A platform for community, a pleasurable pastime, and continuity in tradition: songbird competitions in rural Kelantan prevail, even as their impact on wild birds is unclear.
Text and Photos by Mukhriz Hazim
Published: 8 May 2025
Counting how many times birds sing in 13 seconds is fun for bird owners, but these ‘marathon’ competitions are endangering the Red-whiskered Bulbul.
OUTSIDE a birdcage repair shop in Kota Bharu, Kelantan is an open space with several metal stands. During the day, these metal stands are used to hang bird cages, dozens of them. They belong to different owners, who leave them at this shop while they are at work.
It turns out that this is a ‘songbird daycare’, not just for any bird but the Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus). Popularly known as Merbah Jambul, the birds are beloved pets and need regular sunlight, so their cages must be hung outdoors.
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By 2021, at least half of forest reserve sites cleared for forest plantations in Peninsular Malaysia were not replanted. Since then, Kelantan has sped up its replanting, but Pahang remains a laggard.
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Forest plantations caused so much concern that the Malaysian National Land Council called for a pause on new projects in the peninsula. But 2.5 years into the moratorium, it is not appearing to work.
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In Kelantan, Orang Asli struggle to keep their culture alive as forests are turned into plantations. With their natural sources of materials for rites and food destroyed, they suffer spiritually and physically.
Producer/writer: YH Law; Editor: SL Wong
Produced in collaboration with the Rainforest Investigations Network at the Pulitzer Center.
Published: 16 March 2022
(Due to forest loss, the Temiar villagers of Kampung Kaloi, Kelantan, are struggling to find the natural materials needed for traditional rites like sewang. | Pic by YH Law)
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A retiring forester needs committed planters and data to solve the many problems of overexpansion in the state.
Producer/writer: YH Law; Editor: SL Wong
Produced in collaboration with the Rainforest Investigations Network at the Pulitzer Center.
Published: 9 March 2022
(Eucalyptus trees are a popular choice in forest plantations worldwide. These were planted in 2019 in the Batu Papan Forest Reserve, Kelantan. | Pic by YH Law)
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Forest plantations are touted to turn degraded forests into a sustainable timber supply in Peninsular Malaysia. But our investigations reveal that so far, the plantations have cut lots of forests without any guarantee of harvest dates or yields.
Producer/writer: YH Law; Editor: SL Wong
Produced in collaboration with the Rainforest Investigations Network at the Pulitzer Center.
Published: 2 March 2022
(In Peninsular Malaysia, about 9% of forest reserves have been zoned to be cleared and turned into forest plantations like this one in Kelantan. | Pic by YH Law)
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After clearing wide swaths of forest reserves, forest plantations in Peninsular Malaysia show few signs of economic and environmental sustainability.
Producer/writer: YH Law; Editor: SL Wong
Produced in collaboration with the Rainforest Investigations Network at the Pulitzer Center.
Published: 23 February 2022
(About 9% of forest reserves in Peninsular Malaysia are zoned for forest plantations like this | Pic by YH Law)
