Sabah & Sarawak don't even trust Peninsular

Well, this show that our Peninsular Wildlife caretakers are below par as compare to Sabah & Sarawak. I have the opportunity to visit some of the wildlife sanctuary and parks in Sabah and Sarawak and would agree 101% that Peninsular's parks are nothing compare to Sabah and Sarawak. So many failed wildlife parks were in Peninsular...and they still never learn the reasons. The one in Perak (Bukit Merah) is successful because it was a private company that run the centre. It would have failed if it was under the government's authority.
Want to know the reasons?
1. Corruption
2. Food for wildlife being hijacked
3. Lazy staff
4. Uncaring for wildlife

----------

March 21, 2010
Sabah, S'wak unwilling to send their orang utan to KL
By RINTOS MAIL

Star

KUCHING: Sarawak and Sabah are not willing to relocate their orang utan to a new sanctuary for the primate in Kuala Lumpur.

Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit said both states wanted their orang utan to stay where they were and, therefore, the government now had to look for orang utans from a small island in Perak.

He said the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) had allocated about 200 acres in Kepong to set up the new eco-tourism attraction that was similar to the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre here and the Sepilok orang utan sanctuary in Sandakan.

“We are going to transfer some of the orang utan from the island in Perak since the population has increased and exceeded the island’s caring capacity, which makes it difficult for the primates to get enough food,” he said opening SK Siburan Baru Parent-Teacher Association’s annual general meeting here Sunday.

Dawos said the species in Perak, the Borneon orang utan (Pongo pygmaeus), was similar to that in Sarawak and Sabah.

He was not certain when the project would start.

However, he said the government would not go back on its plan because an orang utan sanctuary in Kuala Lumpur would be a big success as it would leave a lasting impression on visitors in line with the government’s intention to make eco-tourism a more prominent sector.

“I cannot ascertain when we can make it a reality. But this is a directive from the Prime Minister, which is why we must do it,” he said.

---------

Monday March 22, 2010
Questions over big ape sanctuary
Star

KUCHING: Mystery surrounds a proposed new orang utan sanctuary in Kuala Lumpur, which nobody seems to want.

Sarawak and Sabah are not willing to relocate their orang utan to the sanctuary, said Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit.

He said both states wanted their orang utan to stay where they were and therefore, the government now had to look for orang utans from a small island in Perak.

He said the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) had allocated about 200 acres in Kepong to set up the new eco-tourism attraction which was similar to the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre here and the Sepilok orangutan sanctuary in Sandakan.

“We are going to transfer some of the orang utan from the island in Perak since the population there has increased and exceeded the island’s caring capacity which makes it difficult for the primates to get enough food,” he said after opening SK Siburan Baru Parent-Teacher Association’s annual general meeting here yesterday.

Dawos, who is a FRIM board member, said the species in Perak, the Borneon orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus), was similar to that in Sarawak and Sabah. He was not certain when the project would start.

However, he said the government would not go back on its plan because an orang utan sanctuary in Kuala Lumpur would be a big success and it would leave a lasting impression on visitors in line with the government’s intention to make eco-tourism a more prominent sector.

“I cannot ascertain when we can make it a reality. But we must do it,” he said.

FRIM director-genereal Datuk Dr Abd Latif Mohmod, however. said the institute had never requested for the setting up of an orang utan sanctuary.

“Orang utan conservation comes under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and Perhilitan. We are a forest research centre focusing on flora,” he said.

--------

Comment: FRIM DG was right. Forest research should only focus on flora. Botanic Gardens once had a mini zoo and kangaroo park but all the animals dead. Teluk Bahang Forestry Park had a mini zoo too, but all the animals dead. These were only two examples from Penang. Have they not learnt enough? Do we have enough animal experts to take care of the animals? Stupid policy maker! Stupid politician!

Welcome To Mulu

More than 15 years ago, there was also about this same kind of project to recycle waste etc etc at Taman Negara, Kuala Tahan. Do you know what happen now? It was abandoned. (You can still see the remains of this project at Taman Negara Resort) So all this project is just hangat-hangat tahi ayam (hot-hot chicken shit). Just to spend money and publicity? There are no commitment to protect nature. This is ecotourism. Hell!

