Its rare to see wild piglets up close, all five of them, including an older sibling watching over them. NPark workers have also seen another family group of nine piglets, they are seldom seen after poachers tried to catch them. Their baby stripes will soon fade so don’t miss the chance to take pictures of them when they emerge from the bushes near Punai Hut.
Updated June 2011.
Jack, the most famous wild boar in Pulau Ubin has died on 11 of September after falling ill, probably due to old age. His departure will be missed as he is a favorite among many visitors to the island.
I am going to miss him too. Besides offering him treats from the jungle like rubber seeds and rambutans, I discovered lately that he loves his back scratched. He would be startled when his back is touched, but would soon stand still quietly enjoying the experience and began to grunt loudly with pleasure begging for more.
Before its illness, Jack had a visit from a buddhist group. The monk teaching the group said Jack was an re-incarnation and prayed for its next journey that is expected soon. It sounds presience, but Jack was quite healthy then and I was looking forward to scratch his belly using a spaghetti ladle for reach. I was very skeptical of the monks remarks then.
Dharma teaching and Jack’s future by Thai Monk
Prayers for Jack
Wild pigs are highly intelligent, although wary of humans who also hunt for them, they can be very friendly. This pig would recognize van drivers who are friendly to it and would quickly come when it hear their vehicle approaching. So next time, spend some time at Punai Hut and offer it some rubber seeds for a memorable encounter.
Curious boar at Chek Jawa
Pigs play an important role in human society. In parts of India, and Egypt Cairo garbage pigs help to clear away organic waste from human settlements. Pork economics was cited by Goh Keng Swee on Singapore hotel industry. He even earned the moniker “pig minister” when he eliminated pork farming in Singapore in 1990.
Trail cameras are used by hunters. They are also also used by wildlife researchers. My friend lent it to me and I am hoping it can help capture pictures of rarely seen mouse-deer and leopard cat.
We took late boat to Ubin on Saturday (May 8, 2010). At 9pm there were people going fishing or camping on weekends. The van driver was contacted ahead to pick us on arrival.
We headed to Chek Jawa to camp at Punai Hut. The spaced rows of rubber trees nearby would give the camera unobstructed view and allow us to learn its functions. This time, I am hoping to get pictures of wild boars and if lucky, get pictures of mixed domesticated/wild breeds. These have short legs and look closer to pot bellied pigs. If we are extremely lucky, we may capture pictures of an albino or white haired boar which some villagers claimed to have seen.
Unfortunately, it rained heavily earlier and air is dense with humidity which carried noisy sounds from jets taking off from Changi Airport three km away. Most animals including boars tend to be less active on wet weather.
We only managed to catch pictures of ourselves with the trail cam. It was just as well as the camera was angled too high.
Initial impressions. Despite being an expensive Reconyx trail camera, its main failings is narrow point of view, cumbersome size and lack of picture preview. Such cameras are not ready for prime time and expensive at more US$600 considering the lack of local sales support.
Our night is not wasted however. We met young campers trail walking with laser pointers looking for glow-in-the-dark mushrooms and fireflies. There is always something interesting to do in Ubin.
Soon it was dawn and the jungle is alive with bird calls especially of Ubin jungle fowl with its distinctive choked crowings. Chek Jawa is open from 8.30am to 6pm but you can talk to the caretaker for permission to visit earlier. Took pictures of the famous English bungalow House No. 1 which is restored and converted into a visitor centre. Chek Jawa is worth a visit for its coastal view and organized walk on its mudflats. Entrance is free for now.
The first visitors started arriving from 9am. This time there were about 50 retired ladies on a field trip organized by Sembawang Community Club. One lady was a nurse midwife who was stationed for a 2 years in Ubin in the early 60s. There is a dispensary at Ubin village now converted into a restaurant (Ubin First Stop). She recounted the number of babies she delivered during her time when Ubin numbered more than 2000 residents then.
Nestled at the rubber plantation, this shelter referred to as Murai hut is our favorite.
It would be our base camp when we set out exploring at night.
A family of small bats sometimes hide on the roof, making sounds that even spook paranormal investigators.
Tap…tap…tap…tap…tap…tap….
For thing for sure, it doesn’t sound like dirt raining down. Doesn’t sound like a rat or squirrel or some other rodents, cause they don’t “tapped.” Sticks falling? Leaves dropping? Stones? Its impossible. The sounds made were going slow, then randomly. Like beats playing on the drum. And going fast at the same time.
This is where, fear had gripped us cold….
Not like what others have imagined but this is a peaceful place. In the quiet of the night you may even see or hear wild pigs foraging for rubber seeds. Although getting rare, you can also see fireflies. Try turning off all lights for better night vision.
The shelters are all lightning protected. Probably the safest place to be at during thunderstorms. They also serve as useful checkpoints with given names like “Murai”, “Punai”, “Pekakak”, “Beberek”. All four are good observation points to watch for wildlife.
The names of the huts are Malay names for native birds.
Murai – Magpie Robin (Copsychus saularis)
Punai/Punai Tanah – Green-winged Pigeon, Emerald Dove (Chalcophaps indica)
Pekakak – Kingfisher
Beberek/Beberek Leher Biru – Blue-throated Bee-eater (Merops viridis)
Kelichap – Hummingbird
Belatok – Woodpecker
Lang – Falcon?
Chamar/Camar Batu – Tern
Kedidi – Sandpiper
Merbah – Bulbul
Bubut – Coucal
Update: 6th April 2009. Mousedeers were sighted in the rubber plantation nearby. They are shy and nocturnal animals so you can only spot them at night.
wild happenings Naked Hermit Crabs wild shores of Singapore teamseagrassPage optimized by WP Minify WordPress Plugin