Iman’s Fate hangs in the Balance

Iman’s Fate hangs in the Balance

Iman, Malaysia’s very last female Sumatran rhino, has been sick for over a month now. In mid-December her keepers discovered that she had been bleeding from her uterus and the elderly female rhino was soon diagnosed with a uterine tumor. Vets are keeping a close eye on her, but her…

The Problem of Plastic Waste will require Drastic Measures

The Problem of Plastic Waste will require Drastic Measures

Plastic waste is everywhere, but several countries, from Malawi to Morocco, have made plans to phase out plastic shopping bags and other disposable items. Now, following in their footsteps, Great Britain is planning to enact new measures aimed at weaning customers off disposable plastic products that are chucked out after…

Critically Endangered Snub-Nosed Monkeys are Saved from Extinction

Critically Endangered Snub-Nosed Monkeys are Saved from Extinction

In 2010, scientists identified an as yet unknown species of snub-nosed monkey in Myanmar, the country formerly known as Burma. The then only known specimen of the newly identified species did not fare that well, though. It had been caught by local hunters in the mountainous state of Kachin and…

Ivory Smugglers remain Relentless

Ivory Smugglers remain Relentless

One hundred forty-eight kilograms. That’s how much African elephant tusks confiscated by customs officials at an international airport in Bangkok weighed. The large haul of ivory, which is worth around 15 million Thai baht (RM1.9 million), was comprised of three large tusks and 31 tusk fragments. They had been flown…

NGOs: End the Abuse of Animals at Kemaman Zoo

NGOs: End the Abuse of Animals at Kemaman Zoo

Two Malaysian animal rights organizations are up in arms over what they say are the appalling conditions in which several animals are kept at Kemaman Zoo in Terengganu. Malaysian Friends of the Animals and Friends of the Orangutans are calling on the management of the zoo, which started operations in…

‘Exotic’ Turtles remain at Risk

‘Exotic’ Turtles remain at Risk

“Exotic” turtles have long been at risk in Malaysia. Exhibit A: Four Indian men were detained last year in two separate sting operations for possessing a total of 1,070 exotic and endangered turtles belonging to several species. In one of the raids, two Indian nationals were nabbed by Wildlife Crime…

Time to Get Serious about Saving Malaysian Wildlife

Time to Get Serious about Saving Malaysian Wildlife

An endangered Malayan tapir was killed in a road accident, then it was presently skinned and dismembered by several men who decided to retrieve its body parts. Around the same time, over the Christmas holidays, an endangered Malayan sun bear, too, was run down and killed in a road accident….

Yet Another wild Elephant Dies, in Gerik

Yet Another wild Elephant Dies, in Gerik

These aren’t good times for Malaysia’s wild elephants. Over the past few months several of them have died, having been poached for their ivory, run down on roads by cars, or gunned down by irate plantation workers. Now yet another elephant is dead. An elderly female pachyderm died after being…

Plastic Waste is a Threat to Sea Turtles

Plastic Waste is a Threat to Sea Turtles

Plastic bottles and bottle caps. Plastic candy wrappers and plastic shopping bags. Plastic cups and plastic boxes. Plastic shoes and plastic flip-flops. Plastic cigarette lighters and plastic toothbrushes. There are billions upon billions of such random pieces of plastic waste floating around in the ocean and marine animals have ended…

Are we seeing the Last of Malaysia’s Rhinos?

Are we seeing the Last of Malaysia’s Rhinos?

Malaysia has only two Sumatran rhinos left and both of them, a male and a female, are in captivity. It’s no surprise then that when Iman, the female, fell seriously ill recently her keepers became exceedingly concerned. Not long ago Puntung, another female rhino, had to be put down after…

Instagram now Screens Wildlife Photos for Signs of Animal Abuse

Instagram now Screens Wildlife Photos for Signs of Animal Abuse

Millions of people love animals and they also love taking pictures. And they definitely love taking pictures of “cute” and “exotic” animals. Such pictures are extremely popular on social media, where they can get thousands upon thousands of likes. In fact, some such photos have gone viral globally. There’s just…

Shining a Light on the Plight of Three Chimps in Pahang

Shining a Light on the Plight of Three Chimps in Pahang

Imagine being locked into a grimy little enclosure just so that people can stare at you. You’re nothing but an exhibit for the amusement of others, yet your keepers care little about your wellbeing. And this goes on for years. Horrific? It sure is. Yet this is the fate that…

WWF: Stop the Slaughter of Elephants

WWF: Stop the Slaughter of Elephants

Elephants are highly intelligent social animals. It is this trait of these wonderful creatures that is on full display in a moving new advert by the World Wide Fund for Nature. In the one-minute video, which is available on YouTube, an African Elephant watches helplessly as poachers shot dead members…

Snakes are Facing a Deadly Disease

Snakes are Facing a Deadly Disease

Snakes may not be the most beloved of creatures, but they perform vital ecological functions. Importantly, they are middle-order predators that play a vital role in pest control by feeding on rats and other destructive animals whose numbers would grow disastrously if not kept in check by snakes. But now,…