TAYLOR’S UNIVERSITY

UCM60203U3103069

Biodiversity Project Report

Taylor’s University, No. 1, Jalan Taylor’s,

47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor D. E., Malaysia

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Location: Zoo Negara

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Course: SABD Name of Project Leader & group members 1. Lim Joe Onn (0318679) (L) 2. Evelin Devina (0322176) 3. Ong Seng Peng (0319016) 4. Rajan Kulandaya (317164) 5. Ng Hong Bin (0319735)

C 1.1 Background on Zoo Negara

Zoo Negara is the first national zoo in Malaysia.

Built on 110 acres of land in Ulu Klang, near Taman Melawati, North-East Kuala Lumpur, Zoo Negara was officially opened on 14 November 1963, a project initiated by Malaysia’s first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman.

Once set in virgin jungle, the place now stands like an oasis amidst a concrete jungle. It emphasizes on four main areas: Conservation, Education, Research, and Recreation. Zoo Negara is a popular family destination and a valuable resource for all visitors from within Malaysia and overseas. It’s a home for 5,137 animals of 459 different species. Over the years, the zoo has transformed itself to an open concept zoo with over 90% of its animals kept in spacious exhibits with landscape befitting its nature.

The paths meandering between wooded groves and tree lined in the zoo are well-planned to allow visitors to walk while enjoying the lush landscaping while observing the animals. The animals kept in the zoo mostly are local which is very informative for tourists regarding the indigenous animal life in Malaysia.

Timeline

2 January 1962 - The founding and management of the National Zoo was officially registered. The discussions and investigations were based on the assumption of the Government would not be able to provide a substantial sum of money to support the project. At that time, the Zoological Society was recommended by the working party that they should be set-up to finance and administer the zoo. It meant they could organize the zoo and a small area with animals in conventional cages in the early stages. Once they have enough capital, they can develop more for Zoo Negara.

14 November 1963 - Y.T.M. Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj opened the National Zoological officially. However, ‘Zoo Negara’ means National Zoo whilst its location was 8 miles from the city center is considered too far away from the city, so many people criticized the establishment of the zoo at the beginning.

1970 - An approach was made to the Federal Government for financial assistance. As Zoo Negara received the fund that agreed to provide by the Federal Government, the society decided to construct and additional 22 acres of land to build Aquarium Negara.

1989 - The visit of the Minister of Science, Technology and Environment was started and Y.B. Datuk Amar Stephen Yong presented the year’s grant of RM 1,625 million for the zoo’s development purposes.

14 November 1966 - Zoo Negara received its one millionth visitors after three years from its grand opening. At that time, the zoo was a regular stopping point on the itinerary for visitor to Federal Capital and it is not unusual to see chartered busses from all over Malaysia parked outside the entrance. Many animals were brought to the zoo to gain even more popularity as the profit of the Zoo Negara keep going up.

1975 - The society and the zoo had a great loss and Patron Y.A.B. Tun Haji Abdul Razak had passed away. However, the appreciated that H.R.H. The Sultan Selangor had agreed to the invitation to continue as the Patron-In-Chief of the Malaysian Zoological Society.

1.2 Importance of Zoo Negara and its significance in sustaining biodiversity.

Involvement and consciousness of Malaysian people Managed by a non-governmental organization known as the Malaysian Zoological Society, Zoo Negara is a veteran in the zoo industry standing proudly for 52 years. It received MS ISO 9001:2008 certification in 2007, and is a member of the South East Asian Zoos Association (SEAZA).

Biggest and diverse Aquarium Tunku Abdul Rahman Aquarium inside the zoo the oldest and was biggest aquarium ever built in Malaysia, displaying more than 130 species of aquatic animals of marine and freshwater.

Tourism Gold Award Zoo Negara’s development throughout the years and its growing attendance was honoured as the premier recreational amenity in Malaysia and voted best tourist attraction which earned it the ‘Tourism Gold Award’ for 1988. Prestiged for its breeding successes and conservation programs, Zoo Negara is held in high esteem by zoos worldwide.

First Giant Panda Conservation Centre in Malaysia

On May 21, 2014, the arrival of the giant pandas to Malaysia represents peace and a symbol diplomatic relationship between China and Malaysia for 40 years.

Zoology Research

Zoo Negara provides a conducive learning platform for all. Researchers and students from the Zoology, Biology and Veterinary fields have a variety of choices when conducting their research at the zoo as there are more than 400 species to study on. Everyone is welcomed to enter its doors of knowledge.

Training and development of other zoos

Zoo Negara strives to provide the very best in assisting other zoos in Malaysia through its vast knowledge and experience in the field of wildlife management. Furthermore, they are actively involved in the national and international zoological community thereby contributing to Malaysia's overall national development.

Education

Zoo Negara founders believe that education is the major factor in increasing awareness on wildlife conservation. Zoo Negara is an open classroom for young minds to learn and nurture their interest and care for wildlife. Notably, with higher awareness of the young about our nature richness, more actions will be done to protect it.

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-Select 6 different species from your trip and include the photos for all the selected species.

Animal 1: MALAYAN TIGER

The Malayan tiger is a smaller-sized subspecies of tiger found throughout Malaysia and parts of Thailand. It is endangered but one of the more numerous wild tiger species.

They have a gestation period of 3 months and can live up to 10-15 years.

