Visit to the Singapore Zoo

Right, we went to the Zoo, again! This time, as proud members of the Zoo. Just received the membership card a few days ago. The Singapore Zoo will be the place where we frequently visit for the next few months, since it's only about 10 min drive away from our house, and Hao Re loves seeing the animals!

But today was not a good day for us also. As soon as we finished our breakfast at the Ah Meng Coffee Shop in front of the zoo, it started to rain drizzle. We were not bothered by the drizzle and continued our exploration. Hao Re was sitting in his stroller with a small hood to shed off the rain. Me and hubby walked under the drizzle, kind of romantic, huh!

But to be honest, though it's only drizzling, it did spolit our mood. So didn't see much, it was feeding time for the many different types of monkey, so we just watched that. It's actually nice to see so many different types of beautiful monkeys, as for the past 2 trips, when we were trying to search for the monkeys, they were all hiding, can see none of them. Only during the feeding time, they all showed up.

After that, went to have a drink at the restaurant, then decided to head home. As soon as we were about to leave the zoo, the rain stopped. Duh! Oh well, didn't bother to turn back, we can always come the other times. So it's bye-bye to all the animals, after spent about 1 hour there.

The theme park's "cage of death" that drops tourists into a crocodile's lair

Without the cage you wouldn' t stand a chance swimming with a massive saltwater crocodile.

Is Singapore A boring place?

(Here is the answer from my Ang Mo Friend) I think the answer to " whether singapore is a fun or boring place " depends on individual.

If you hail from a place where it is cold all year round for example, it maybe totally different experience.

if you like shopping , there are quite a number of choices
from the big malls like takashimaya, paragon, wisma atrium and isetan (all along the Orchard road shopping belt) to small individual stores in Far east shopping center, lucky plaza. Of cos there are Bugis Village (where u get similar things that u find in Far East plaza but at a slightly lower price) Marina square and city hall and citylink underground shopping . if you are going off the normal tourist belt , u can try Queensway shopping center(the prices of the sports shoes here are usually lower.

Then after all the shopping , you can drop by the Botanical garden for a nice dinner. jus off orchard . near tanglin road. There are 2 restaurant and a food court there. I will recommend Halia (malay for ginger) restaurant which is cheaper than Au Jardin but better than the food court if you want a cosy ambience.

If you have a few more days , you can go to the Singapore Zoo/Night safari or bird of cos i don't recommend that you go to both. I personally like the night safari, Firstly because its cooler at night , you can take the train instead of walking and you can see the animals in a different setting. Of cos some people complain that they cant see the animals because its too dark. You can also have your dinner on the train in the night safari. of cos there are other cheaper alternatives in the park.

If you yearn more for the night life where the other wild things are. you can head down to clarke quay or robertson quay. Attica, zouk, longbar, one fullerton etc depending on your taste.

now , if you like to see more of the local scene, you can go to little india in serangoon, geylang (redlight district) and chinatown. Little india gets crowded during week end with all the foreign labours on their off days, you get to "excite" all your senses. Smell, sight and noise. Geylang , not the official malay village which the tourist board want you to go, but go to the red light district. Lorong 1 to maybe 16. I am not promoting prostituition here, but i guess its a eye opener for some. Its quite safe to walk around there but of cos take precaution especially if you are a lady. in case some one mistake you for being one of the workers theres. Jus look and dont disturb the ladies unless you want their minders to come after you. its also a place for food . Jus look and try

Then there is chinatown, "nothing much" here but you can go for a body masage in pearl center or people's park center. But beware of the sleazy one. there are also shop selling "Chinese" products. Yue hwa will be good for traditional items

Beach wise if you like to rollerblade , you can try east coast park, if you like beach volley ball or jus sun tanning , its better to go sentosa. YOu can hang around some of the beach bars there. Cafe del mar etc. blades and balls can be loaned from the premises there.

lastly there is one more place. bukit timah nature resrve. u can jus trek thro the hill. ( nothing too difficult ) , But i recommend those keen for a thrill ride to go there on a weekend. I know of a operator there lending out mountain bike for you to ride thro the trail. Must loan the helmet for safety. Its not a difficult trail but you will need enough skill and confidence. Try not to go on a rainy day, the trail will be wet.

thats all for the day

Endangered Lemur Babies Born at Singapore Zoo

Singapore Zoo saw the births of the little-known and critically endangered red ruffed lemur.

