Guest guest Posted September 16, 2003 Report Share Posted September 16, 2003 ***************************Advertisement*************************** eCentral - Your Entertainment Guide http://www.star-ecentral.com ***************************************************************** This message was forwarded to you by yitzeling. Comment from sender: This article is from The Star Online (http://thestar.com.my) URL: http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2003/9/16/features/6136534 & sec=f\ eatures ________________________ Tuesday September 16, 2003 Raising the tapir & #8217;s profile INITIALLY confused by the different names of the animal, local graduate Siti Khadijah Abd Ghani soon realised that little is known about the Malay tapir and decided to raise the profile of the mammal. “Called cipan, badak tampung and tenuk, among other names, I thought they were all different animals,” recalls the local project coordinator of the Malay Tapir Project. An entomology graduate from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Siti & #8217;s focus switched to the tapir as she wanted to study big mammals. The opportunity came when she met Patricia Medici, chairperson of the World Conservation Union & #8217;s Tapir Specialists Group. “Patricia helped raise funds to enable me to attend the First International Tapir Symposium in Costa Rica. The experience was an eye-opener,” says Siti who was overwhelmed by the international exposure and encouraged by the commitment shown towards her research project. Subsequently, Siti registered with Universiti Sains Malaysia for her Masters degree research project entitled Wildlife Ecology and Management Using Radio-collared Tapir to gauge the home-range of the species. The Malay Tapir Project is based at Bukit Rengit in the Krau Wildlife Reserve, southwest Pahang. It began last August with funding from the Copenhagen Zoo in collaboration with the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan). Siti is assisted by wildlife ecologist Dr Carl Traeholt, the project & #8217;s international coordinator. <b>Monetary woes</b> The project got off the ground with a provision of RM50,000 from Copenhagen Zoo, a budget that is barely sufficient for staff allowances and acquiring equipment. Two cameras have been installed at the Bayek and Wan Bulan saltlicks in the 63,000ha reserve to study the frequency and time of tapir visits. Due to limited funds, the project is currently operating with two coordinators and an orang asli guide. It could do with two more rangers and another research assistant. The staff shortage hinders data collection. “There are always technical problems and we don & #8217;t have extra money for contingencies,” laments Traeholt. He says additional funding will propel the project ahead. Unpredicted expenses are to be expected in conservation projects. The project now has to squeeze the rental of a micro-light aircraft into its tight budget as it could no longer detect its sole collared animal using ground radio receiver. The female tapir was fixed with a transmitter collar last October when she was captured in a pitfall (a plywood-lined 2m-deep hole commonly used to capture tapirs) at the Wan Bulan saltlick. The next day, the animal was located about 1,000m from the capture site. Since her release, she has ranged over 24sqkm, which is further than what was expected. However, the team lost track of her when radio signals died out in April. By taking to the air, the team hopes that the wider radio signal range will help locate the animal. Traeholt says with radio-telemetry, the project will be able to get an accurate picture of the tapir home-range and its preferred habitat. The team hopes to collar at least 10 animals. <b>Management plan</b> With pledges of renewed funding from the Copenhagen Zoo, the project is likely to be expanded. “We & #8217;re looking at breeding, translocation and reintroduction in the future. It is obvious that we don & #8217;t know enough about tapirs,” says the zoo vice-director Bengt Holst. He adds that the cooperation and involvement of Perhilitan is crucial for continuity of the project when the Danish sponsorship ends. The project, which is expected to be renewed after the first phase of three years, will generate baseline data to assist Perhilitan in formulating a long-term management plan. The plan should identify conservation hotspots, recommend the establishment of a sanctuary and a tapir status review to achieve conservation goals. Traeholt says the project also aims to strengthen a local unit led by Perhilitan, adding that interest in research could be harnessed locally as well as from the international research community. Based on initial findings, Traeholt estimates that the southern zone of Krau shelters fewer than 20 tapirs. There have been reports of tapirs intruding into plantations and orang asli villages. Where development pressure such as conversion of forest into agriculture plots and roads accelerate habitat fragmentation, the project proposes the relocation of displaced tapirs to the Krau reserve. “Isolated populations with one or two individuals would be doomed,” says Traeholt. Perhilitan research and conservation division director Siti Hawa Yatim concurs with Traeholt that something needs to be done with displaced tapirs. She pledges to work with the project in identifying tapir hotspots and translocating them to safer areas. Obviously, a translocation protocol will be needed to ensure that the animals do not die during relocation, which was what happened to one captured male at Bukit Cerakah, Selangor in June. Left unattended in a pitfall for several days, the animal died when it reached the Malacca Zoo. <p> ________________________ Your one-stop information portal: The Star Online http://thestar.com.my http://biz.thestar.com.my http://classifieds.thestar.com.my http://cards.thestar.com.my http://search.thestar.com.my http://star-motoring.com http://star-space.com http://star-jobs.com http://star-ecentral.com http://star-techcentral.com 1995-2003 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Star Publications is prohibited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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