Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

S’poreans can learn to get close to nature, wildlife

Habitat loss, lack of natural predators, and the effects of humans feeding wild animals have been attributed to the incidences of wild boars or macaques pestering or attacking people.

MacRitchie Reservoir Park. TODAY FILE PHOTO

MacRitchie Reservoir Park. TODAY FILE PHOTO

Follow TODAY on WhatsApp
Daniel Ng Zhi Wei

Habitat loss, lack of natural predators, and the effects of humans feeding wild animals have been attributed to the incidences of wild boars or macaques pestering or attacking people.

Singapore is highly urbanised and the 9 per cent of the total land area allocated to parks and nature reserves is fragmented by expressways, golf courses and potentially, in future, the MRT rail network (Cross-Island Line).

Such infrastructure could potentially increase the possibility of human-wildlife conflicts, which may lead to the culling of these animals.

However, it was reported last year that while one-third of the total macaque population in Singapore are culled every year, the proportion of feedback pertaining to public-safety-related issues and monkey nuisance had increased.

Instead of resorting to culling to manage adverse interactions between humans and wildlife, I would push for a peaceful co-existence, starting with educating Singaporeans on wildlife.

Singaporeans can also play an active role by doing their own research and learning to enjoy and get close to nature, such as by taking the scheduled monkey walks, organised by the Jane Goodall Institute (Singapore), in MacRitchie Reservoir Park, Lower Pierce Reservoir and Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. Or by going to the website of the National Parks Board (NParks) to read up on the do’s and don’ts when encountering a wild boar.

I believe the new expert panel that was set up to tackle monkey problems is an encouraging step. Comprising panellists from government agencies, academics and interest groups, it is meant to find solutions and develop procedures for dealing with these conflicts.

Through this, it can also engage the public, to help people better understand the behaviours of wild animals and what measures to take when they encounter one.

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.