(MY) letters on wildlife

[Guest guest]

Tuesday December 6, 2005 - The Star

 

Punish and deter

 

I am writing in response to Hilary Chiew's article Wildlife endangered

(StarTwo, Nov 22). As clearly demonstrated in the article, the law's

symbolic adherence to the protection of wildlife is not enough. We

need a more vigorous response. Essential safeguards should include the

monitoring of the granting of Special Permits. The whole process must

be made transparent to ensure accountability. Offenders need to be

punished and the sentence must commensurate with the gravity of the

offence.

 

But all this remains inadequate unless there is a genuine commitment

to prosecute transgressors and such zeal can only come through

education on the importance of protecting wildlife. And the right

starting point of such education should be our very own lawmakers, law

enforcers and law adjudicators.

 

Brinda Diana, Petaling

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday December 6, 2005

 

 

Open to abuse

 

I refer to your article Wildlife endangered (StarTwo, Nov 22).

Wildlife should be regarded with respect and treated well. What of

animals in captivity, such as those in theme parks and private zoos?

Are they to be an everyday spectacle, made to perform tricks to amuse

us?

 

Imagine if you were taken far away from your home, placed in a small

confined space where people watch your every move from morning till

night, poked at, and made to perform tricks that are uncomfortable or

even painful.

 

If you weren't tough enough, you could become paranoid or even suffer

a mental breakdown. Do theme parks and private zoos provide

psychiatric services to their star attractions then?

 

Some people may say that my imagination is working overtime, but think

about it. Animals have nerve endings, don't they? Therefore, they can

feel pain just like us. Mammals such as dolphins, chimpanzees and

orang utans are intelligent too.

 

So what's this strange exception in wildlife protection called the

Special Permit under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972?

 

How could we be a signatory to Cites if our country has this exception

in its wildlife protection laws? It defeats the purpose of stringent

laws and enforcement. The situation is exacerbated by the absence of a

monitoring mechanism for animals kept under the Special Permit. The

applicant is issued a Special Permit after giving a convincing reason

to keep a totally protected endangered animal, but nobody is entrusted

with the responsibility of checking to see if the owner is keeping his

charge in a proper manner.

 

The Wildlife Department should seriously consider setting up a

monitoring system. We haven't even gone into the smuggling and illegal

possession of totally protected endangered species yet.

 

If we want our children to learn about animals, they should do so by

observing them in the wild where they belong. In this way, much can be

learnt about their natural behaviour, lifecycle and functions in the

ecosystem where they belong.

 

In captivity, these animals are forced to adapt to cramped artificial

surroundings and may exhibit altered behaviour as a result of stress.

This is why it is important to preserve our national parks and forest

reserves, as they are the real homes of our flora and fauna.

 

It would even be better if pristine forests and coral reefs are

gazetted as new national parks. It's still not too late to learn from

our mistakes and step up conservation initiatives.

 

Khor Hui Min, Kuala Lumpur