175. URBAN JUNGLE

'when you are aware, everything is spiritual...when you are not aware, everything is material...'

In the past 3 years, much wild life has been spotted in little Singapore...more than what I saw on a recent exploration of Taman Negara, Pahang (post 174). It could be, there were too many people around in Taman during the treks, even at night, so the animals avoid those areas and perhaps forage in the more remote parts. But this doesn't explain why busy Singapore has so many wild things - it's a beautiful endorsement for urbanised Singapore - I like to think we have arrived where this is concerned...those wild animals could have made their homes or foraged in nearby Malaysia or Indonesia...all can swim...

Singapore's beloved family of otters who have endeared themselves to the locals. Otter watchers observed there's 2 large families who have made 2 different waterways their hunting grounds...when creatures from the wild make a place their home, their instincts tell them they are safe there...and this is in an urbanised densely populated small space with heavy human and vehicular traffic...

Sightings of crocs in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve - pics taken by members of the public who were fortunate enough to have them cross their paths. I can only hope all visitors know how to appreciate and respect the life forms they share this space with. The Wetlands was improved on and reserved for such life forms to flourish, to attract them to this safe sanctuary where they may rest or breed without inhumane treatment from those that mean them harm.

This tango between 2 snake species was snapped by a jogger in one of our large forested reservoir parks, MacRitchie

Wild boars grazing in the day time by a busy expressway in Jurong...unfazed by traffic noise...

...and at night in a busy town center in Tuas where they walk among humans. The overfed locals don't need to trap animals for food anymore, so these boars are an interesting spectacle...

Pythons are rather common in Singapore - even in this area we are fortunate as nearly all known captured or rescued (depending how one looks at it) specimens are non- venomous pythons...

These 2 young women have spunk - for that python, resistance is futile - he's too full after a heavy meal to want put up a fight. There's hope in our young people, many of whom are females, who volunteer or work for animal welfare concerns...

106 of these Hawksbill turtles hatched on Sentosa recently. They were looked after by the National Parks Board (NParks). Turtles have never been known to lay their eggs in Singapore and now somehow they came this way in very recent times to do so...Ommm

It bodes well for Singapore for they return to the land of their birth as adults...

The Eco-Link bridge that connects 2 nature reserves across a busy highway, to allow animals to cross safely. It was monitored for a year via cameras to watch their numbers and to give them the chance to discover this crossing...

Every Cause and Effect...