Photo of a Malayan tiger (Ng, 2016)

Scientific Classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Carnivora

Family: Felidae

Genus: Panthera

Species: P. tigris

Subspecies: P.t.jacksoni

Physical Characteristics

The Malayan tiger is the smallest tiger of all the subspecies. Male adults only weigh around 120 kilograms while females are slightly lighter at an average 100 kilograms. The male’s length from head to tail is roughly 235cm while females are a bit shorter at approximately 200cm long.

Their striped fur is orange, black and white in colour. Sharp claws and teeth enable these tigers to tear and rip their prey apart.

Origin of Species

Tigers, lions and leopards are classified as part of the Felidae family of cats. These felines share a common ancestor. Around 2 million years ago, one branch of Felidae migrated east into Asia and evolved into the tigers we know today.

These tigers establish their new habitats in Asia as glacial fluctuations and geographic boundaries made it difficult for tigers to return to Africa. Tigers did not disperse westward to India until 16,000 years ago. The spread of tigers to Southeast Asia resulted in new species of tigers that are smaller-sized including the Sumatran tiger and Malayan tiger. This is due to lack of large-sized predators in dense tropical rainforests.

The Malayan tiger was once thought to be the same as the Indochinese tiger, a larger tiger species found in the northern parts of Southeast Asia, and it was only recently that the two were classified as separate subspecies. (Melina, 2010)

Geographic Range

The Malayan tiger is found mostly in the southern and central parts of the Malay Peninsula with its range extending into Southern Thailand. They are found inhabiting the less-dense forests where there is ample food supply.

Tiger signs were reported from agricultural areas outside forests in Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Johor. Most of the major rivers that drain into the South China Sea such as the Sungai Pahang and Sungai Kemaman had evidence of tigers, whereas those draining into the Straits of Malacca in the west of the peninsula did not. Due to rapid development and heavy urbanisation, wild tigers were not reported in the Klang Valley and states of Melaka and Penang.

The Malayan Peninsula is a place with tropical and subtropical broadleaf forests. As tigers prefer to stay concealed in the dense greenery, these are ideal conditions for the Malayan tiger, as they surreptitiously stalk their prey and retreat back into seclusion. They also appear in riparian zones, which are interfaces between land and river.

Habitats where wild tigers spawn are valuable ecosystems that provide vital services to humans, such as carbon sequestration, hydrological balance, pollination services, protection from natural disasters and soil erosion. About 71% of the tiger landscapes lie in one of the designated 25 biodiversity hotspots of the world.

Behaviour

Malayan tigers are dominant and carnivorous predators, hunting its prey by stalking it until the opportunity to catch it off guard. They primarily hunt larger mammals including deer, wild boar, cattle and goats.

These tigers occur at extremely low density. They are solitary animals occurring at less than 2 per 100 square kilometre. Territories sometimes overlap and males do contest their territory. It is highly unlikely that a male will attack a female with cubs.

Female tigers become adults when they are 3 years of age, which is a year ahead of the males. Mating is more frequent between November and March but the cause is still unknown. After a gestation period of around 103 days, a litter of 2-3 cubs are born. New-born tiger cubs weigh around exposed to meals of raw meat. The cubs depend on their mother for the first 18 months before hunting on their own. When they are 3 years old, they will leave their mother’s territory.

Communication and Perception

Malayan tigers use body language to express fear, contentment, and aggressiveness and so on. An aggressive tiger displays twisted ears that shows the back of the ears to the front, a lashing tail, wide-open eyes and an agape mouth. If the tiger gets defensive, the ears will lie down flat, the teeth will be bared, the eyes narrowed into thin slits and the tail low. Oppositely, if the tiger is relaxed, the tail and ears will be upright.

Malayan tigers are capable of making impressively loud roars that can be heard for more than 3 kilometres. A tiger will roar to warn other tigers that may be a threat to their mating partner or their territory. This strong roar may also serve as an invitation to potential mates wanting to know where a female that is ready and willing to mate may be living. Scent-rich urine is also used to mark their own territory. (tigers.org.za, n.d.)

Role In Ecosystem

As a keystone species, the tiger plays an essential role in the health of the ecosystem it lives in. As the top predator on top of the food chain, it determines the populations of its prey species. Most of the tiger prey species are herbivores which in turn control the vegetation within the ecosystem of tropical rainforests. The decline of large predators leads to over-abundance of herbivores such as deer, which in turn has repercussions on tree regeneration and seed dispersal. Such effects reverberate through the food web, causing long-term changes in flora and fauna. This justifies the Malayan tiger’s significance as the apex of the overall ecological system in our tropical rainforests. (wn.com, n.d.)

The overall ecology is imbalance if the population of tiger declines to a low level. Thus, affecting all life within the ecosystem. This may result in disease and fast natural local extinction rate among multiple species. The Malayan tiger can be described as the protector of all animals and vegetation in its domain, justifying its term as the ‘King of the Jungle’.

Current Status and Causes of Endangerment

Due to rapid deforestation and hunting by human poachers, the Malayan tiger is considered to be an endangered species. New estimates suggest that the current wild Malayan tiger population is between 600 and 800 individuals, making it one of the more numerous tiger species. (a-z-animals.com, n.d.)

The Malayan tiger qualifies for listing as ‘Critically Endangered (CR)’ under criterion C1 because the best available evidence indicates that the number of mature individuals is likely less than 250 animals and has declined more than 25% in one generation. Repeated studies of Malayan tiger populations suggest that over one generation exist only in these two areas: Gunung Basor Forest Reserve and Taman Negara. In these areas, the density estimates declination of at least 50% and 90%, respectively. (Clements et al. 2011)

Conversion of natural forests within forest reserves to rubber plantations increased fifteen times from 2005 to 2012, threatening Malayan tigers as their natural habitat is loss. Deforestation especially in states of Kelantan and Pahang and the construction of the Kenyir Dam in Terengganu became key factors of the drastic decline in tiger populations due to disruption of the ecological system. Growing demand for illegal tiger parts among the Chinese population poses as a strong threat to these tigers as well.

