants checked out recommended readings about civets, curated from NUS Libraries collection.
Putting the participants’ civet knowledge to the test. Did they pick the right card?
Siva explaining the various biology terms like “ecosystem engineer” and “forest obligate”. More terms added to our dictionaries.
Sharing a good laugh over some wildly wrong answers!
The programme ended on a more serious note: now that we know more about these cute creatures – how can we help them? While many may be unfamiliar with civets, their link to the world’s priciest coffee, kopi luwak, is far more widely recognised. Kopi luwak is a specialty coffee derived from coffee beans digested, fermented and excreted by the Common Palm Civets. Due to its high market value, civets are often captured, caged and fed diets of only coffee cherries to produce these coffee beans. One simple way to help the civets is to stop the purchase of kopi luwak. As Siva and Weiting shared, animals need two essential things for survival: food and shelter. Another way to support civets is by planting more trees – which provide both food and shelter for them. You might be wondering: How can I plant trees in Singapore without any authorisation? Siva and Weiting have got you covered. Join them in the One Million Trees initiative right here on our Kent Ridge campus! More information below.
Join the Toddycats in the One Million Trees initiative at Kent Ridge Campus!
In case you missed this event, here is a list of recommended readings shared by Weiting. These are her must-reads for any budding mammal researchers:
- The Wild Mammals of Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia) and Singapore by Lord Medway (1983)
- An Introduction to Mammals of Singapore and Malaya by J. L. Harrison (1966)
- Wild Animals of Singapore: a Photographic Guide to Mammals, Reptiles, Amphibians and Freshwater Fishes by Baker, Nick; Lim, Kelvin K. P (2012)
- A Naturalist’s Guide to the Mammals of South-East Asia: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam by Shepherd, Chris R; Shepherd, Loretta Ann (2018)
- A Photography Guide to Mammals of Southeast Asia: including Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Java, Sumatra, Bali and Borneo by Francis, Charles M (2013)
- A Guide to the Mammals of Southeast Asia by Francis, Charles M; Barrett, Priscilla (2008)
- Walker’s Carnivores of the World by Nowak, Ronald M (2005)
- Singapore Biodiversity: An Encyclopaedia of the Natural Environment and Sustainable Development by Ng, Peter K. L; Corlett, Richard; Tan T. W., Hugh (2011)
- The Singapore Red Data Book: Red Lists of Singapore Biodiversity by Davison, G. W. H; Gan, James Wan Meng; Huang, D et al (2024, 3rd ed)
For more biodiversity-related resources, check out NUS Libraries’ Biodiversity Libraries of Southeast Asia.
Keep an eye out for the next session, where the Toddycats will be sharing about… otters!