-----------

NST Online
2008/08/06
Mulu visitors pile up a stinker
By : Desmond Davidson

KUCHING: Gunung Mulu national park, the crown jewel of Sarawak tourism, is developing a smelly problem.

The Unesco World Heritage site in northern Sarawak, renowned for its ancient limestone caves, is facing difficulty in disposing of solid waste left by human visitors, and this is causing concern.

The problem stems from the area's lack of a local council, which also means there are no waste collection and disposal services available.

This is compounded by the fact that the administrator of the park, the Sarawak Fores- try Corporation, and the operators of chalets and hotels in the area, are prohibited, by both environmental and national park laws, from disposing of their solid waste by burning, or creating a landfill or dump site.

"It's a serious problem. But we are looking for a solution," said Natural Resources and Environmental Board (NREB) assistant controller Peter Sawal yesterday.

The national park generates just under a tonne of solid waste a day, with the Royal Mulu Resort generating the bulk of it at 400kg.

Solid wastes were once shipped out by boat to Marudi, but as the shipping contractor charged between RM1,800 to RM2,800 a month, that disposal solution became too expensive.

The effort to save costs has led some to indiscriminately dump waste on open ground just behind the resort.

Sawal said a jointly-developed NREB and Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA) solution is currently undergoing trials at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Siburan, a school on the outskirts of the city along the Kuching-Serian Road.

A professor from Japan's Meisei University, Shuji Yoshizawa, is fine-tuning his new composting technique, which he successfully developed from recycling food wastes and non-revenue generating wastes like cardboard boxes and animal waste.

"If successful, this composting technique will be implemented at Mulu," Sawal said.

The trial was meant to be sited in Mulu, but logistical problems forced it to be held nearer here.

The school, which has a student population of over 2,000, of which 429 are boarders, was picked as the trial site because it generates the same amount of solid waste as the Royal Mulu Resort.

The trial and Yoshizawa's working paper are expected to be completed in two months.

Sodomy at Ulu Muda

First they built the dam (but actually logging could be the main reason).
More than a century then passed by, trees have rejuvenated, and just then under the Pakatan leadership, suddenly, logging could be on its way.....

But before the Kedah State Government did anything, according to locals, the Federal government through the Tourism Action Council started the sodomy-ing of Ulu Muda.

Now, they came from behind. Through the jungle to Sira Bungor and Kem Labua. They sodomized the jungle. They took the timber. Greed caused Ulu Muda to bleed..... destroying the ecosystem that sustain the Muda Dam and our water resources.

Check Google map here.

Let me share the effect of a sodomized Ulu Muda here:

The new road through the jungle to Sira Bungor and across the Muda River to Kem Labua.

Open land. Nothing left. The locals commented that the council "nak tanam jagong" (wanted to plant corn).

See how they damaged the jungle.

Oh, they didn't "tanam jagong" but infact they "tanam ubi kayu"(plant tapioca). Planting tapioca in the jungle? The cost of transport, workers etc just doesn't make sense! Of course they hire cheap foreign workers. Illegals?

Sira Bungor (Bungor Salt Lick) now dead. Formerly elephants frequented this salt lick but during my visit, no foot prints were seen. The "sodomy road" passed by this salt lick. How come the Forestry Department did nothing about this natural heritage? Tutup satu mata loh!

Across Muda River is Kem Labua, formerly a base camp for ecotourism. What greeted us were heavy machineries.

Destruction to the ground and fauna and flora. Mud, mud and mud everywhere.

Logging. That was the main objective. Development could be just an excuse.

More logs. Many trees were chopped.

Healthy trees were chainsawed

The local community can just look on as they bring city into the jungle. Their livelihood are now unknown as they have killed the goose that laid the golden eggs.

The locals will not benefit from this project. They knew nothing about this massive land clearing. They could only stand and watch as the politicians and the greedy businessman claim the jungle that feed their families.