Malayan tigers were also hunted for their valuable fur, making them threatened by illegal commercial trade. Prey based depletion were considered a leading threat across much of their range. Their principle prey animals such as the deers and wild boars were excessively hunted, starving the tigers in the jungle. Due to its size and power, humans are the sole threat to Malayan tigers, hunting them down and destroying their habitat.

Animal 2: BORNEAN ORANGUTAN The name orangutan means "man of the forest" in the Malay language. They are highly intelligent species and share as much as 96.4% of our genetic makeup with us. Orangutans have shown intelligence by using common routes and showing the ability to back track to their original route if need be.

Photo of a Bornean orangutan (Ng, 2016)

Scientific Classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Primates

Family: Hominidae

Genus: Pongo

Species: Pygmaeus

Physical Characteristics

Their hair is typically reddish-brown. Males and females differ in size and appearance. The Sumatera Orangutans have distinctive cheek pads that intimidate their rivals while Borneon Orangutans have no distinctive physical differences between male and female. Younger males do not have these characteristics and resemble adult females.

Origin of Species

Orangutans in general are originate from the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, both islands are tropical near to the equator. They are highly intelligent and share as much as 96.4% of our genetic makeup. The common ancestor of humans and orangutans is thought to have lived around 14 million years ago.

Male Orangutans can weigh to 90 kg, while females weigh between 30-50 kg. Orangutans have an enormous arm span. They could stretch up to 2 meters of arms from fingertip to fingertip, longer than his standing height around 1.5 meters. When orangutans do stand, their hands nearly touch the ground. Orangutans spend much of their time in the forest, hence their arms are well suited to their lifestyle.

Geographic Range

The islands of Borneo and Sumatra have vast mountain ranges. Orangutans are rarely seen in elevations that exceed 1000 meters. Orangutans, in fact, were once distributed widely across Southeast Asia, roaming as far north as southern China, and as far south as the Indonesian island of Java. But today, Asia's great ape is confined to just two islands, Borneo and Sumatra. (WWF) Orangutans exist at the place where the waterways exist nearby. They are more frequently seen in peat swamp forests where it is situated right behind the coastline and extend inland along major river systems. Their habitat indicate regions where most of food is available.

Behaviour

Orangutans have shown intelligence by using common routes and showing the ability to back track to their original route. Orangutans are more solitary than other apes. Males are loners.

Orangutans have the longest childhood of any wild animal in the world. Usually it takes 6 to 7 years for a young orangutans to develop the skills to survive their own. In the mean time they will be staying with their mother. Orangutans are long-lived animals. They can live up to 60 years, however they only gives birth once every eight years.

Communication and Perception

As mentioned that Orangutans are loner, they are relatively protective. To ensure their solitary, they will make plenty of loud calls to ensure that other species stay out of thier way. The "long call" can be heard as far as 2 kilometres away. However, their howl may also use by the male Orangutans to attract the females Orangutans during the mating season.

Role in Ecosystem

Orangutans are mentioned as the “umbrella species” as they are vital to efficient in-situ conservation efforts. Because of the roaming behavior of foraging orangutans, each orangutan requires a large

amount of space. An orangutan spends most of its time venturing in the woods, searching the canopy for food sources. In Borneo, the productivity of fruit is relatively low. Due to this, orangutan density is lower than in Sumatra where fruits are more abundant. Orangutans are solitary animals and do not live together in large social groups, further adding to their need for large home ranges.

The ecology and behavior of this great ape makes protecting large areas of forest key to successful orangutan conservation. Since the majority of other species can live sustainably within the large areas of forest needed for the survival of orangutan populations, by protecting orangutans many other species are also being protected. Forest species richness and quality also positively correlates with orangutan density. To sum up, by protecting the orangutans, others species can be benefits as well. (Hull, 2016)

Current Status and Causes of Endangerment

As the orang-utan's range has decreased so have its numbers. It is estimated there were around 230,000 orangutans during a century ago, 4 times more than the population today. Both Bornean and Sumatran Orangutans have experienced sharp population declines. Orangutans are highly dependent on trees for their habitation, which is the main reason why their population is decreasing when the deforestation activities are so rampant. Activities such as illegal hunting also has placed them in the danger of extinction. Orangutans are vulnerable to predators such as leopards, crocodiles and tigers. However, tigers are the number one predator among all. Also, leopards can kill orangutan adolescents and small adult females, but killing of adult males are yet to be observed. If compared to Sumatran orangutans, Bornean orangutans, have a smaller risk of being hunted by natural predators. Therefore, they can be seen more frequently on the ground than their Sumatran counterparts. Female orangutans remain high up due to smaller size Orangutans lost their habitat as tropical rainforests are logged down to make paper and furniture and the land is sacrificed for palm oil plantation. The lands that are being used to plant palm oil trees reduce the diversity in the forest including the Dipterocarpaceae family forests which the Orangutans rely on as their habitat.

Animal 3: MALAYAN TAPIR

A Malayan tapir is a nocturnal hoofed mammal with a stout body, sturdy limbs, and a short flexible proboscis, native to the forests of Malaysia.

