The Last Hurrah on the FRIM Canopy Walkway

When I learned that the FRIM treetop canopy walkway would be closing for good on 30th June 2017, I made a booking for a private party and invited my friends to join me on a Farewell Treetop Walk. The arborists have determined that the health of the supporting trees has been affected and it was best to dismantle the walkway and reforest the area. This is good news for the trees, although not so good for tourism. 16 of my friends joined me on this guided walk and we had a splendid time. I thanked each tree for the oxygen, support and joy they provided and we did our part in picking up litter from the forest trail and picnic areas on the way down.

 

   

 

Malaysian stingless bees (Kelulut) in their hive at the base of a ficus tree.

 

   

 

Massive ficus (strangler fig) tree that has killed its host.

 

   

 

The flower of the Barringtonia asiatica (also known as the Fish Poison Tree, or Tuba Ikan in Bahasa).

 

   

 

Listening to a briefing by our guide, Johnson.

 

   

 

Tacca chantrieri, also known as Bat Lily, Bat Flower and Devil Flower.

 

   

 

Trees exhibiting the Crown Shyness phenomenon. See, even trees know how to observe personal boundaries and personal space.

 

   

 

I love Elephant Ear Plants (Colocasia).

 

   

 

We finally arrive at the ranger's hut at the start of the canopy walkway. Our group is listening intently to the safety briefing from the forest ranger in this photo...

 

   

 

... Which was delivered by one of the rangers up in this watchtower hut! What a fun place to work. It's like having your office up in a treehouse or something.

 

   

 

Rangers hard at work in the canopy walkway watchtower office.

 

   

 

Finally it's our turn to go on the canopy walkway! Andrey goes ahead of me. I am still the sweeper, of course.

 

   

 

All smiles to be so close to the forest and trees that I love so much. Hello, trees! You're looking exceptionally stunning today! Hello, forest! My, look at you, you charmer!

 

   

 

And this how the suspended walkway is connected to the trees. I can imagine why the arborists claim that the health of the supporting trees is affected. Poor trees. Thank you, trees, for your wonderful service. We will free you of your shackles soon.

 

   

 

Can you spot the city in the distance? It's okay if you are unable to. Not really worth looking at when you have a fantastic secondary forest beneath your feet.

 

   

 

Doing the treetop dab. Photo credits: Marcus.

 

   

 

Approaching the next watchtower.

 

   

 

Adorable tiny fuzzy caterpillar. I shall name it the Teddy Bear Caterpillar.

 

   

 

Rudhra, Baby Ava, Angela and me enjoying our hike down. Photo credits: Hari.

 

   

 

A little waterfall and stream sighted on our hike down.

 

   

 

Our group crossing a little stream. Photo credits: Hari.

 

   

 

Spotted a knot on a vine that resembled a skull.

 

   

 

A yet-to-be-identified leaf of ethereal beauty.

 

   

 

My trademark big grin, next to a very tired, thirsty and grumpy Justin. I was trying to encourage him to keep going. Photo credits: Shamila.

 

   

 

Goodbye and thank you for the memories, FRIM Canopy Walkway!

 

   

 

   

Close call for Heckle and Jeckle

I was about to leave my office to attend my friend Eddin's jazz performance at No Black Tie on 21st March when my good friends Rudhra and Angela sent a message to our Whatsapp group informing me of two glue-covered mynahs they had rescued.

There was no question about what I should do next. I was there within half an hour.

I will let Rudhra tell this story in his own words:

 

 

"I was about to begin my run yesterday evening when a man walking ahead of me stopped in his tracks and beckoned. By the wall of the TTDI primary school, amidst a heap of rubbish, leaves and branches lay a mynah. It didn’t look injured although its movement was inhibited -- upon closer inspection, we discovered that its body and feathers was coated in a sticky substance. I suggested bringing it back to Angela (my wife’s) house to get it cleaned up and just as we were leaving, out popped a second and larger mynah from under the branches. Unfortunately, it was in a similar state so we gathered both mynahs and left.

By the time we got home the mynahs had become rather distressed. After a while, the man (whose name was Paul) had to go and wished us the best. Angela and I spent the next half hour trying to clean them (or find them) as they hopped and hid all around the garden, behind pots, plants and in the drain.

