All posts by Lee Kwai Han

Fish banned in China eaten in alarming quantities in Semporna

June 15, 2026 Lee Kwai Han Leave a comment

Food tourists from China are flocking to Semporna to eat the Humphead Wrasse – valued but banned in China – and the consumption rate is concerning conservationists.

“SIS! BERAPA?” a fish seller shouts out to marine biologist Dr Achier Chung. “Sister! How much are you offering?” He lifts a fish to the water surface. In his palm, the fish flaps its pectoral fin.

Chung is at Semporna’s live seafood market, where most seafood is sold live, without price tags or weighing scales. Instead, sellers and buyers – largely tourists – negotiate through loud bargaining, hand gestures, and phone calculators.

(Feature image: This live Humphead Wrasse is being offered for sale in a noisy market where bargaining is part of the experience. | Photo by Lee Kwai Han)

In-Depth

Jury Out on Whether Petting Zoos Aid Conservation

January 9, 2025 Lee Kwai Han Leave a comment

Petting zoos are gaining in popularity and host local and exotic animals. In Part 2, we ask how petting zoos are sourcing their wildlife, especially animals that are legally protected.

PALM COCKATOOS (Probosciger aterrimus) are handsome birds. Smoky black feathers, tomato-red cheeks, and a high mohawk crest. This bird – one of the few known to make tools for music – originates from New Guinea and northern Australia.

But in Malaysia, you might find them in petting zoos and zoos. Some have even been trained to perch on human arms for photos.

Wild individuals cannot be imported into Malaysia for commercial purposes, but captive-bred ones may. However, conservationists point to the murkiness surrounding sourcing these rare parrots.

(Feature image: Insta-worthy, but how much does providing such interaction help conserve wild parrots? | Photo by Lee Kwai Han)

In-Depth

Petting Wildlife Sending Mixed Signals

January 6, 2025 Lee Kwai Han Leave a comment

Petting zoos with their wildlife and exotic species, are becoming increasingly popular. In Part 1 of 2, we look at the impact of these facilities on the welfare of both wildlife and humans.

AS SOON as they entered the petting zoo, schoolchildren excitedly rushed towards the pygmy horse behind a wooden fence. Quickly, they grabbed carrot sticks from their plastic tub feeding kits. The next instant, they were waving more than a dozen carrots at the horse.

Each child was hoping the horse would pick the one in his hand. But that was just a starter for the children at Farm in the City, one of the largest petting zoos in Malaysia.

(Feature image: The boom in petting zoos has pros and cons, as they feature wildlife, including exotic creatures such as the Aldabra giant tortoise, endemic to Seychelles | Photo by Lee Kwai Han)

Insight

Langur In City Spotlights Efforts To Tackle Wildlife Trade Online

April 4, 2024 Lee Kwai Han Leave a comment

IN OCTOBER 2023, ecologist Izereen Mukri received a phone call and a photo about a “weird monkey” in the urban park near his house called Taman Subang Ria in Selangor.

Izereen glanced at the photo. Greyish black with a long tail – it was a Selangor silvery langur, Trachypithecus selangorensis, a primate species classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. These langurs live in mangroves or by rivers, not in a park surrounded by roads and buildings.

He went to observe the langur. It was a female that must have felt terribly alone as the species naturally lives in a group. It was not eating its natural diet of shoots, but the apples and bananas left by park visitors. It was also relaxed when humans got close. Izereen, who spoke to Macaranga in his personal capacity, suspects that it used to be someone’s pet.

(Feature image: The lone female Selangor silvery langur found lingering in an urban park in Subang Jaya, Selangor. “It was a beautiful shot. But I rather not have it,” said wildlife photographer Izereen Mukri of this January 2024 photo. | Photo by Izereen Mukri)

Insight

Popular Songbird Gets Trade Protection

February 21, 2023 Lee Kwai Han Leave a comment

As regulators tighten international trade of the White-rumped shama, local hunting and captive breeding continue.

“THIS ONE, nine-inch, a Kuala Lumpur champion for more than 5 times,” says Soo Hoo Kok Weng as he points to a bluish-black bird in a cage. The White-rumped shama is popular in bird-singing competitions and Soo Hoo breeds them for this purpose.

But this bird has not sired any chicks after more than a year of pairing. Soo Hoo reckons its previous owner had been feeding it stimulants to win the highly-competitive bird singing competitions. “Its sperm is spoilt,” he says. “That’s the price it has been made to pay.”

But for the species, the price is far higher than that: extinction.

(Photo: Birdkeepers enter their songbirds into competitions for prizes and prestige. Winning competitions also increases the selling price of the bird | Pic by Lee Kwai Han)