Photo of a Malayan tapir (Lim, 2016)

Scientific Classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Perissodactyla Family: Tapiridae Genus: Tapirus Species: indicus Physical Description They have small eyes and ears. Their body are teadrop shaped which is wider at the rear and tapered at the front. Their noses and upper lips combine into a flexible snout which can be used as a snorkel when underwater. They have 4 toes on each front foot and and 3 toes on each back foot. They range from 250 to 540 kg, with a length of 1.8 to 2.5 m and a height of 0.9 to 1.1 m. Females tend to be larger than males by about 25 to 100 kg. The average lifespan of Malayan tapirs is approximately 30 years. Malayan tapirs put food in their mouths using their noses, just like an elephant.

Origin of species Tapirs share common ancestors with the primitive horse and the rhinoceros. The prehistoric tapirs inhabited Europe, North America and Southeast Asia. The first tapirids, such as Heptodon, appeared in the early Eocene of North America. They appeared very similar to modern forms, but were about half the size. Asian and American tapirs were believed to have diverged around 20 to 30 million years ago. Geographic Range Malayan tapirs are restricted to southern Vietnam, southern Cambodia, southern Myanmar (Burma), the Tak Province of Thailand, the Malayan Peninsula, and Sumatra south of the Toba Highlands. Habitat Malayan tapirs are forest dwellers which live in rain forests, jungles, primary forests, secondary forests, mature rubber plantations and forest edges. Behavior Malayan tapirs are conspecifics and demonstrate crepuscular rather than completely nocturnal activity in undisturbed forests. They may form groups in times of food shortage. Their personalities vary from solitary to social and from tame to aggressive. Individuals maintain regular patterns of sleep during the day and activity during the evening or night. In addition, Malayan tapirs are good swimmers, they may walk along the bottom of deep rivers, holding their breath for up to 90 seconds. They are agile and are able to climb over small vertical barriers. Communication and Perception The communications of Malayan tapirs are whistles, clicks, and hiccup-like noises, often made in response to fear or pain. They have an acute sense of smell and good hearing with large, round ears. They smell and touch each other during the first meeting. Role in Ecosystem Malayan tapirs are seed dispersers and benefit native plant communities by maintaining the seed predation and dispersal and nutrient recycling of the ecosystem. They transport seeds both by swallowing them and defecating later and by eating fruit and spitting out the seeds. Seed dispersal may be up to a number of kilometers, generating a complex and remote seed shadow, and may disperse large numbers of seeds. Some seeds germinate faster after passing through a tapir gut.

Current Status and Causes of Endangerment Since the year 2003, the Malayan tapir is classified as vulnerable by IUCN due to sharp population decline. Decades ago, the Malayan tapir can be observed throughout the tropical lowland rainforests of Southeast Asia, including most ASEAN nations. However, its numbers have rapidly shrunk in recent years, and today, like all tapirs, it is endangered. The main threat to the Malayan tapirs is human activity, including deforestation for agricultural land clearing projects, the growth of palm oil plantations, flooding caused by the damming of rivers for hydroelectric projects, and illegal trade. Besides, they are hunted for sport in some regions or shot accidentally when mistaken as other types of wild animals. Protected status set by the governments of Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, which seeks to eliminate the killing of tapirs were legislated but does not acknowledge the issue of habitat loss. Thus, little effect can be seen in reviving tapir populations.

Animal 4: MALAYAN SUN BEAR

The Malayan sun bear is a small-sized near native to the forests of Southeast Asia.

Photo Taken of a Malayan sun bear (Lim, 2016) Scientific Classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Ursidae Genus: Helarctos Species: Malayanus Physical Description Above being the smallest bear in its family, Malayan Sun Bear is the smallest among the other sun bears. Average height of an adult male Malayan sun bear is about 4 feet (1.2 m) tall while standing on its hind legs, which is only half of an American black bear average size and can weigh up to 140 pounds (70 kg) Malayan sun bears physical being are covered with black smooth and short fur, exempting golden patch in U shape on their chest. They are aided with long claws with sickle shape on their four feet which are extremely long (can grow up to 6 inches) to allow them to dig for honey and grubs which then they lick up using their long tongues.

Origin of species These bears evolved from Ursidae, the ancestor of bears who are believed to live 20-25 million years ago. They are close relatives with Asiatic and American black bears.

Geographic Range Sun bears can still be found in Southeast Asia, to the West as far as Bangladesh and northeastern India, North until southern Yunnan Province in China, and down South in Sumatra and Borneo. Nowadays, in Southern China, Burma, Malaysia, Laos, Sumatra, Vietnam, Sumatra, Borneo, and Cambodia tropical rainforest, they are getting much lesser, very patchily occurs through much of its former range. Reports of their sightings in Nepal are erroneous while their distribution in Myanmar and Yunnan are unknown. Even though sun bears are not reported in much further North into China, their fossils from the Pleistocene era had been found around the area. The lower abundance of sun bears was apparent from the historical times, which is suspected that their decreasing numbers may be a natural gradient, unrelated to human exploitation.