"We're ecstatic with the arrival of this red ruffed lemur as it is our first such birth at the park," said Biswajit Guha, assistant director of zoology at the zoo.

"This means that there will now be one more addition to the breeding pool of this critically endangered species."

Although it is not known how many red ruffed lemurs now exist in the wild, its numbers are declining due to deforestation, hunting and the pet trade.

Red ruffed lemurs are one of the biggest primates native to the African island of Madagascar.

They have soft red and black fur and eat a diet comprised 75 per cent of fruit.

RARE orange-haired monkey

A rare orange-haired monkey has made her debut at a zoo – after being rejected by her mum.

Elka, a Francois Langur monkey, is being hand-raised by staff who showed her off at Taronga Zoo in Sydney.

Elka's birth five days ago was a surprise to zoo keepers who weren't sure mum, Saigon, was even pregnant.

Staff will now look for a new temporary home for the orange-haired leaf-eating monkey because she's all alone.

Elka's parents have black fur but it is thought the infant's orange colour helps parents to spot them in the wild.

Senior primate keeper Mandy Mclellan said: "Primates are quite an intelligent group of animals, a lot of their social development depends on learning.

"Often first time mums might not have have enough exposure to other females giving birth so they haven't learned social skills and haven't learned what they need to do with these little babies."

Keepers will raise Elka, feeding her baby formula every three hours, and prepare her for eventual reintroduction to her parents.

Her species is very rare in the wild and under great pressure from loss of habitat and poachers.

It is thought there could be as few as 1,000 left in Vietnam and China.

Taronga's life sciences general manager, Cameron Kerr, said: "Taronga's keepers were prepared and are managing the difficult process of hand-raising the langur...as the species faces real risk of extinction in the wild."

2 Komodo dragons kill man in eastern Indonesia

Two Komodo dragons mauled a fruit-picker to death in eastern Indonesia, police and witnesses said Tuesday, the latest in a string of attacks on humans by the world's largest lizard species.

Police Sgt. Kosmas Jalang said 31-year-old Muhamad Anwar was attacked on Komodo, one of four islands where the giant reptile is found in the wild, minutes after he fell out of a sugar-apple tree on Monday.

He was bleeding badly from bites to his hands, body, legs and neck after two lizards, waiting below, attacked him, according to a neighbor, Theresia Tawa. He died at a clinic on the neighboring island of Flores soon after.

Attacks on humans by Komodo dragons _ said to number at less than 4,000 in the wild _ are rare, but seem to have increased in recent years.

An 8-year-old boy was killed in 2007 _ the first recorded deadly attack on a human by one of the endangered lizards in three decades. A park ranger narrowly survived after one of the animals entered his hut last month and started biting his hands and legs.

There have been several other attacks in recent months, according to Metro TV.

The reptiles, which can grow up to 10 feet long (three meters) and weigh as much as 150 pounds (70 kilograms), have shark-like serrated teeth and a bite that can be deadly. Its saliva contains roughly 50 different known bacteria strains, so infection is a risk.

Komodos can be found in the wild on the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Padar and Rinca. Tiny numbers also can be found on Flores.

Papaua New Guinea forests reveal 56 new species

Scientists said Wednesday they have uncovered 56 new species in the teaming virgin tropical forests of Papua New Guinea including jumping spiders and a tiny chirping frog.

The 2008 two-month expedition by British, Canadian and PNG scientists to the Pacific islands found a wealth of treasures and documented some 600 species, said Conservation International (CI) which organized the trip.

Among them were 50 spider species, two plants, three frogs and an elegant striped gecko which are believed to completely new to science.

"The vast Kaijende Uplands and nearby valleys represent one of Papua New Guinea's largest undeveloped highlands wilderness areas, and all of it is under the tenure of local clan landowners. These forests are essential to their traditional lifestyles," said CI scientist Steve Richards, who led the expedition.

The three new frogs include a tiny brown one with a sharp chirping call, a bright green tree frog with enormous eyes and a torrent-dwelling frog that has a loud ringing call.

Much of PNG's forests remain unexplored, and have been kept in pristine condition thanks to the care of the local tribes who inhabit them.

