Guest guest Posted July 2, 2004 Report Share Posted July 2, 2004 ***************************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/news/story.asp?file=/2004/7/2/nation/8349801 & sec=nation ________________________ Friday July 2, 2004 Heron surprise near landfill BY TAN CHENG LI RAWANG: The Selayang landfill might be closed to protect a newly discovered heron breeding site, believed to be the largest in Selangor and the second largest in the peninsula. Selangor executive councillor for Tourism, Health and Consumer Affairs Datuk Dr Lim Thuang Seng said the heronry near the Bandar Tasik Puteri residential estate was worth preserving because it was an important bird nesting ground and had tourism potential. “It & #8217;s amazing to see so many birds here. It should be developed as an eco-tourism project to complement other sites in Selangor,” he told reporters during a site visit yesterday. Surveys by the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) showed that 43 bird species & #8211; of which 28 are totally protected & #8211; inhabit the area at an old mining pond. Two totally protected species, the Malayan black-crowned night heron and the purple heron, breed there. Lim feared that polluting leachate from the landfill adjacent to the pond might kill fish that the birds depend upon. He said the dump, in use since 1996, would be closed once an alternative location was found. Lim said the breeding ground was also threatened by proposed housing development in surrounding land. He said talks would be held with the Selayang council on the matter. Meanwhile, the Selangor Department of Wildlife Protection and National Parks has proposed to the Gombak District Land Office that the site be gazetted as a bird sanctuary. Department director Habsah Muda said signs prohibiting hunting would be put up. The MNS estimated that the site hosted some 500 black-crowned night heron, making it the second biggest heron breeding site in the peninsula after the one in Kuala Gula, Perak. MNS executive officer Andrew Sebastian urged for immediate protection of the site to prevent poaching. “Enforcement by wildlife officers should be stepped up because this place is highly accessible. Eco-tourism can help protect the site but it must be properly planned.” <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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