Habitat Living in altitudes as high as 2000 metres above sea level, the Malayan sun bear inhabits both primary and logged, dense Southeast Asian tropical forests, including tropical evergreen rainforest, montane forest and swamp habitat. (Wildscreen Arkive, 2016)

Behavior Malayan sun bears are nocturnal creatures, explaining the fact that they are not active during daytime during the visit to Zoo Negara. Their diet includes fruits, berries, and roots and sometimes insects, lizards, rodents, small mammals and birds as well. Through foraging, they might damage coconut palm, banana, and cocoa plantations. Communication and Perception Like other bear species, sun bears have a keen sense of smell. They tend to use their senses of smell and touch to find and manipulate food. They use olfactory cues to find potential mates and use some vocalization. (Nowak, 1997) Their eyesight is not very good as they are nocturnal, which is why smell is the most important sensory media for them. Role in Ecosystem In certain regions, sun bears are important in seed dispersal. In a study of the Malayan sun bear in Borneo, one sample of these bear feces was found to contain 309 seeds of different plants. They also impact the colonial insect populations that they prey on. (McConkey and Galetti, 1999)

Current Status and Causes of Endangerment

Malayan sun bears have recently been re-classified as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, primarily due to the continued destruction of its habitat. Habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation of the sun bear’s tropical hardwood forest habitat is a huge threat to the Malayan sun bear population. This is caused particularly by human encroachment and illegal logging from both within and outside protected areas in order to grow coffee, rubber plants and oil palms. Another threat facing these bears is poaching, even within protected areas, to serve the trade in bear parts. Bear gall bladders and bile products are used in traditional medicines despite the fact that many herbal alternatives are equally beneficial, more readily available, legal and cheaper. Further threats include the capture of sun bears as pets and the killing of bears due to increasing human-bear conflicts. Catastrophic events such as fire and drought have also been having an impact on sun bear populations, causing a decrease in suitable habitat and food availability, resulting in many bears suffering from starvation. As a result of this ongoing habitat loss and excessive human-caused mortality, many sun bear populations have already become extinct. (Wildscreen Arkive, 2016) Habitat destruction has been the primary reason of the Malayan sun bear. Their habitat has been wiped out due to logging and conversion of land to agriculture. Furthermore, due to site clearance, logging roads create easier access for poachers into the woods. Consequently, with the loss of home and food, they approach the villages to search for food but instead, get shot or trapped by angry farmers. The demand for bear products is the greatest threat to all bears. Traditional Asian medicine prescribes bear fat, gall, meat, paws, spinal cord, blood, and bones for complaints ranging from baldness to rheumatism. Bear entrees are popular in restaurants, and sun bear paws are favored in Taiwan for soup. People are willing to pay for sun bear galls which cost 18 times more than the price of gold, fueling the greed of hunters. In some places, the mother bears were killed by humans in order to obtain their young cubs as pets.

Animal 5: MALAYAN GHARIAL Malayan gharials are large fish-eating crocodiles with narrow stouts that widen at the nostrils native to Southern and Southeast Asia.

Photo of a Malayan gharial (Lim, 2016) Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Crocodylia Family: Crocodylidae Genus: Tomistoma Species: Schelegeli Physical Description Malayan gharials have long, narrow snouts filled with 76-84 sharp pointed teeth. Its steamlined body is continued with a long tail. Laid on top of its head are its eyes and nostril, and a palatal valve that prevents water from entering its throat while its underwater. Commonly, its length range from 4-5m or even larger and weighs from 93-201 kg. Females are shorter and lighter than males. Its skin varies from chocolate brown to dark with black bandings on the tail and body and dark patches on the jaws.

Geographic Range They are found throughout Indonesia, parts of Malaysia (including Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak), and Brunei. Gharial populations are isolated and occur in low densities throughout their range. More significant populations are in Kalimantan and Sumatra, with smaller established populations in Malaysia. The highest density population of Malayan gharials is in Tanjung Puting National Park in Kalimantan. (Foster, 2016) Nowadays, they still can be found in Kalimantan, West Java, and East Sumatra, Malaysia and Brunei. Scientists assume that they cannot be found anymore in Southern Thailand since the 1970s. Tanjung Puting National Park in Kalimantan hosts the highest number of their population. Smaller population can be seen in Sarawak, including the regions of Batang Lupar, Simunjan, and Ensengai. Confimed localities are in Perak river, Selangor swamp, Pahang river, and Tesak Bera Ramsar Site. They are under severe threat as the continuing loss of lowland swamps and increasing urban development. Habitat Lowland, freshwater swamp forests, peat swamps, lakes, flooded forests, blackwater streams and river, and the fringes of rainforests nearby slow-moving rivers are the places where Malayan gharials are likely to live due to its low elevation and acidic, muddy water. Their secondary forests habitat are more defined river channels and banks with higher pH, elevation, and lack of peat mounds. Terrestrial areas are needed for them to bask and nest. (Foster, 2016) Behavior

Unfortunately, their nesting, size, sexual maturity and behaviour, diet, and population demography are little known by scientists as less than 20 wild nests are documented. Their nesting occurs during the dry season and only around 13-41 eggs are laid which are then left to hatch in the late dry season or early wet seasons after 70-80 days of incubation. Their eggs are considered larger compared to other types of crocodilians. Communication and Perception From their mating behaviours, it is assumed that they communicate visually, tactilely and through olfaction. Most crocodilians use a variety of calls to communicate which has not been recorded to be so with Malayan gharials as their mating process is entirely silent. Skin is where the integumentary sense organs are located, covering their tail, body, cloaca, head, jaws, and inner surfaces of the legs. Their sense to detect changes in water pressure caused by the movement of their prey is used for hunting in murky water. (Foster, 2016) Role in Ecosystem

Müller (1838) stated the diet of T. schlegelii comprised fish, monitor lizards (Varanus), waterbirds and mammals. Predation of monkeys by T. schlegelii has been observed (Galdikas and Yeager 1984, Galdikas 1985, Yeager 1991). Stomach contents of juvenile wild T. schleglii included shrimp (Bezuijen et al. 1998) and other invertebrates (Staniewicz and Behler 2010). Current Status and Causes of Endangerment

