Protecting endangered wildlife in Singapore

Fund set up by Wildlife Reserves Singapore has been aiding local conservation and research causes for a decade. The Straits Times looks at a few key species that the fund has protected.

The white-rumped shama was deemed extinct here during the 1970s. But recent observations suggest the bird is back, sparking speculation that those in the wild may have been smuggled in but released. Common palm civets, with their endearing appearance
Ms Fung inspecting a camera trap on Pulau Ubin. PHOTO: WILDLIFE RESERVES SINGAPORE PHOTO: WILDLIFE RESERVES SINGAPORE PHOTOS: LEE CHUEN LING, HAZELINA YEO
The white-rumped shama was deemed extinct here during the 1970s. But recent observations suggest the bird is back, sparking speculation that those in the wild may have been smuggled in but released. Common palm civets, with their endearing appearance
The Raffles’ banded langur, found only in the forests of Singapore, was on the verge of extinction in the 1990s. Today, due to extensive field research and conservation efforts, its population is up to 60. PHOTO: ANDIE ANG
The Raffles' banded langur, found only in the forests of Singapore, was on the verge of extinction in the 1990s. Today, due to extensive field research and conservation efforts, its population is up to 60.
The white-rumped shama was deemed extinct here during the 1970s. But recent observations suggest the bird is back, sparking speculation that those in the wild may have been smuggled in but released. PHOTO: WILDLIFE RESERVES SINGAPORE
The white-rumped shama was deemed extinct here during the 1970s. But recent observations suggest the bird is back, sparking speculation that those in the wild may have been smuggled in but released. Common palm civets, with their endearing appearance
Common palm civets, with their endearing appearances, are typically captured as part of the illegal pet trade or poached from the wild to harvest kopi luwak – coffee beans retrieved from their faeces. PHOTO: WILDLIFE RESERVES SINGAPORE
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Chances are that you have spotted donation boxes shaped like pangolins around Singapore.

All the money collected goes towards the Wildlife Reserves Singapore Conservation Fund (WRSCF), an offshoot of Wildlife Reserves Singapore, which manages the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, Jurong Bird Park and River Safari.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 07, 2019, with the headline Protecting endangered wildlife in Singapore. Subscribe