Tanarimba is special because you can easily spot the majestic hornbills, hear the booming calls of the gibbons and have the occasional slow loris hanging around after nightfall. Many other animals of the forests live with us in Tanarimba but they have a problem - us. We, those of us who come from the cities, don’t really know how to live with the other residents of Tanarimba.
Here are some tips:-
1. Control your contractor or builders. Some building workers with little other entertainment tend to trap these animals for food, fun or money. Please ensure that your contractors are reminded that this strictly not allowed.
2. Control your domesticated animals – dogs and cats. Dogs have such a life in Tanarimba. But as owners we must ensure that they are kept under our control. Dogs should not be allowed to roam freely without our care. Dogs can 1. Hunt down forested animals and 2. Spread domesticated diseases to forested species (and vice versa).
3. Wild boars tend to like vegetable patches, wet swampy areas. Leave them to their fun and they’ll be fine. They need their fun and space so spare some for them and keep the rest for yourself. The same with flying foxes, monkeys and birds that would inevitably help themselves to our fruit trees. We will have to accept that some fruit of our labour will need to be shared. By the way, large scale fruit tree or vegetable farming is totally not aligned with the concept of Tanarimba. If you want to run a vegetable farm, there are plenty of cheaper alternatives just outside the boundaries of Tanarimba in Kampung Janda Baik.
4. When you have rats or rodents in the house, expect to have snakes. Snakes are found in houses because they are looking for a warm place to nest or because our houses are home to rodents too. So, design your house well- Avoid nooks and corners that would attract rodents and hence snakes. Keep the area clean of refuse to avoid attracting rodents. Desing your house to be on stilts - that should solve most of the problem.
5. Educate yourself on the animals. How they live, what attracts them, which snakes are poisonous and which not, why are bats so important and therefore should be appreciated, not avoided. We need to remember that they were here first. Further since we humans are supposedly the more intelligent species, it is us who should be the smart, polite and accommodating host. It is up to us to develop a work-around solution and not expect them to change their lifestyle for us.
6. Appreciate our neighbours. Invest in scope or a pair of binoculars. Seeing the birds “up close” with their colourful plumage or the gibbon during its afternoon slumber is a sight to behold. And you can do all that while having tea on your balcony, here in Tanarimba.
2. Control your domesticated animals – dogs and cats. Dogs have such a life in Tanarimba. But as owners we must ensure that they are kept under our control. Dogs should not be allowed to roam freely without our care. Dogs can 1. Hunt down forested animals and 2. Spread domesticated diseases to forested species (and vice versa).
3. Wild boars tend to like vegetable patches, wet swampy areas. Leave them to their fun and they’ll be fine. They need their fun and space so spare some for them and keep the rest for yourself. The same with flying foxes, monkeys and birds that would inevitably help themselves to our fruit trees. We will have to accept that some fruit of our labour will need to be shared. By the way, large scale fruit tree or vegetable farming is totally not aligned with the concept of Tanarimba. If you want to run a vegetable farm, there are plenty of cheaper alternatives just outside the boundaries of Tanarimba in Kampung Janda Baik.
4. When you have rats or rodents in the house, expect to have snakes. Snakes are found in houses because they are looking for a warm place to nest or because our houses are home to rodents too. So, design your house well- Avoid nooks and corners that would attract rodents and hence snakes. Keep the area clean of refuse to avoid attracting rodents. Desing your house to be on stilts - that should solve most of the problem.
5. Educate yourself on the animals. How they live, what attracts them, which snakes are poisonous and which not, why are bats so important and therefore should be appreciated, not avoided. We need to remember that they were here first. Further since we humans are supposedly the more intelligent species, it is us who should be the smart, polite and accommodating host. It is up to us to develop a work-around solution and not expect them to change their lifestyle for us.
6. Appreciate our neighbours. Invest in scope or a pair of binoculars. Seeing the birds “up close” with their colourful plumage or the gibbon during its afternoon slumber is a sight to behold. And you can do all that while having tea on your balcony, here in Tanarimba.
