Drones, acting as eyes in the sky, can help protect forests against illegal loggers. They can help keep better track of wildlife. And they can also be used to help save endangered species. Like turtles. Researchers at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom deployed drones to keep a…
Picture yourself as a researcher setting out to save some of the world’s most iconic carnivores: lions in Zimbabwe, clouded leopards in Malaysia, swift foxes in Canada. Before you head off on your quest from London’s Heathrow Airport, though, you’ll have to familiarize yourself with your selected terrain and its…
Come December 17, you can do something for the wild in Sarawak . . . in a hurry. The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Run for the Wild event this year will kick off on Sunday at the Swinburne University of Technology, Sarawak Campus, in Kuching. First launched in 2015, Run for…
When even seasoned experts are taken aback by the scale of wildlife trafficking across Malaysia, you know we’re in trouble. Yet taken aback experts are at TRAFFIC, an international anti-trafficking watchdog. And rightfully so. Recent arrests of several wildlife traffickers by Malaysian authorities have provided further evidence (not that any more was…
Peacocks are flamboyantly ostentatious birds with giant iridescent tails of blue, green, gold and red that they deftly employ in courtship displays. Unfortunately for the birds, their flashy tail feathers have also caught the eyes of people. Peacocks have long been hunted as trophies and kept as pets. Sadly, the birds are…
There he sat, the young proboscis monkey, on the veranda of a home in Sungai Mera in Sibu, Sarawak. Luckily the animal did not have to languish there for long. A local resident alerted officials who came to save the monkey from potential harm in the residential area. “The monkey…
Giant pandas – those cuddly mascots of wildlife conservation the world over. They are – drum rolls please! – endangered no more. They remain classified as “vulnerable,” though. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which on its Red List classifies a large variety of wild animals worldwide…
If you thought Malaysia’s tigers have had it hard, you might want to spare a thought for leopards. They’ve had it just as hard, if not worse. Here comes a new study, published in the journal Biological Conservation, that confirms just that. Indochinese leopards (Panthera pardus delacouri), which are a…
One down, plenty more to go. Poachers, that is. A special unit of Sabah’s Forestry Department has nabbed a poacher who is believed to have been part of a six-member gang of foreigners who were poaching protected species within local animal sanctuaries. Better yet, the man, who comes from an…
For most people, especially those living in urban areas, “biodiversity” is an abstract concept. It’s a term they may hear used by biologists and environmentalists but one that does not seem to have any relevance for their own lives. How wrong they are. The loss of biodiversity affects us all….
Traditional Chinese medicine – or most of it at any rate – is utter tosh. Rhino horns, whether consumed in powered form or any other, do not cure gout or rheumatism, much less cancer. Ground tiger bones or whiskers do nothing to alleviate meningitis or malaria, nor does the consumption…
Wildlife traffickers have a global reach. We’ve long known this sad fact, of course, but if any more proof of it is needed, here it comes: 1.2 tons of African elephant ivory was recently seized at Juba International Airport in South Sudan. The shipment had originated from Entebbe in Ethiopia…
One of Malaysia’s greatest natural assets is its world-renowned wildlife. That, though, is not always immediately apparent from the way native animals are treated and protected. The country boasts scores of national parks and protected forests, large and small, but much more work is needed to provide truly sage and…
The Maroon Langur, also known as the Maroon leaf monkey, is a threatened primate species endemic to the island of Borneo. Of medium size and rusty red color, they swing from tree to tree feeding on leaves, seeds and fruits. Their appetites are quite exploratory – they may sample more…
A mystery is afoot – someone’s killed the endangered Malayan tiger! The trail is hot, the tiger’s blood is still cooling, and a crack team of Malaysian environmentalists have just 13 days to solve this case of cold-blooded murder. It may sound like the plot for a Saturday night TV…
Malaysia’s first-ever environmental magazine is here (has been for a few years) – and it’s available for free, around the world. EcoMalaysia is an online magazine focused on all things green in Malaysia. Wildlife conservation, Eco Education, sustainable shopping, environmental NGOs, Eco Transport – all these topics and more are…