This species qualifies as Vulnerable as global populations have been reduced, almost certainly by over 30% in the past 75 years / three generations (assuming a generation time of 25 years), principally due to continuing loss and fragmentation of swamp forest over the past three to four decades. It appears unlikely that <2,500 mature individuals remain globally (the IUCN definition for Endangered), as a relatively small number of sites with small subpopulations (e.g. 50 sites each with 50 individuals or 100 sites each with 25 individuals) is required to meet this criterion. The previous IUCN Red List status (vers. 2.3) for this species was Endangered (Crocodile Specialist Group 2000): the current downgrade in global status to Vulnerable does not imply an increase in the global population/range or a reduction in threats, but a more accurate assessment than was previously possible. Nonetheless, it remains possible that T. schlegelii qualifies as globally Endangered, due to ongoing habitat loss and degradation. At the national and/or site level, this is almost certainly the case for some range states, particularly Malaysia. T. schlegelii was accorded the IUCN Red List status of ‘Endangered’ in 1998 at an expert workshop during the 14th Working Meeting of the IUCN SSC Crocodile Specialist Group. Since that time, new survey data for sites in Kalimantan, Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia have become available, enabling a more accurate assessment of global threat status. (IUCN, 2016) Severe and continuing loss of swamp forest habitat throughout the global range of T. schlegelii is the key threat to most wild populations. Loss and fragmentation of swamp forest has been occurring for over three decades throughout Southeast Asia due to large-scale commercial and illegal logging, plantation development (especially the establishment of paper pulp mills and palm oil plantations), forest fires, and deliberate swamp drainage through construction of channels and dykes. Large areas of swamp forest in East, Central and West Kalimantan were destroyed or severely degraded by the El Niño-induced drought of 1997 and 1998 (Stibig et al. 2007). The expansion of oil palm plantations is currently the main driver of loss of swamp forest in Sumatra and Borneo (Stibig et al. 2007). Based on satellite imagery from 2000, almost 45% (>one million hectares) of peat swamp in Peninsular Malaysia and Thailand has been converted to various land uses, and over a million hectares has been converted in Borneo and Sumatra (Yoshino et al. 2010). Across the global range of T. schlegelii, Borneo retains the largest area of peat swamp under natural cover (70-90%), but which is of varying quality and much is degraded (Yoshino et al. 2010). A significant threat appears to be predation of T. schlegelii eggs by the introduced wild pig Sus scrofa; four of seven T. schlegelii nests recorded along one river were predated by this species (Bezuijen et al. 1997). A smaller but potentially significant threat is opportunistic removal of T. schlegelii and eggs from the wild, usually by residents and crocodile farmers. Commercial hunting of T. schlegelii occurred in some regions from the 1950s-1970s and probably contributed to the decline of the species, but no longer occurs. Individuals sometimes drown in fishing nets. In areas with depressed and threatened populations, the continuing low-level removal of mature individuals (e.g. from drowning or capture in fishing gear) may cause disproportionately large impacts; this may be the case along some rivers in southern Sumatra (Bezuijen et al. 2001). Fishing appears to be less of a threat in Sarawak, where fishermen apparently release T. schlegelii caught in fishing gear due to local beliefs that harming the species will bring bad luck or illness.

Animal 6: RHINOCEROUS HORNBILL

The Rhinocerous Hornbill is Southeast Asian in nature with black-and-white plumage and an upturned casque. It is one of largest from the hornbill family in the world. The Rhinoceros Hornbill is the state bird of the Malaysian state of Sarawak and is the country's National Bird.

Photo of a Rhinocerous hornbill in Zoo Negara (Ng, 2016)

Scientific Classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Bucerotiformes Family: Bucerotidae Subfamily: Bucerotinae Genus: Buceros Species: B. rhinoceros Physical Description

Rhinoceros hornbills are 75-90 cm long. Male hornbills are slightly larger than females. They weigh four and a half to six and a half pounds (2.0-3.0 kg). Feathers on the head, back, wings and breast are black with white feathers on the belly and a white tail with a black band through the middle. They possess a

long curved bill with a casque on top. The bill and casque are ivory white tinged with yellow, with bright red coloring at the rear end of the casque. (Denver Zoo, 2016)

Origin Of Species There are 3 main areas where the hornbill species are native in. They originate from the Indomalayan region( species restricted to South-east Asian mainland forests, including parts of South Asia), species in the Sunda shelf forests and species that cultivate in the myriad of island archipelagos. Species in Indonesia and Thailand are the richest with 14 and 13 species respectively. In terms of the geographical range for our chosen species, the Rhinoceros hornbill is found only in the middle of the Malaysian region, and their dispersal borders Thailand as well as Indonesia. The bird can be seen living in tropical and subtropical climates, lowland and montane areas and in mountain rain forests up to 1,400 metres altitude in Borneo, Sumatra, Java, the Malay Peninsula, Singapore, and southern Thailand. Geographic Range

For our chosen species, Rhinoceros Hornbill is found only in the centre of the Malaysian region, and they can be found at the Malaysian borders of Thailand and Indonesia.