"Their intimate knowledge of and stewardship over a large tract of this vast upland wilderness has led to conservation of their wildlife and environment," said Bruce Beehler from Conservation International.

The tribes rely on the wilderness for hunting as well as gathering forest products, and the region provides fresh drinking water to thousands of people living in the Enga Southern Highlands as well as Western and Saudaun provinces.

The group, based in Arlington, Virginia, also highlighted that the vast forested wilderness played a critical role in helping slow climate change as it sucks in large amounts of greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.

Since 1990, Conservation International, which is a private organization, has led more than 60 expeditions to different parts of the globe, discovering more than 700 new species.

The 'painful' guide to visiting S'pore

Thinking of taking a holiday in Singapore but fear there won't be enough suffering?

Well, worry no more. (Unless, of course, you happen to enjoy worrying, in which case you can worry all you want. Whatever floats your boat. I'm not here to judge.)

We will be the first to admit that Singapore has long neglected your specific demographic. In the past, the country had very little to offer people like you who demand a certain amount of pain and suffering on their vacations.

You will be glad to know that much has changed. In recent months, numerous existing attractions have been retrofitted to cater to your specific tastes. We did a detailed study and invested some effort into this project and I am sure you will like what you see.

Where we could not have the attraction to directly inflict pain on you, we inflicted pain on the attraction so that you can be reminded of pain.

We have spared no expense for the sake of your displeasure.

While we cannot list all of the different attractions here, we've picked just a few painful highlights.

Enjoy, or rather, don't enjoy your stay!

Shopping

Do you find that your shopping experience lacks pushing, shoving and people ramming into you with trolleys loaded with television sets?

Want a shopping trip where you can get good bargains and yet at the same time be exposed to risk of death by suffocation?

Then you absolutely cannot miss one of Singapore's IT fairs.

At every fair, nearly the entire male population crams into a few convention centre floors and proceeds to buy flatscreen TVs like they (the TVs, not the men) are curry puffs.

IT vendor: Hello uncle, would you like to buy a TV? There's a promotion.

Man: Sure, I'll take five. And don't call me uncle.

If you think crowds are painful, wait till you try a crowd where every other person is pushing a trolley with a giant TV in it.

You may never want to go back to normal shopping again.

Eating

Singapore has long been known for its great dining experiences. It is known for having good food at clean hawker centres at very reasonable prices.

Understandably, you masochistic tourists stayed away.

However, thanks to the innovative efforts of one seafood stall at Newton Hawker Centre, Singapore now has a dining experience it is proud to offer to visitors like you.

You will still get a taste of Singapore food but with the added satisfaction of feeling completely ripped off at the end.

Enjoy the thrill of being presented with a gigantic bill at the end of your meal. A single tiger prawn can cost as much as $30. A meal for six will cost more than that TV set you got rammed with at the IT fair.

For a little added bonus, try querying the bill. Then just sit back and soak in some fear as some burly men appear to persuade you to pay.

When you finally cave in and pay up, make sure you don't pay with exact change, then watch helplessly as the stall owner who presented you with the large bill thinks you want to give him a tip.

It's this sort of dining experience that prompted one masochist to say: 'Die, die must try'.

Water sports

After you've done all the shopping and eating, how about some outdoor activity to burn off those calories?

For you the masochist, we offer an exciting water rescue that combines physical pain of injury with the emotional pain of feeling unappreciated.

The day starts with a stroll along the Singapore River near the Merlion. If you are lucky, someone who cannot swim will fall into the water. You then dive into the water to perform a heroic rescue.

In the process, you are likely to suffer scrapes and bruises bad enough to warrant a trip to hospital.

Sounds good so far? It gets better.

Not only are you wet and injured for doing a good thing, you will also be out of pocket to the tune of $90. Yes, as a special treat for tourists like you, you will be made to pay your hospital bill.

During the trip, be sure to have your picture taken with the Merlion statue.

It became an iconic symbol for pain after a lightning strike left a large hole in its head.

Amazing views

After all that excitement, it's time to wind down with a relaxing ride on the world's largest observation wheel, the Singapore Flyer. Such wheels may be commonplace these days, but none offers the kind of torture we do.