Another rape and sodomy story of our Bolehland. Hell to ecotourism!

Ugly Ecotourism at Penang National Park

Ecotourism is "Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people." (TIES, 1990)

Let's check Teluk Ketapang, one of the beaches in Penang National Park.

As we arrived at the beach at 12.36pm from the forest trail, we saw several monkeys digging a big plastic bag full of trash.

On closer look (12.36pm), the trash looked fresh.

A boat was seen to leave the beach with tourists on board.

(Photo of the boat was taken down as requested by owner. Ed. 3/8/08)

And camp fire at the beach in Penang National Park.

We rested and came back to see a horrible mess created by the trash at 1.25pm.

Now for the Blame Game:

Blame it on the monkeys? No. Even if there were no monkeys, the sea tide will create a mess from the rubbish too.

Blame it on the sea tide? No, in Bolehland you blame it on "the act of God".

So who should be blamed for this mess??

1. No, not the tourists for not telling the boat operator. After all they paid for it, right?

2. No, not the boat operator. They helped to uplift the economy of Penang, isn't it? So why should they care and be responsible to conserve the natural environment.

3. No, not the Penang National Park Authority cause they are popularizing the park with large scale infrastructure development. They just don't have time to educate stakeholders and enforcing rules.

So, who to blame huh? Well, in Bolehland we blame it on God.

"Its an act of God" after all. Hell to ecotourism.

Bullshit Ecotourism

In Bolehland the concept of ecotourism is building luxury walkway every few years.
This has been proven in our National Park at Kuala Tahan, Pahang.

They talked about building structures that blend with the environment - Bullshit!
They talked about sustainable ecotourism whereby natural environment will not be decimated - Bullshit!

This is the partial summarized definition of ecotourism:
Ideally, true ecotourism should satisfy several criteria including affordability and lack of waste in the form of luxury. The concept of ecotourism is widely misunderstood and, in practice, is often simply used as a marketing tool to promote tourism that is related to nature. Critics claim that ecotourism as practiced and abused often consists of placing a hotel in a splendid landscape, to the detriment of the ecosystem. According to them, ecotourism must above all sensitize people with the beauty and the fragility of nature. They condemn some operators as "green-washing" their operations — that is, using the label of "ecotourism" and "green-friendly", while behaving in environmentally irresponsible ways. (http://www.answers.com/topic/ecotourism?cat=technology)


Before 2000, there was no luxury walkway to Bukit Teresek. We were very happy. We enjoyed the natural trail. We have no problem. We didn't ask for a walking platform.

Then they started to build wooden steps. They said the wood blend with the environment and so they were eco-friendly. But they didn't know that the wood used could be harvested from some illegal logging of virgin jungles. We have no say, so they built.

Within months, fallen big trees damaged part of the wooden steps. Then termites. Then wood decay. That was between 2002 and 2005.

Now, they rebuilt it with PLASTICS! Yes, they were plastics. I don't know about the initial understand of the concept of using wood (before) versus the use of plastics (now)! Have they forgotten their very own reason for using wood?

I have all the while do not agree about the use of wood as they have been proven unsustainable and a wastage of natural resources. But with plastics...this is hypocrisy!

BEFORE : 2004 - Trail to Bkt Teresek. The wooden steps showing signs of "fatigue".

BEFORE : 2004. The wooden platform - unnecessary elevated platform.

NOW 2007 - Wooden platform missing and replaced with plastic steps. No metal used. The silts made of concrete. The plastics beams resembled galvanised iron. How long can they last?

The plastic steps. Is there a neccessity to build a luxury walkway in this part of the trail?

The left is the natural trail and the right is the artificial trail.

And do you know that hikers prefer the natural trail than the luxury trail!

This luxury trail serves no purpose but a wastage of resources. A wastage of taxpayers' money. The destruction of natural environment. A mockery of the concept of ecotourism. But a bonus for someone's pocket! That's the beauty of Bolehland! Everything also CAN!