Reproduction The male hornbill begins to impress the female by bringing her food roughly a month before mating season. Together, the male and female select a nest hole high up in a tree and set up the nest by plastering up the hole with mud and droppings. The male plasters the hole from outside and the female from inside until only a small opening remains, trapping the female within. The female lays two to three white eggs and remains enclosed in the nest for three months, incubating the eggs and caring for the chicks while the male delivers food to her and to the offsprings. The chicks hatch after 39-45 days. Once the chicks have their first feathers, the female breaks out of the nest chamber and joins the male in providing food for the young. The chicks remain in the nest for about 80 days and then break through the opening. Rhinoceros hornbills are not sexually mature until they are about four years old. (Denver Zoo,2016) Habitat

It is found in lowland and montane, tropical and subtropical climates and in mountain rain forests up to 1,400 metres in altitude

Behavior

Rhinoceros hornbills mainly live off fruits and insects, but may also prey on small reptiles, rodents and smaller birds. Like other hornbills, the adult Rhinoceros Hornbills form breeding pairs and exhibit peculiar nesting habits. The pair build a nest in a hollow tree and seal the opening with mud, faeces and food

remains with the female inside. Only a small hole is left, through which the male passes the female regurgitated food, while the female incubates the eggs. (World Land Trust, 2013)

Communication and Perception The lingo of a Rhinoceros hornbill sounds like a honk. The bird amplifies its honking squawk to communicate. This piercingly brassy vocalization can often be ascertained between pairs and occasionally have a sharper note used for flight take-offs. Role in Ecosystem

Hornbills are both fruit and flesh eaters. They are diverse in their search for food and drop the seeds of the fruits they eat as they go, dispersing them over a wide area. They are thus important seed disseminators within the forests they inhabit, acting as agents of forest regeneration, at the same time as controlling insects and other small animal populations. As such, they can be regarded as indicators of high moist forests, ensuring the continuance of forest health and species richness.

Current Status and Causes of Endangerment Rhinoceros hornbills are listed as near threatened due to loss of habitat, poaching for their feathers and hunting for food. The continued loss of habitat could threaten wild populations in the future. However when ethics is of concern, The Rhinoceros Hornbill was considered as a gift from their deity Gods by the Ibans (A local Dayak tribe of Borneo). The Dayaks in those days believed the Hornbill is the god of war when soaring high up in the sky.

The Dayaks held on to their faith that the beak of Rhinoceros hornbills held mythical powers. The Dayaks’ sacrificed it and took out its beak. Its yellow orange colour beak with a slightly curved out shape, once carved and worn as a necklace, the possesser is capable of mind-control others (as they believed).

The Dayaks believed their weapons made out of hornbill parts are magical and are capable of having high durability fit for battle. As for the clothing today, they are well kept and preserved from generations to generations and to be used only during the most grandest of occasions’ such as marriages and celebrations. Local believes aside, rapid deforestation of vast jungles of Sarawak are the major concern to the population of Rhinoceros hornbills.

E Explain other initiatives taken/ policies introduced by Malaysian government agencies to conserve your chosen species. The species selected exist in regions of high biodiversity. Thus, actions to protect these animals in their natural habitat will automatically lead to global benefits for biological diversity. Conservation of these animals require protection of habitat. To protect them is to reduce forest loss. Malaysia’s Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia helped ensure the auditors of the Malaysian Timber Certification Council check on hunting infringements during field audits on sustainable logging practices. Patrolling is conducted across forest reserves. In July, 2015, several hundred bank accounts of logging companies have been frozen in Sarawak alone. So far this year, the Government of Sarawak has conducted 240 raids on timber camps and companies believed to be linked to illegal logging activities. The Sarawak Forest Department's Director recently indicated that the department had submitted 122 investigation papers to the State Attorney-General's office for further action. In addition, a new law recently passed making it easier to combat illegal logging. Mobile spot checks and static checkpoints are also conducted at the entry points to the landscape to prevent poachers.

Moving on to each separate species, the state governments of Johor and Pahang has been working closely with the Wildlife Conservation Society of Malaysia to initiate a recovery of the tigers and other wildlife in the Endau-Rompin landscape. To address threats to Malayan tigers, the state and federal governments of Malaysia facilitate the following interventions: tiger-friendly land-use planning in the key corridor areas; A robust, continuous, on-the ground anti-poaching effort across the whole Endau-Rompin landscape; Outreach programs with local communities living in and around the Endau-Rompin landscape to increase awareness on protecting the tiger and its prey and; regular monitoring of tiger and prey population numbers to determine the success of the conservation effort. All these efforts are ongoing and will require steady funding to recover Malayan tigers. (Wildlife Conservation Society of Malaysia, 2011)

Funds from the Tiger Conservation Campaign are used to purchase curriculum supplies, salaries of education specialists and transport to ensure commitment and publicity of these efforts. The National Tiger Action Plan for Malaysia 2008-2020 carried out by Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia and Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Malaysia aims to research on tigers and propose initiatives to increase wild tiger populations.

Malaysia has adopted the National Tiger Conservation Action Plan in November 2009, aiming to double the tiger population by 2020. Besides that, the New Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 was passed in the parliament, legislating mandatory imprisonment for poaching of tigers. The Chief Minister of Sarawak, Tan Sri Haji Adenan Bin Satem, issued a video statement which highlights his intention protect orangutans and other fauna and flora located in this biodiverse-rich region in Malaysia. To help achieve that goal, The Wildlife Conservation Society, a global initiative had signed an agreement with the Government of Sarawak to promote and implement conservation projects and activities in various protected areas through scientific research, education, information sharing and capacity building. (WCS, 2011) WCS Malaysia's first efforts to protect orangutans in Sarawak began in 1959 with the work of George Schaller. Since then WCS Malaysia has worked in Batang Ai National Park and Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary Landscape beginning in the early 1990s to the present. In addition to orangutan conservation, WCS works to protect tigers, elephants, and other wildlife, as well as to address logging issues in Peninsular Malaysia. An association called “Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre” in the Malaysian Sabah District of North Borneo was founded in 1964 to rehabilitate orphan orangutans. Today, around 25 young orphaned