As with the water rescue, timing is crucial here. While the wheel will operate normally most times (it has to cater to normal tourists too), it will occasionally break down.

When it does, you can look forward to up to six hours stuck in a small enclosed capsule at over 100m in the air.

This is especially recommended for claustrophobic masochists who fear heights.

For the ultimate experience though, make sure to drink a lot of water just before you get on and don't take any plastic bags with you.

Somewhere around the third hour, you'll be a big hit with the rest of the passengers.

These are but a few of the many wonderful experiences just waiting to be enjoyed. And we're coming up with new ways to hurt you all the time.

So what are you waiting for? Contact your travel agent today.

jeremyau@sph.com.sg

Zoo doubles its rare reptiles

A zoo in Indonesia is welcoming the arrival of 32 newborn Komodo dragons.

Agus Pangkat, of Surabaya Zoo, said the endangered lizards – thought to number less than 4,000 in the wild – hatched in the last two weeks. Fourteen eggs were still under observation.

The giant reptiles have been kept at the zoo since the early 1980s, but the new arrivals have swelled the population from 34 to 66. It has been their most successful breeding year there.

Komodo dragons can grow up to t10ft long and weigh up to 37 stones. Their bite can be deadly.

Chimp 'planned attack on zoo visitors

Scientists claim to have uncovered evidence which shows how chimpanzees plan for the future.

A study published in Current Biology observed the actions of a male chimpanzee at a zoo and recorded how he collected stones and fashioned concrete discs which he would later throw at visitors.

Mathias Osvath, from Lund University, said the observations convincingly show how apes consider the future in "a very complex way".

"It implies that they have a highly developed consciousness, including life-like mental simulations of potential events," he said.

"They most probably have an 'inner world' like we have when reviewing past episodes of our lives or thinking of days to come. When wild chimps collect stones or go out to war, they probably plan this in advance. I would guess that they plan much of their everyday behaviour."

The scientists claim their study shows how chimps don't simply react to immediate circumstances with a "current drive state", highlighting how the chimp was in a calm state when collecting the stones compared to the agitated state he was in when throwing the items at visitors.

Mr Osvath also says he thinks wild chimps, in general, probably have the planning ability demonstrated by the individual in captivity.

"I think that wild chimpanzees might be even better at planning as they probably rely on it for their daily survival," he added.

"The environment in a zoo is far less complex than in a forest. Zoo chimps never have to encounter the dangers in the forest or live through periods of scarce food. Planning would prove its value in 'real life' much more than in a zoo."

Drug arrests at Singapore Zoo

Serious Stuff!

THE Singapore zoo cancelled performances after police said on Wednesday they had arrested ten Malaysian workers and three Singaporeans on suspicion of involvement in drug trafficking.

Three Malaysians were intercepted in their taxi at a border crossing between the two countries on Sunday carrying a variety of drugs including cannabis, ketamine and 'ice", a concentrated form of methamphetamine, officers said.

This led to the arrest of three Singaporeans at Singapore Zoo's car park and another seven Malaysians at their dormitories in the complex, a spokeswoman from the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said.

One Malaysian and one Singaporean have been charged with drug importation and trafficking and face a minimum sentence of five years' jail and five strokes of the cane if convicted, she said.

Some of the suspects were part of a performance troupe that entertained visitors to the zoo's Night Safari section with mock tribal dances and fire-breathing stunts.

The show, popular among foreign tourists, has been 'suspended until further notice' as a result of the arrests, the attraction's website says.

Drug trafficking is punishable by hanging in Singapore if the amounts carried by a suspect exceed certain limits specified by law. -- AFP

Wedding at Singapore Zoo

Weddings aren't everyday affairs. They come by once in a lifetime and merit the undivided attention of a national event. From the bridal bouquet to the menu, everything ought to be nothing less than perfect. And yet, when it comes to the venue, it's always the same old boring set of addresses. If your love for each other truly knows no bounds, neither should the venue for your wedding celebrations.

Address:
The Singapore Zoo
80 Mandai Lake Road,
Singapore 729826
Tel: (65) 6269 3411
www.zoo.com.sg

Tel: (65) 6360 8500/560

Spending millions to attract millions?

Cable cars may replace free buses on Sentosa

ZIPPING around Sentosa Island will be made easier from 2011 with the launch of a new cable car service.