I decided to contact my friend Ee Lynn for advice -- Ee Lynn has a lot of knowledge and experience in caring for and rescuing animals so if there was anyone I knew who could help, it was her. She gave me a list of things to do (and NOT to do) but feeling a little overwhelmed and uncertain of my ability (I feared causing them further distress or worse, injuring them) I asked if she would come over. Despite having plans to attend a show later that night, she said yes – she’d be right there and boy, was I relieved.

Ee Lynn arrived about 20 minutes later and spent the rest of the evening just being Ee Lynn. With unreserved patience, care and compassion she set about the task of cleaning and comforting both mynahs. After over an hour of oiling and scrubbing, she had gotten nearly all of the gunk off so we placed them in a box with water and food to dry off over the night. Ee Lynn was late for her show of course, but it did not matter – making sure the mynahs were OK was her priority and thankfully, they were.

This morning, Angela and I released them in the park. They hopped around, flew a bit and made for the bushes and trees. Their wings were still a little damp but it’s a hot day outside and I imagine they’ll be ok once they’ve dried off completely. Thank you Ee Lynn for saving these mynahs and, as always, for being an exemplar of kindness and humanity. You rock."

 

 

(All photo credits: Rudhra.)

 

I named the mynahs Heckle and Jeckle, even though I know that in the animated series, Heckle and Jeckle are magpies, not mynahs.

 

 

This is the state that Rudhra found the Jeckle in.

 

 

First, I carefully rubbed talcum powder onto the bird's feathers to make the glue less sticky and easier to handle. From its viscosity, texture and appearance, I think the birds have gotten themselves stuck in a glue trap. They must have also tried to free their feathers from the glue using their feet and beaks, which were all covered in glue as well.

 

 

I massaged each bird carefully with lots of olive oil and gently rubbed the glue off.

 

 

Each bird was then shampooed and rinsed off and the cycle of oiling and shampooing was then repeated 3-4 times until there are no traces of gunk left.

Angela and Rudhra put the exhausted, wet and frightened birds in a ventilated box with some uncooked rice and drinking water so they could rest and recover overnight.

The birds were still a little wet but looked much healthier and stronger in the morning.

 

 

Goodbye and good luck, Heckle and Jeckle! Take care! We love you!

It helps to remember these very basic things to do when you find a bird covered in glue from a glue trap:

1. Switch off all ceiling and table fans to prevent the birds from getting themselves killed while trying to escape.

2. Close all windows, toilets and anything that a panicking bird could fall into or out of, and get killed or injured in its attempt to escape.

3. Use powder or flour on feathers to make the glue easier to handle. Avoid getting any in the bird's eyes, nostrils or beak. It may be easier to apply the flour/powder if you pour the flour or powder into your hand first.

4. Now use oil and massage it into the feathers gently. Use your fingernails to GENTLY and LIGHTLY scrape off the glue.

5. Lather the feathers with shampoo. Again, avoid the eyes, nostrils and beak.

6. Rinse.

7. Repeat steps 4-5 until there is no stickiness left.

Here is Birdlife International's basic guide on what to do when you find a bird in need. If you live in KL/Selangor, you can also contact Dr. Jalila Abu of the Avian Vet Unit of UPM at 03 8946 8340.

 

February 2017 in Pictures

 

 

4th Feb 2017: Bathing dogs at the PAWS Animal Welfare Society shelter on a Saturday afternoon. This lovely dog's name is Christmas and he is super friendly.

5th Feb 2017: Acrobatic lion dance performance by the multiracial Shaolin Goh Chor troupe at Sunway Giza, Kota Damansara.

7th Feb 2017: My juvenile delinquents, Luna and Harriet. (Don’t worry, the whole apartment is screened in and cat-safe. This is just the storeroom window which looks out into the laundry room. It’s safe to jump and the window panes are covered in adhesive glass protection film.)

9th Feb 2017: My water supply pipe blew out on a public holiday eve, so there I was at the neighbourhood launderette at 2 a.m. washing away the evidence of the previous night's wild party, with Noam Chomsky for company.

11th Feb 2017: Behind-the-scenes shot of the photoshoot today, courtesy of Michelle Tam of The Star.

11th Feb 2017: Brunch and books at RGB The Bean Hive. Fuelling up with a broccoli burger before an afternoon of volunteering.

