Poaching of Straw-headed Bulbul
Posted by admin on 11 December 06, Monday
Contributed by - see article -
The Straw-headed Bulbul (Pycnonotus zeylanicus) is a popular cage bird valued for its “glorious bubbling song.” The 1994 Singapore Red Data book designated the bird as “vulnerable” as the birds were regularly trapped for the songbird trade. It was then known that small populations existed in a number of locations on the main island, with the largest concentration of an estimated 60 birds in Pulau Ubin.
Since then the population of this bulbul has increased, thanks to the success of the Singapore Government’s Garden City Campaign. I have even seen them in my garden in the Bukit Timah area.
There was a study on the distribution of the bird in Singapore in the late 1990s by T.G. Tan who submitted the thesis to the University College London. This was followed by another study by Dr Ho Hua Chew on its distribution in Pulau Ubin.
On 16th November 2005 Dr Ho gave a talk on his study of the Straw-headed Bulbul in Pulau Ubin. He reported that the bird was doing relatively well in the offshore island. 
A review by “Mr Budak” entitled “Living on the Edge: The Straw-headed Bulbul in Pulau Ubin,” highlighted Dr Ho’s findings in the blog on 18th November as follows:
“…the Straw-headed Bulbul, which has found a safe haven in Singapore’s wooded areas, in particular Pulau Ubin. Remarkably, there is no record of this species in Singapore prior to 1951, and even till to 1970s, the bulbul was not known to be common, even on Ubin. A bird survey in 1992 counted 50 birds on Ubin, which fell to 30 in 2000. However, the population rebounded to about 32 breeding pairs in 2001, whilst the mainland recorded an estimate of 76-93 birds.
“…The bulbul’s rich, melodious song, described as liquid gold, is more often heard than the bird itself, and has led to the species’ disappearance from of its former range. Once found throughout the Sunda Shelf from Burma to Borneo, the bulbul is now believed to be extinct in peninsular Thailand and Java and near extinction in Sumatra. …Habitat destruction… is one reason for this fate, but the widespread practice of trapping songbirds for the pet trade is thought to be a significant factor in the bird’s rarity, a fate shared by the once common White-rumped Sharma (Copsychus malabaricus). The bulbul is now classified under the CITES Division 2, which allows for trapping and trade of the species under specified permits and quotas.”
The Straw-headed Bulbul has never been a popular cage-bird in Singapore. But this does not mean that poaching of this bulbul does not exist here, as seen in an earlier posting by an individual using decoy birds (above).
We all know that the Straw-headed Bulbul is now common in Singapore, especially in the island of Pulau Ubin. With its populations in Thailand and Indonesia drastically depleted due to poaching, poachers are now naturally targetting Peninsula Malaysia and Singapore. And due to such poaching activities, most birds at Mandai and Choa Chu Kang have disappeared, as with the birds in Pulau Ubin, where information on its distribution is commonly available.
Our bird specialist R. Subaraj has recently unearthed a well-organised effort at poaching of this bulbul, coordinated purportedly by a prominent local bird dealer. And according to his source, many birds have already been poached and the birds already sent to waiting buyers in Sumatra.
Thus unless we do something to stop this activity, and stop it fast, the future of the Straw-headed Bulbul in Singapore looks bleak.
NOTE: Any member of the public who witnesses wildlife poaching in progress can contact the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) during office hours as follows :
AVA Wildlife Regulatory Branch:
Ms Lye Fong Keng - Tel : 6325 7349
Other contacts in the same branch include:
Mr Gerald Neo - Tel : 6325 7290
Ms Yvonne Low - Tel : 6325 7626
After hours or at weekend, we suggests you contact the Police directly. Inform the Police of the presence of ’suspicious characters’, not mentioning poachers.
References
Ho, H. C. (2001). The Straw-headed Bulbul in Pulau Ubin: its breeding population, distribution and species’ habitat requirements with recommendations for conservation. Msc dissertartion, University of East Anglia, UK.
Lin Yangchen & Ong Kiam Sian (2006). The Straw-headed Bulbul’s legendary song. Nature Watch 14(2) 8-10.
Ng, P. K. L. & Y. C. Wee (1994). The Singapore red data book - Threatened plants and animals of Singapore. Nature Society (Singapore). 343 pp.
Madoc, G. C. (1956). An introduction to Malayan birds. Malayan Nature Society, Kuala Lumpur. (revised ed.)
Tan, T. G. (2001). Population distribution of Straw-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus zeylanicus in Singapore and strategies for conservation. MSc dissertation, University College London, UK.
Images of the bulbul by Chan Yoke Meng.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. |
Categories: Illegal-Irresponsible
Comment by Anonymous
Made Monday, 11 of December , 2006 at 12:49 am
I applaud the easy access to authorities information put up on this blog.Sadly i have my reservation about the effectiveness of the agency in question.The last time my friends and i gave them (AVA) information on poaching of hanging parrots,squirrels and waterhen off Jln Asas and Mandai Road,I have yet to see any action taken.I still see the same group of poachers there with their decoy birds and traps when i do my weekly birding.Do the authorities actually apprehend these poachers or do they just visit,look around and walk off when there’s no poachers to be found?(as implied in the posting ‘poaching of great billed heron’)I wonder if they actually do stakeouts and ambush these poachers.Howelse do they plan to nab these poachers?
I hope they do not think that this is actually a small issue.Birds are everywhere.They are all the same.Maybe if more complains come their way will they then start cracking up..Hmm..
Comment by Serene
Made Monday, 11 of December , 2006 at 9:08 am
One possible reason: The officers in charge are not nature lovers so they do not take poaching seriously.
Nature lovers can help by avoiding disclosure of the locations of those birds (roosting/nesting spots) that are in demand.
Comment by Anonymous
Made Monday, 11 of December , 2006 at 4:31 pm
I guess there is some kind of apathy when it comes to action of such kind. Perhaps it might be too troublesome for the authorities, individuals that are just “playing safe” in the agency and other official documentation or red tape that might make action difficult.
However, I do agree with the 1st anonymous guy that perhaps the more complaints or informants there are, the more difficult they are to ignore.
Such issues should be brought up to the public, to the young, to the nature lovers. Not all nature lovers love nature so much that they risk their own well-being for it. Proactiveness must be encouraged and supported.
Pingback by Bird Ecology Study Group » Encounter with a poacher’s trap at Changi
Made Tuesday, 8 of May , 2007 at 5:56 am
[...] mata putih, meanging white eye. Does this attempt at trapping the bird indicates that there is a well-organised syndicate at large as suggested earlier? The bird is getting common and actively breeding (1,2,3). Trapping [...]