The new transport link may replace the present free intra-island bus service.

The above-ground system is part of Sentosa Leisure Group's (SLG) over $250 million plan to overhaul the transport system on the island to ensure that it can handle the crowds when Resorts World at Sentosa opens next year.

Currently, Sentosa receives up to 30,000 visitors daily during the peak season. But that number is expected to rise to over 100,000 people daily with the opening of Singapore's second integrated resort.

Mr Lee Chin Chuan, director of SLG's property business development, said the cable car system will offer a greener way of travel compared to the current diesel-powered bus fleet.

The new cableway system will be at most six to seven storeys tall, a third of the height of the current cable car system which runs from Mount Faber.

It is expected to take anything from 1,400 to 5,000 passengers per hour in one direction, moving at speeds of 4m to 6m a second. It will also offer express waiting times of 12 seconds to 15 seconds instead of two minutes to three minutes for the monorail and 10 minutes to 15 minutes for the bus.

Currently, four stations have been earmarked. Mr Lee did not discount the possibility of rolling out the system to the rest of the island or even to the mainland.

The cost of the project is not known yet. SLG has hired consultants to help determine the system's capacity and cost.

One other unknown: whether visitors will be charged for rides. SLG is still mulling over this.

The group is also exploring other possibilities like electric trams, mini railways and buggies. Plans to boost links to the island include an $80 million, 710m-long second bridge, being built by the casino-resort and expected to be ready by the third quarter of this year.

SLG has invested $25 million to build a new depot extension and to buy two cars to raise the capacity of the monorail from 3,000 to 4,000 passengers per hour.

It is also building a new boardwalk so pedestrians can walk to the resort island. Construction of the walkway is slated to begin in the second half of this year. It will have travellators like those in the airport to ease the 620m walk.

Teacher Chai Jiamin, 27, welcomed the new moves. She used to play beach volleyball at Sentosa regularly, but said that on weekends, traffic congestion can get really bad.

However, other regulars like 26-year-old Benjamin Lau, who runs his own IT business, said replacing the free buses with a paid cable car will not benefit visitors.

He said: 'I don't think it's practical to invest in a cable car system when there are already free bus and trams serving Sentosa.'

SLG's Mr Lee added that another key reason that is driving Sentosa's search for new modes of transport is to minimise the system's emissions and carbon footprint.

Welcome to Singapore.

Join NTUC - Good Deals

NTUC Members' Promotion
Jurong BirdPark, Night Safari and Singapore Zoo
NTUC U card promotion:-
- 30% off Jurong BirdPark, Night Safari, Singapore Zoo admission
- While stocks last
- Exclusive to NTUC members only
- Present NTUC member card upon purchase at
NTUC Customer Service Centre
- Limited to 5 admission tickets per card
- Not inclusive of tram ride
- Non exchangable for cash or other goods and services
- Only available at NTUC Customer Service Centre, One Marina Boulevard, #B1-01

Singapore Zoo – The World’s Best Rainforest Zoo
Singapore Zoo is known to have among the most beautiful settings in the world, where 2,530 animals roam freely in open, natural habitats covering 28 hectares.

The most recognised resident is the orang utan, and Jungle Breakfast with Wildlife is a unique encounter where diners experience first hand the wonder of being so close to these wonderful creatures.
Themed exhibits such as Fragile Forest, Hamadryas Baboons – the Great Rift Valley of Ethiopia and Elephants of Asia, and interactive edu-taining animal presentations will enthrall all to learn about and appreciate wildlife.

What’s more, splashes of exhilarating activities await at Rainforest Kidzworld. Get set for waves of fun at the water play, zip along on a cableway or help groom our miniature horses! To end your day, take a quick cruise on our boat to enjoy a scenic view of the Upper Seletar Reservoir.

Sumatran tigers kills, whose fault is it? HUmans?

A STRING of attacks by rare Sumatran tigers has left six people dead in Indonesia in less than a month, including three mauled by the critically endangered cats this weekend, conservationists said on Monday.

A father and son - illegal loggers sleeping near a pile of wood - were killed as they slept Saturday in protected forest on Sumatra island. Another man in the same area was attacked just after dusk Sunday, said Didy Wurdjanto of the state conservation agency.