11th Feb 2017: Two teens, Liam and Joanna, helped to bathe and tickwash the shelter dogs under my supervision at the SPCA. Liam had just turned 13 and couldn’t stop telling everyone he is a teenager now, so I said he must be ready for more volunteering responsibilities and got him to bathe dogs with me.

11th Feb 2017: Bath and tickwash day for the shelter dogs. This lovely mutt’s name is Serena and she has yet to find a home :(

12th Feb 2017: Day out with my family toddler niece. Until she is old enough to volunteer and do data collection with me, the city aquarium will have to do!

12th Feb 2017: A pinecone fish looking decidedly pineconey. The Twin and I discussed its possible merits as a hand grenade. Cos we're both really grownup that way.

14th Feb 2017: Had a long Health and Safety Committee meeting. Look how comprehensive my meeting notes are! Wow, what a productive afternoon!

17th Feb 2017: Back in the groove of postcrossing after a long hiatus. These ones are going out to Belarus, St. Petersburg, Taipei, Pennsylvania, Brooklyn, British Columbia, and Hamburg.

18th Feb 2017: Another Saturday afternoon at the SPCA. Treating this puppy for a bad case of mange and hoping he will recover and be adopted into a loving home soon.

 

 

 

18th Feb 2017: “The name’s Stout. Guinea Stout.”

My friend Pyo brought Stout back to the SPCA for a visit yesterday and I got to hold Stout. Look how fluffy and fat he is now! Unreal. He looks like a stuffed toy. I was perfectly delighted. Too bad Stout didn't feel the same way. He was all "WTF?!?!"

19th Feb 2017: My idea of an 'experience gift' for my good friend Lin Idrus is to drag her through caves. Thankfully, she did not object and so we did the Dark Caves Educational Tour with our friends Ayu, Kyle and Dash.

21st Feb 2017: Turkish Delight on a Monday night. You can’t get a better combination than Yeni Raki with Orhan Pamuk.

22nd Feb 2017: Inflorescence, deconstructed. (Edible flower petals in ice cubes)

24th Feb 2017: Successfully repaired yet another burst pipe. Yes, it's 3 a.m when this was taken. I am a beast. At least now I know if this lawyering gig doesn't work out, I can go into the plumbing, home repair and remodelling business. And probably draft my own contracts while I am at it.

24th Feb 2017: This gorgeous huge reticulated python was crossing the road on our drive up to Frasers Hill. We stopped to let him/ her pass. He/she must have been at least 6-7 feet in length. Simply stunning.

25th Feb 2017: Our booths in the town centre on the occasion of the Frasers Hill International Bird Race 2017.

25th Feb 2017: I saw a Common Sun Skink run across the road and stopped a car so it wouldn't get run over, and my friend Steven rescued it. The skink, not the car, I mean. Cars don't need rescuing. Not this one anyway. I managed to overcome my fear of lizards enough to touch the skink.

25th Feb 2017: Quaint little government clinic up in Frasers Hill.

25th Feb 2017: Come to mama, you beautiful tarantula!

25th Feb 2017: Gorgeous little Tree Hole Frog.

25th Feb 2017: Wolf Spider. Good thing it was a moonless night or it might have turned into a Werewolf Spider.

26th Feb 2017: A table full of succulents and cacti in warm-hued pots.

26th Feb 2017: The boundary marker for the states of Selangor and Pahang. Also very quaint. I got a kick out of this.

26th Feb 2017: Just got back from a rather quiet weekend of volunteering up in Fraser's Hill. Felt rather restless so I went out again to clean up the forest reserve and park. The forest trails were okay but the picnic areas were dreadful. It was clear what happened -- the picnickers put their trash in bin bags and stuffed them into the ostensibly monkey-proof bins. But the bins were stuffed beyond capacity and the monkeys could reach in easily. The fact that the litter was all within a 2-meter radius from the bins and there were torn bin bags and cartons and tins with monkey teeth marks everywhere supports my theory. Managed to clean most of it up in 1.5 hours and drove all the rubbish home with me for proper disposal. Will have to write to MBPJ about increasing the frequency of rubbish collection, especially on Mondays after all the weekend hikers and picnickers have left.

28th Feb 2017: An odds-and-sods bento cos my Ikea falafels (I can neither spell nor pronounce Grönsaksbullar) were starting to get freezer burn.

28th Feb 2017: The Boomerang Kid who never did fly the coop. (These are our apartment pet chickens and they are our friends, not food.)