Latest news with #PangolinConservation
New Straits Times
14-06-2025
- New Straits Times
More than a beach escape: Sabah resort's green revolution
Tucked away on the sun-drenched coastline of Tuaran, about 34 kilometres north of Kota Kinabalu, Shangri-La Rasa Ria occupies a rare space where nature, heritage and community seem to converge with quiet, unhurried grace. Framed by 400 acres of rich tropical wilderness and the shimmering sweep of Pantai Dalit beach, the resort has long drawn visitors in search of escape. But behind its picture-postcard serenity lies a deeper, evolving story - one of mindful hospitality shaped by the land and people around it. For general manager Fiona Hagan, sustainability here isn't a trendy catchphrase or a greenwashed tagline. It's a responsibility born of place. "Our journey in sustainability has always been deeply rooted in the people of Rasa Ria and the community of Pantai Dalit and Tuaran," she reflects, adding: "The community's knowledge, traditions and unwavering support have inspired us to go beyond hospitality." This commitment was formalised through the resort's pursuit of globally recognised benchmarks, including the ISO 20121 sustainability certification. Yet, much of Rasa Ria's environmental stewardship happens quietly, in spaces guests rarely see. Shared Care for the Environment Rainwater harvesting systems and laundry water recovery processes hum discreetly behind the scenes, while food-waste management and electricity conservation initiatives help reduce the resort's environmental footprint. In 2024 alone, these collective efforts saw over 63 per cent of waste diverted from landfills. A standout among these initiatives is the resort's Glass Bottle Recycling Programme, which transforms discarded glass bottles into reusable glass sand. The sand finds new life in landscaping and minor construction projects around the property. Local residents are invited to join in too, dropping off their used bottles and participating in a simple, circular economy rooted in shared care for the environment. But Rasa Ria's mission stretches beyond conservation. It's also a protector of Sabah's delicate biodiversity. The resort partners with local environmental groups to support Pangolin Conservation through habitat protection, biodiversity monitoring, and awareness programmes — a quiet but essential contribution to safeguarding one of our country's most elusive creatures. Of Land and Community The heart of Rasa Ria's sustainability story, however, beats in its community. From collaborations with Sabahan artisans and vendors to employing differently-abled individuals, like long-serving carpenter Samri Butak — who once represented Sabah at the Malaysia Paralympic Games — the resort's initiatives weave economic opportunity with cultural preservation. In 2024 alone, the resort invested RM243,360 in ESG initiatives, with over 60 school children benefiting from outreach programmes like World Pangolin Day and food safety workshops. Women-led projects, including the Sarimpak Robe initiative with Changgih Designs and sewing collaborations in Tuaran and Tamparuli, provide steady income while celebrating Sabah's rich textile traditions. For Hagan and her team, purposeful hospitality isn't a destination but a journey, constantly evolving in tandem with the land and community that sustain it. "This is about building a more sustainable Sabah, together," she concludes, as Rasa Ria quietly redefines what it means to be a resort with a conscience.
National Geographic
09-05-2025
- Science
- National Geographic
Want to see baby animals cuddling with their moms? We've got you covered.
What is family to a seabird who soars alone over the open ocean, or to a primate who clings to its mother for years? Do animals have siblings, aunties, or cousins? Can they survive without any family at all? Bearing and rearing young are central to the life cycle of nearly all creatures, whether done the way of the giant clam—by releasing half a billion eggs into the vast sea, full stop—or the koala, who provides long stretches of intense care. Parents of the animal kingdom are endlessly imaginative in how they feed, shelter, and teach their youngsters. There is no one way, they might counsel us, to raise a tadpole or an owlet. Female gazelles, like this Soemmerring's gazelle, roam the grasslands and scrublands of the Horn of Africa in herds of 15 to 20 other females. They typically give birth to one calf a year. Females often assume the primary parenting duties, but there are exceptions. The male Darwin's rhea, a large, flightless bird of South America, for instance, is a do-it-all dad. He builds a nest and incubates up to 30 eggs laid by different females, then raises the chicks to adulthood, teaching them survival skills and protecting them from predators. More than half of the world's crayfish species—like this marbled crayfish—live in North America. A female crayfish carrying eggs is sometimes called 'in berry' because the eggs look like clusters of berries affixed to her abdomen. Pygmy hippopotamus females give birth on land to a single calf and leave it parked in an out-of-the-way pool of water, returning periodically to nurse the baby. After three to five months, the young start moving around and following their mom. At the other end of the caregiving spectrum are young Komodo dragons. They spend their first year of life in trees to avoid their massive landbound parents, who have a nasty inclination to eat their young. A female endangered white-bellied tree pangolin and her pup (Phataginus tricuspis) at the Pangolin Conservation in St. Augustine, Florida. This juvenile is only 70 days old. She is the first of her species to be bred in captivity. Pangolins are one of the most trafficked animal species due to high demand for their scales. Siblings, other relatives, and adults in the community are sometimes on the scene for companionship or care. They fill a need for babysitting or socialization and, like the pelagic cormorants who help arrange nest material for their future siblings, provide a hand (or beak). A collaborative behavior known as alloparenting allows some adult animals to leave their little ones in the care of other grown-ups while they set out to find food: Some penguin species form nursery systems for their chicks because both parents often go to sea together for a day or more to catch fish. But other families, like that of the solitary clouded leopard, make it work without any help at all. Quail chicks can fly at four weeks, but they often stay with their parents until the next nesting season. Males develop distinctive adult plumage: blue breast, chestnut belly, blackand-white throat. As langurs mature, their fur darkens. Within a year, the brilliant color of young langurs will have turned black—except for a distinctive strip of white along their cheeks. Family can be loving and sweet. Our hearts flip at a flotilla of ducklings paddling furiously behind their mom, or orphaned orangutans in a tight embrace, holding fast to the only family they know. Zebras, like these Chapman's zebras, live in small family groups composed of a stallion, several mares, and their foals. If a hyena or wild dog approaches, the stallion may attack, while the rest of the family clusters together to protect their young. Family ties are the key to survival—not just for the babies, but also for the species. With so much at stake, many adult animals muster their fiercest behavior to defend their young. When a wolf or bear draws near a muskox herd, the adult oxen turn head-on to show their sharp horns to the intruders. There on the Arctic tundra, they form a defensive circle around their babies, who huddle together inside the furry fortress, safe for another day. From scuba diving to set-jetting