The other victims were killed in late January, also in Sungai Gelam, a district 600km from the capital, Jakarta, but those tiger attacks all occurred near to villages.

The Sumatran tiger is the world's most critically endangered tiger subspecies.

Only about 250 of the cats are left in the wild, the Forestry Ministry said, compared to about 1,000 in the 1970s. The tigers' diminishing population is largely blamed on poaching and the destruction of their forest habitat for palm oil and wood pulp plantations.

In some cases the animals roam into villages or plantations in search of food, setting the stage for a conflict with humans.

Rangers and conservationists were rushing to the scene of the latest attacks to investigate.

But since the animal - or animals - had not strayed from its habitat no efforts would be made to catch and relocate the cat, said Wurdjanto.

'This time it was the loggers' fault,' he said, adding that the tigress believed responsible for last month's maulings has been captured and is being taken to a national park.

About 40 people have been killed by tigers on Sumatra between 2000-2004, according to the state conservation agency, which said the trend has continued since then. New figures will be released in April. -- AP

CopyCat Zoo Malaysia!

Is selling the singapore brand 'nation brand perception' a way to go? Teaching others, sharing experiences, consultation, Providing the Singapore Solution. Knowledge sharing, but is Singapore selling himself out? In the long run what will be our uniqueness and sell point.

M'sian zoo to follow S'pore's open concept
Mon, Feb 16, 2009
The New Straits Times
By Sean Augustin and Nurul Mardiana Abdul Alim

KEMAMAN, TERENGGANU: There are great expectations of the Kemaman zoo, touted to be the largest on the east coast, which is due to open by the end of next month.

Located on a 54-ha site in Bukit Takal, bordering the popular firefly colony in Kampung Yak Yah, it will house animals of about 100 species, including bears, seladang (Malayan gaur), kijang (barking deer), wild goats, orang- utan, crocodiles and tigers.

These animals are among the 100 species to be featured at the new zoo in Bukit Takal, Kemaman, which is due to open at the end of next month. [NST pictures by Aswadi Alias]

Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents Terengganu Chapter Committee member and tour operator Alex Lee said the opening of the zoo would bode well for the tourism industry here.

This is because it will help shift the focus of the industry to Kemaman since most of the popular sites in the state are located up north, he added.

"I hope the zoo will also serve as a rehabilitation and conservation centre. This will attract more visitors."

Lee hoped there would be efficient management and promotion of the place. He also hoped it would have an open zoo concept like in Singapore as tourists tend to skip zoos that caged up animals.

Malaysian Nature Society Terengganu chairman Wan Adnan Ismail said he also preferred the open zoo concept.

He hoped the zoo would be popular for being a well-managed animal kingdom instead of being the biggest.

"It has to be attractive. We don't want people leaving the zoo feeling sorry for the animals."

Restaurant operator, Latifah Mohd Razi, hopes the zoo will help boost business here with the high number of tourists expected.

Nazariah Mustafa, 33, who operates a sundry shop in Jalan Saga, said: "I hope the infrastructure, especially the road, will also be upgraded."

Animals' Rights

Love them!

NTU Animal Lovers’ Society is a society run by matriculated students of NTU and students of National Institute of Education who are animal lovers. It was started off by Miss Fong Kam Ling in April 2007. With the help from some other passionate animal lovers, the club is officially approved by NTU Student Affairs Office in July 2007.

The objective of the club is as following:

Providing educational resources and fun to all animal lovers and disseminating information to promote the knowledge and interest of animals.
To raise awareness of animal’s rights and protection, as well as to save and improve lives of animals.
As we believe that spreading love and care for animals should be through joint efforts with other organizations, NTU Animal Lovers’ Society also works with official institutions and other non-governmental organizations.

Some of the activities which we will be organizing include the animal adoption project, voluntary work at animal shelters, field outings and expeditions and organizing animal carnival in NTU, such as Animal Rights Awareness week.

