 |
|
April 2003
Important Travel InformationLaos New border
checkpoints. Tourists can now legally enter Laos from these new
international border crossings: Visa required: EnvironmentSaving the Last Wild Tigers of Myanmar The Tiger once a symbol of power, majesty and grace, is now no longer. A thousand years of clearing lands that were Tiger habitats for human settlement, and a hundred years of severe persecution to supply the trade in trophies and medicinal stimulants has brought Tigers to the brink of extinction in many parts of its formerly vast range. Although we cannot say for sure, the information at hand suggests there are probably 125-150 tigers left in Myanmar today. Many of the places where Tigers used to exist now no longer support Tigers or are places where Tigers no longer hold viable populations. But we do not intend to be prophets of doom. While the situation for tigers is indeed dire Myanmar still has many suitable areas for Tiger habitat and there is political will to protect and preserve this habitat and the tigers in them. With international cooperation and help from outside funding agencies, we can save tigers in some areas in the longer term.
Ecoswiss, a
non-profit organization for the conservation of natural habitat
is working in the coastal region of Myanmar in the Myeik (Mergui)
archipelago and coastal Tanintharyi (formerly Tenasserim, the southern This remote area is thought to support a high biodiversity because it is nearly uninhabited and access had been forbidden for 50 years until 1997 for security and political reasons. Moreover it includes the meeting point of two zoogeographic regions, the Indo-chinese and the Sundaic that overlap in the Isthmus of Kra. This note reports the results of interviews about encounters with wild cats by local people inhabiting some of the islands and the villages on the coast. It also makes some recommendations for safeguarding these animals. Once Thought Extinct, Siamese Crocodile is Photographed A team of conservationists
led by the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society have re-discovered
the Siamese crocodile in Thailand (formally known as Siam), capturing
the animal on film while surveying for tigers. The crocodile, estimated
at seven feet, was photographed by a remote camera trap as it lumbered
along a riverbank in an isolated forest near the Thai-Myanmar border.
Except for a single animal that has lived in a park for years, scientists
believed the Siamese crocodile was extinct in Thailand until this "This is an extremely exciting find," said Dr. Antony Lynam, a Wildlife Conservation Society biologist who led the survey team. "We knew the area had the potential to support tigers, but had no idea we would find a Siamese crocodile." A follow-up survey in the area by WCS conservationist Dr. Steve Platt revealed tracks from a smaller crocodile a few miles from where the first one was photographed. "With two crocodiles we have a population, albeit a small one," said Platt. "We're not sure it's a viable population, but it certainly is naturally protected by the lay of the land, and by tropical diseases that keep out a lot of would-be poachers." Up until the early 1990s, Siamese crocodiles were thought to be extinct in the wild throughout its former range, which included Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia and Indonesia, along with Thailand. But recent wildlife surveys by WCS and other groups have revealed isolated populations living in Laos and Cambodia. However, WCS estimates that the total population numbers no more than a few hundred individuals, making it one of the most endangered crocodilians in the world. The surveys
were part of a training exercise by WCS and the Thailand Royal Forest
Department, which included a team of 30 foresters, students and
researchers studying wildlife in Kaeng Krachan National Park, Thailand's
largest protected area. The training program was supported by WCS,
and the Save the Tiger Fund, a joint project of the U.S. National
Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the ExxonMobil Corporation. The
Wildlife Conservation Society is currently seeking additional protection
of the park and surrounding The team set 41 remote camera traps that automatically photograph animals or humans that walk in front of them, along trails and rivers in deep jungle in the center of the park beginning in January. When Lynam and his team picked up the traps last month, he found that eight had been stolen and two were lost to elephants, which pummeled them to pieces. Despite the losses, the survey yielded 348 photographs of 26 species of mammals including tigers, leopards, panthers, elephants, and Asian wild dogs, along with several birds, monitor lizards, and the Siamese crocodile, all from a 75-square-mile area. "We were lucky to record the crocodile," said Lynam, who has studied tigers and other cryptic fauna in Thailand since 1990. "It was number 37 on a roll of 36 exposure film. The other pictures on the film included otters, macaques and a Buddhist monk on walkabout in the forest." Hotels & RestaurantsBurmaBayview
Beach Resort. Vietnam ·
Melia Hanoi adds new ballroom. · Anoasis
Resort receives award. · New
restaurant at Ana Mandara.
Travel· Flights
on Danang route reduced. · Lao
Aviation relaunches. New summer timetables!
Laos Luangsay
and Wat Phou Cruises. Burma Pause in balloon services. Due to the onset of the low season, Balloons over Bagan will pause operations from May to September 2003, resuming services on 1 October 2003. SocialMekong ClubAddress: P O
BOX 820, HP9 2JG, England The Mekong Club is an informal, non-political, non-commercial association, primarily concerned with promotion of the cultures of the "Mekong Region" (i.e. Viet Nam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and adjacent regions) in the UK. The Club will act as a forum for exchange of information and experience by:
Membership is open to all, but it is envisaged that the club will be of particular interest to:
The Club will be organised by a chairperson, secretariat and webmaster, with a single, annual business meeting combined with a social event. The secretariat will be responsible for financial stewardship, with a "minimal" fund consisting of contributions for individual events and newsletters. An annual membership fee of £5 is envisaged per adult. For further details, please write or telephone the above number.
Mekong Club Application:I/We …………………………….. would like to join the Mekong Club My/Our address is: ....................................................................................................... ......................................................................................................................................... Please find enclosed the payment for membership of £5 and my/our voluntary contribution of £… Total: £…. (Cash or cheque payable to Mekong Club) Posting Address: P.O. BOX 820, HP9 2JG. |
Vietnam | | Thailand | |
Burma | | Laos | |
Cambodia | | China | |
New Tours | | Special Offers |
©Mekong Travel, 2000 - 2007 |
