Tag Archives: singapore

Biodiversity of Singapore Symposium IV (BOSS IV)

Posted on by

bossposter1 (1)

 

(Image from NUS Toddycats.) 

The Biodiversity of Singapore Symposium is held once every four years. This coming Saturday on the 1st of August, the event organized by the NUS Toddycats will be asking and answering some of the questions that we may have about Singapore’s ever-changing landscape and how it will affect the interactions between human, environment, and the animals that live within it. Centralized on the theme “What’s Next?”, the symposium also provides a glimpse into ongoing and future conservation efforts, in hopes of encouraging youth to play a part in protecting Singapore’s existing ecosystems.

Xu Weiting, who conducted research on the human-civet conflict in Singapore back in 2009, will also be presenting a discussion on the closure of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. Titled “Communicating the closure of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve – mechanisms, reactions & implications”, the presentation is part of the symposium’s sharing on eco-literacy and neglected approaches.

We are definitely looking forward to hearing from all the speakers. It’s a great opportunity to learn about these exciting developments all in one day! For the full programme list, visit https://biodiversitysg4.wordpress.com/.

Click here to register for BOSS IV now!

Civet roadkill recovery – small actions can save the lives of wildlife

Posted on by

Two days before Christmas 2014, I came into office expecting an uneventful day. Not long after I reached campus, I received a notification from Nurliyana Omar, an Otterman Holt graduate who previously conducted a research on the fishtail palm (Caryota mitis). Liyana reported a common palm civet roadkill carcass along Clementi Road, at the NUS Arts Faculty entrance on the first left lane.

This was the third civet roadkill reported to us in the month of December.

Once a roadkill is reported, it is always a race against time and traffic to recover an intact carcass. We could not retrieve the first civet roadkill at Goodwood Hill, reported to us by Dr Darren Yeo, as by the time Tze Kwan arrived at the scene, the civet had already been crushed by multiple vehicles. Instead, tissue and hair samples were collected and deposited in the cryo collection in the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum.

Therefore when I received the notification from Liyana, I quickly gathered the necessary equipment for carcass recovery and headed over to the Arts Faculty via the ridge. Even before I had a visual of the body, I could smell a whiff of pandan-like musk at the traffic junction. I looked across and saw a long slender black tail at the edge of the road metal railing. My heart sank. It was a common palm civet.

The civet carcass was moved from the road to the side using wet tissues.

Someone moved the common palm civet carcass from the road to the side using wet tissues.

I took photos of the carcass and realized that the civet had sustained many injuries due to the impact from the vehicle. The body was distorted and there was blood on its face and hind leg. After taking the photos, I put on gloves and gingerly placed the civet into a bag to carry back to Science Faculty. As I carried it back to the ridge, I could not help but feel the weight of this usually elusive nocturnal animal. It was alive and well just a couple of hours ago.

Many times I would think of how we can help these last wild urban carnivores and many other wildlife that live in coexistence with human in Singapore’s urban landscape. It could be a small action such as driving a little slower, slowing down our pace of life to appreciate nature or even sharing these wonders with our friends and family. This can make all the difference between life and death for an animal. Every person can be the catalyst for change. As 2014 draws to a close, I hope that each of us can do our part and make a difference for wildlife in Singapore.