Main Committee Members
President: Elaine Lee Xiao Yin
Email: elxyin@hotmail.com

Vice President: How Bi Ee
Email: fireworks_bi@hotmail.com

Honorary General Secretary: Terence Woon
Email: neomaverickx@hotmail.com

Honorary Treasurer: Saw Vee-Liem
Email: veefessional@hotmail.com

Animal Welfare Officer: Valerie Cheah
Email: angel_bluez16@hotmail.com

Event Managers: Yeow Wan Ching & Jamie Chia
Email: snoopyger88@hotmail.com &a1_rocks@hotmail.com

Business Manager: Lim Sitong
Email: lim.sitong@gmail.com

Logistics Officer: Low Kar Perng
Email: cutekidlowkp@hotmail.com

Publicity & Publication Officer: Nguyen Truong Tho
Email: thont@live.com

External Liaison Officer: Goh Beng Kim
Email: beng_kim86@hotmail.com

Millions of animals dead in Australia fires

Kangaroo corpses lay scattered by the roadsides while wombats that survived the wildfire's onslaught emerged from their underground burrows to find blackened earth and nothing to eat.

Wildlife rescue officials on Wednesday worked frantically to help the animals that made it through Australia's worst-ever wildfires but they said millions of animals likely perished in the inferno.

Scores of kangaroos have been found around roads, where they were overwhelmed by flames and smoke while attempting to flee, said Jon Rowdon, president of the rescue group Wildlife Victoria.

Kangaroos that survived are suffering from burned feet, a result of their territorial behavior. After escaping the initial flames, the creatures — which prefer to stay in one area — likely circled back to their homes, singeing their feet on the smoldering ground.

"It's just horrific," said Neil Morgan, president of the Statewide Wildlife Rescue Emergency Service in Victoria, the state where the raging fires were still burning. "It's disaster all around for humans and animals as well."

Some wombats that hid in their burrows managed to survive the blazes, but those that are not rescued face a slow and certain death as they emerge to find their food supply gone, said Pat O'Brien, president of the Wildlife Protection Association of Australia.

The official human death toll stood at 181 from the weekend's deadly fires and authorities said it would exceed 200. While the scope of the wildlife devastation was still unclear, it was likely to be enormous, Rowdon said.

"There's no doubt across that scale of landscape and given the intensity of the fires, millions of animals would have been killed," he said.

Hundreds of burned, stressed and dehydrated animals — including kangaroos, koalas, lizards and birds — have already arrived at shelters across the scorched region. Rescuers have doled out antibiotics, pain relievers and fluids to the critters in a bid to keep them comfortable, but some of the severely injured were euthanized to spare any more suffering.

"We've got a wallaby joey at the moment that has crispy fried ears because he stuck his head out of his mum's pouch and lost all his whiskers and cooked up his nose," Rowdon said. "They're the ones your hearts really go out to."

In some of the hardest-hit areas, rescuers used vaporizing tents to help creatures whose lungs were burned by the searing heat and smoke.

One furry survivor has emerged a star: a koala, nicknamed "Sam" by her rescuers, was found moving gingerly on scorched paws by a fire patrol on Sunday. Firefighter David Tree offered the animal a bottle of water, which she eagerly accepted, holding Tree's hand as he poured water into her mouth — a moment captured in a photograph seen around the world.

"You all right, buddy?" Tree asks in a video of the encounter as he approaches the koala. Later, as Sam thirstily gulps from the bottle, he quips: "How much can a koala bear?"

Often mistakenly called koala bears because they resemble a child's teddy bear, the marsupial is actually a rather grumpy creature with a loud growl and sharp claws.

Sam is being treated at the Mountain Ash Wildlife Shelter in Rawson, 100 miles (170 kilometers) east of Melbourne, where she has attracted the attention of a male koala, nicknamed "Bob," manager Coleen Wood said. The two have been inseparable, with Bob keeping a protective watch over his new friend, she said.

Meanwhile, workers at the shelter were scrambling to salve the wounds of possums, kangaroos, lizards — "everything and anything," Wood said.

"We had a turtle come through that was just about melted — still alive," Wood said. "The whole thing was just fused together — it was just horrendous. It just goes to show how intense (the fire) was in the area."

The animals arriving appear stressed, but generally seem to understand the veterinarians are trying to help them, Wood said. Kangaroos and koalas are widespread in Australia and are not particularly afraid of humans.