orangutans are housed in the nurseries, in addition to those free in the reserve. The facility provides medical care for orphaned and confiscated orangutans as well as dozens of other wildlife species. The rehabilitated orangutans have their diet supplemented by daily feedings of milk and bananas. The additional food supplied by the centre is purposefully designed to be monotonous and boring so as to encourage the apes to start to forage for themselves. Sepilok is considered by the Wildlife Department to be a useful educational tool to educate both the locals and visitors alike, but they are with conditions that the education must not interfere with the rehabilitation process. Visitors are restricted to walkways and are not allowed to approach or handle the apes. In the wild orangutan babies stay with their mothers for up to six years while they are taught the skills they need to survive in the forest, the most important of which is climbing. At Sepilok, a buddy system is used to replace a mother’s teaching. A younger ape will be paired up with an older one to help them to develop the skills they need. The creation of reserve areas minimises the impact of deforestation on orangutans and far fewer young apes become the victim of the illegal pet trade as a result of these ‘sanctuaries’. The Malaysian Government has clamped down on illegal trading, outlawing all such practice and imposing prison sentences on anyone caught keeping them as pets. Whilst some of the orangutans raised as pets can never be returned to the wild, others can be rehabilitated. (World Wildlife Fund, 2012)

To conserve the Malayan tapir, Malaysian government agencies proposed Malay Tapir Conservation Workshop. The main goal of this workshop was to gather, systematize and discuss all the available data and information on Malay tapirs (population demographic parameters, for example: age structure, birth rates, mortality, dispersal, and other biological data, the species current status and distribution, threats to survival across its range, available habitat) and use this information to generate research and establish management options and conservation priorities for the species. The specific objectives are to define the limits of Malay tapir populations in remaining habitats, to determine the status of tapir sub-populations, to determine the threats to tapirs in these sub-populations, to define geographic areas where tapirs have a chance of long-term survival, to prioritize conservation and management actions necessary to save Malay tapirs across these areas, and to develop a communication strategy to reach policy and decision-makers. (WCS, 2011)

Apart from that, Malay Tapir Conservation Centre (MTCC) is built and located in Sungai Dusun Wildlife Reserve in the northern tip of Selangor state. It is home to 12 tapirs (five males and seven females), which is half of the captive population in Malaysia. Seven of these are individuals displaced from various states in Peninsular Malaysia. Currently, the MTCC keeps the tapirs healthy and disease free and pair up males and females at the right time for breeding. This can be predicted through the use of hormone profiles and ultra-sonography. Furthermore, the MTCC investigate possible diseases via blood and serum analysis and, in collaboration with Copenhagen Zoo, conduct a DNA study that looks into tapir’s genetic makeup through DNA fingerprinting. Also, in 2002, the Malay Tapir Conservation Project (MTCP) began its activities as collaboration between Copenhagen Zoo and Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP). The project’s overall objective is to develop a tapir conservation plan but a critical prerequisite.

The Malayan sun bear on the other hand is understudied, and little conservation action has been targeted at it. The Malayan sun bear has been listed on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) since 1979, which prohibits international trade, and the killing of the sun bear is prohibited under national wildlife protection laws, however, little enforcement of these laws occurs. The Malayan sun bear is part of an international captive breeding programme and has a Species Survival Program under the American Zoo and Aquarium Association. More research is required as only recently have field studies started to investigate the basic biology, ecology, and behaviour of wild sun bears. Conservation of sun bears needs to focus on protection of their forest habitat, proper management of these areas, strict enforcement of their legal status, minimizing human-bear conflict near forest areas, and halting trade in bear parts.The most beneficial conservation measure

in Indonesia and Malaysia would be protection of remaining forests from conversion to other land-uses, eliminating unsustainable logging practices, and prevention of forest fires. (Wildscreen Arkive, 2016) Compared to other animal species studied, Malayan gharials were not considered a huge concern by the Malaysian government. However since the 1990s, rapid status assessments for gharials have been conducted. Reviews of national or global distribution (Sebastian, 1994) have been prepared. In efforts of preserving Rhinoceros hornbills, the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) has been actively seeking the conservation of the Belum-Temengor forest through various public and scientific efforts since 1993. The Hornbill Conservation and Monitoring Programme primarily seeks to understand the ecology and biology of the globally threatened hornbills. Through the programme, MNS hopes to improve protection of the hornbills and its habitat while also increasing awareness on the plight and importance of these majestic birds. The Hornbill Volunteer Programme, a spin off from the Hornbill Conservation and Monitoring Programme was started in 2008 to enable anyone to learn and contribute towards the conservation of hornbills.

In addition to the Western Sarawak Hornbill Project, other hornbill conservation activities have also been conducted such as population status studies, ecological studies, habitat enrichment and activities that involve local communities. Sarawak is exploring the eco-tourism potentials of hornbills as Community-Based Ecotourism (CBET) products which have been very successful in Thailand by providing alternative sources of income. Sarawak Forestry will be also organizing 7th International Hornbill Conference 2017 in Sarawak. The government urged people to make the best out of the conference by learning from one another on how best to protect the majestic birds for the future generation. So we could also do a better job to conserve this endangered animal.” (The Borneo Post, 2015) We can conclude that the government of Sarawak is concerned about this species by setting up laws and regulation, organizing campaign, and also actively raising the social awareness among people.