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Two @straits_times articles from today, both focusing on wildlife-related situations in #Singapore.
And as someone who working on managing #wildlife-human conflicts, both these issues and others like them are key factors in my job.
Links in thread.
And as someone who working on managing #wildlife-human conflicts, both these issues and others like them are key factors in my job.
Links in thread.
"When the animals start to associate humans with food handouts and actively seek them out, people could start viewing them as pests" https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/feeding-wildlife-in-singapore-is-a-lose-lose-situation-experts
This 'pest-view' is one of the biggest challenges I face, with people calling for removing & even culling of animals, all animals sometimes.
It is quite difficult to change some minds, but every mind changed/made to understand a tiny step towards coexisting with native wildlife.
It is quite difficult to change some minds, but every mind changed/made to understand a tiny step towards coexisting with native wildlife.
But, how does the development of a forest add pressure on wildlife-human conflicts, you ask?
When the green light is given & development/deforestation works start, the animals are going to want to get away from all the noise & disturbances. But, where to? https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/nature-groups-raise-issues-over-dover-forests-zoning
When the green light is given & development/deforestation works start, the animals are going to want to get away from all the noise & disturbances. But, where to? https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/nature-groups-raise-issues-over-dover-forests-zoning
Some of them may make use of natural corridors & park connectors to move to other nearby forests. Others may move into nearby residential areas, where when exposed to human foods and trash, they might become 'pests' or 'aggressive', as they are often described to my team.
Education is key. Should the Dover forest be lost to development, I hope that mitigation efforts are in place & that the residents who live around the forest now are made aware of the increase in wildlife encounters that will happen and how they can coexist, people & animals.
And to further my point, and add more reading material, here is an article from @TODAYonline on an increase in macaque sightings around Punggol. https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/punggol-residents-see-more-macaques-near-new-housing-project-human-feeding-likely-cause