Volunteers from the animal welfare group Victorian Advocates for Animals filled 10 giant bins with 2,300 dead grey-headed flying foxes that succumbed to heat stroke Saturday, said Lawrence Pope, the group's president. Volunteers tried to save some of the bats by giving them fluids and keeping them cool, Pope said, but the creatures were simply too stressed and perished.

"It's heartbreaking," Pope said. "They're very endearing animals and to see them die right before our eyes is something that wildlife rescuers and carers just find appalling."

POOR animals!

Singapore gets NEW animal attraction

SINGAPORE will get another top-drawer tourist attraction in 2011, when a $140 million river safari theme park will be completed.
To be carved out of the same 89-hectare Mandai area which houses the Zoo and Night Safari, the park, the first of its kind in Asia, will have some new species of wildlife, boat rides and special displays of freshwater habitats.

Few other details were released yesterday - the park has not even been named yet - but it is understood that some of the 4,000 animals in the Zoo and Night Safari's collection, mostly aquatic animals like manatees and fish, will be moved there.

Successful river theme parks elsewhere, such as Florida's Silver Springs Nature Theme Park, give visitors the chance to view marine life through cruises on glass-bottomed boats, as well as animal exhibits and fun rides.

Yesterday, Ms Fanny Lai, the group chief executive officer of Wildlife Reserves, which will run the new park in addition to the Zoo and Night Safari, said the attraction will give visitors a chance to get up close and personal with the animals. This will help create a 'greater awareness of freshwater habitat conservation', she said.

She added that the company began working on the idea of a new park two years ago, and that it is now an 'opportune time' to embark on it.

Though Singapore is now grappling with a drop in tourism as economies the world over reel from the effects of a recession, observers expect things to pick up by the time the new park is ready in 2011.

The river safari will make Mandai, already a must-visit destination for tourists and Singaporeans alike, even more popular: The Zoo and Night Safari pulled in 1.6 million and 1.1 million visitors, respectively, last year.

The new park is expected to draw at least 750,000 more, said Wildlife Reserves Singapore, the operator of all three attractions.

Tourism players and Singaporeans alike were excited by the prospect of a new park.

Royal Plaza on Scotts' general manager Patrick Fiat said: 'The more, the merrier. These new attractions will allow tourists to spend more time here, or come again because they didn't manage to visit something the first time round.'

Added taxi driver Ng Seng Nguan, 52: 'It will cater to different people and give more variety, which is more interesting.'

Visit Singapore Today.

Come, come, visit Singapore, Don't shy

STB gives tourism industry a $90 million BOOST

Singaporeans and visitors can look forward to better deals from the tourism industry in the year ahead, with the Singapore Tourism Board set to inject 90 million dollars into the sector.

Recognising the tough times ahead, a new initiative known as BOOST will focus on positioning Singapore as an affordable business and leisure destination.

Revealing more details at a media conference today, STB said it'd be launching a year-long marketing branding campaign called "2009 Reasons to enjoy Singapore".

Discounted airfare and packages for visitors will be available to promote Singapore as a short-haul destination.

To help companies alleviate their business costs, STB will enhance its current assistance schemes and funding support.

Tour guide and travel agent licence fees will be waived this year.

There are about 1,800 tour guides and 800 travel agents in Singapore.

And targeting the business community, conventions and exhibitions will receive additional funding support of up to 70 percent for event hosting fee.

Strengthening the capability of the sector is another key thrust of BOOST, and emphasis will be placed on helping companies upgrade their employees' skills.

Singapore residents too, stand to benefit from the BOOST programme.

As a start, free entry at selected attractions will be offered, as well as GST-free shopping at participating retail outlets.

When asked to sum up the sentiment of the tourism industry currently, STB Chief Executive Aw Kah Peng said that industry players were cautious, but optimistic.

"I mean nobody is suggesting that it is easy. So I think they are realistic. But we also sense that there is a lot of energy, as well as optimism. Because clearly, if you are talking to the people who are opening new hotels and building new ones, they're doing it for a reason, because there's going to be growth. So I must say that people understand the current situation. But that has not dampened their longer term outlook."

STB forecasts that the number of tourist arrivals in Singapore is expected to fall to between 9 million and 9.5 million this year, down from 10.1 million last year.

Total tourism receipts generated are also expected to fall to a range of 12 to 12.5 billion dollars this year a drop from the 14.8 billion dollars generated in 2008.