Prawn farming used to be thriving in Pulau ubin. Inland swamps are parceled out with dykes. Sluice gates are constructed to control the flow of water.
Water pollution contributed to its demise. Lease are given up back to the Government and building structures demolished.
From GoogleEarth, one can see its scale by its tell tale remnants.
With GoogleEarth, we manage to plot our course by connecting dots of white roofs peeking through dense trees canopy seen under satellite. The course or path is then downloaded into our handheld GPS.
It led us first to a swing.
Then a lovely house
Finally a sweeping view from the remaining sluice gate, also a prime spot for bird watching.
Natural swamps are an important spawning grounds for fishes and with young fishes finding easy refuge. The sluice gates continues today as barriers. At low tide, the remaining fish are easily caught by fishermen casting their fine nets.
The government should consider demolishing them to bring life back to our natural swamps.
My friend Andy who have been photographing Ubin wildlife told me Ubin wild fowl can be difficult to photograph. One can only get fleeting glimpses as they dash through the jungle floor.
If you are lucky you may come across a brood of chicks following its parents. The chicks are vulnerable to natural predators including monitor lizards, monkeys and wild pigs. Wild pigs would churn up jungle floor for earthworms, removing undergrowth and giving the fowls less place to hide. There are worrisome signs as some Ubin villagers notice their numbers are declining.
My concerns turn to elation when I saw 17 adults, male and female while walking along coastal walk at Chek Jawa. Chek Jawa is now a secured area and is closed after 6.30 pm. Thanks Nparks for keeping them safe from poachers.
Poaching has been in decline in Ubin since x-ray checks was introduced at Changi jetty. These poachers would trap birds with fine nets, catch monitor lizards with fish-hooks or catch wild pigs using trap doors.
Nparks rangers have been combing Ubin and have destroyed about 10 such wild pigs traps so far. The poachers have resorted to steel-jaw leghold traps that are both cruel and dangerous, whether for wild pigs, family pets or accidental tourists walking through the jungle.
One victim was this unfortunate dog brought over to the mainland for emergency treatment. Gangrene has already set in and the leg has to be amputated. Its companion is also hobbling with a missing foot. The rescued dog is now recovering at PetVilla, a no-kill shelter run by Animal Lovers League.
Watch out for such traps and alert the authorities.
