Guest guest Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 ***************************Advertisement*************************** ***************************************************************** 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=/2005/5/25/nation/11030302 & sec=nation ________________________ Wednesday May 25, 2005 No danger of killing off snakes <b>BY SIRA HABIBU</b> JITRA: Nature lovers are over-reacting to the Wildlife Department & #146;s move to issue licences to catch snakes & #150; that is the view of snake catchers. Snake catcher Norizan Ahmad, 36, said there was no danger of the snakes becoming extinct because snake catchers in Kedah used traditional methods to catch the reptiles. & #147;It is not possible for us to wipe out the snake population because we are not using high technology to catch the snakes by the thousands, & #148; he said when met on Monday. Furthermore, he added, the time for hunting the reptiles was limited & #150; ideally from noon to around 1pm. & #147;They are usually out of their burrows during this period. Locating snakes beyond this time is quite difficult, & #148; said the part-time snake catcher, who works as a lorry driver. Norizan & #150; popularly known as Bob Janggut (Bearded Bob) & #150; said the farmers welcomed snake catchers into their fields because they wanted help in controlling snakes. & #147;Too many snakes can scare off farm workers. & #148; Earlier this month, the department announced it was offering licences to catch ular senduk (cobra), ular tedung selar (King Cobra) and ular sawa (python). Sahabat Alam Malaysia and the Malaysia Nature Society have objected to the move, pointing out that the snakes listed are protected species and also that over-harvesting of these reptiles could harm farmers financially as it would lead to a rise in rat numbers. It is learnt that not many people have taken up the department & #146;s offer. Norizan explained that the demand for cobra and python meat had dropped greatly because of the bird flu scare as snakes preyed on chicken. Pointing to a 1.5kg cobra he had spent over an hour hunting down, he said it would fetch just around RM20. & #147;And I & #146;ll have to sell it quickly to a licensed buyer because the weight of snakes can drop by 100g a day when they are in captivity. & #147;The longer I wait, the less money I get, & #148; he added. <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 1995-2004 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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