francescoassisi

This encapsulates so many of Thailand's shortcomings....unregulated development, lack of concern for wildlife or environment and populations of dogs roaming unchecked.

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23711013

The aftermath of the Tsunami started a second flood - that of unscrupulous land/property developers. Those with cash and influence displaced many who lived there or simply replaced those too fearful to return. Much of the land has been illegally used to grow oil palms.

The owners of these plantations keep dogs; it seems they are harassing the local monkeys.

Why is this significant? Because in Laem Son National Park these are one of the very rare examples of monkeys that have learned to use tools and scientists fear they may lose that skill.

Until now this has been a truly wild population of monkeys and the researchers fear that as they become familiarised to living close to humans they will lose their skills in favour of living out of garbage bins.

I suspect this story is not accurate, any follow up on it?

If you have amateurs looking after dangerous wild animals you will inevitably have problems - it's dangeroouus enough for fully trained professionals.

There isn't much in Thailand involving animals that isn't exploitative, tawdry and cruel from a Western perspective. Unfortunately, the hordes of Chinese and Russians visiting here seem to disagree.

I don't think they actually disagree, I think it is more the case that they simply don't know. The S/R zoo has no educational value whatsoever so they will encounter nothing to change their mindset.

It also occurs to me that none bold the web people actually visit the place voluntarily. It is offered as part of a package tour (or an option) and so those going really don't make a big decision about whether to go or not.

Apart from being a "sausage factory" for tigers, it is all so one for the visitors who cannot move move than a few metres without being urged to buy a snack or souvenir etc.

Sure, the zoo comes across as a morally bankrupt tiger factory. But it's interesting where people draw the line. Isn't this just another case of breeding animals for human consumption? Hopefully it's meeting a demand and preventing poaching of wild tigers.

Thailand is becoming the world leader in tiger extinction ...

If you have evidence, take it to the Authorities, or the relative World Organisation.

The audience for your assertions does not lie here.

.

PS - dioes anyone know if there is a "winery" near the zoo?

Already there is some rather borderline advice offered on this thread -
I fear it shows the lack of concern for the environment by those giving the advice...or a fear of what might actually be happening on their door-step.

THailand is becoming the world leader in tiger extinction. and organisations like the Sri Racha Zoo which appear to be allowed to operate with impunity contribute significantly to the demise of the species in the wild.

What better things?

So how come this place is still operating? It looks pretty much that it is a Chinese-style tiger-farm and operating outside both Thai and international law.

There could be an upside. i was there last month and the amount of plastic on Ban Phe beach is a disgrace and hopefully they will clean that up too. Funny a few years ago i scraped food, eg prawn shells and fish bones into the water. The locals went mad. But quite happy to leave polystyrene in the water. An explanation that it was food for crabs, birds and small fish was not understood.

I think we can be fairly sure that once the oil has been cleaned up the plastic will be replaced exactly where it was.

As wilcopops said, the mosquito vector has an extremely small flight span. Most infections are acquired a very, very short distance from the breeding place. Water jars are a prime source.

As I understand, the mossie involved also does not like laying eggs in dirty water or water that has other mossies in it, it likes it clean and fresh.

Which is the paddy fields aren't the issue but chronic rain is.

I think then key point with water is that it needs to be static or "stagnant"........our criteria for "clean" could be misleading.

This scares the hell out of me. A bit silly in looking back but I've never used any repellent in all my trips to Thailand. 1st time I used some anti mossie patches which have vit b. Last year I used nothing but I'm going to koh lipe this year and I know the aedes mossie is present there so will take some repellent.

I've never seen a mossie in Bangkok though. Are there some areas more prone to mossies than others?

You many need new spectacles!

At least PTT are helping........by pouring oil on troubled waters!

BTW - those who think that there is no problem at sea because "petrochemicals float" are very mistaken, especially after the use of dispersants which are in effect petrochemicals themselves - detergents etc. - the oil then forms a kind of emulsion I.e. droplets these don't just disappear, they either sink to the bottom or get invested by sea life and work their way up the food chain...towards us.

On shallow water, the droplets follow the same currents as the spill itself.

No a dreadful over simplification - please read up first. You sound like an apologist for an oil company

I am not apologising at all. The dispersed oil, on shallow water like this will simply wash up in the main slick.

They need to skim it, boom it off and suck it up. Dispersing it on shallow water won't really stop it getting ashore

BTW - those who think that there is no problem at sea because "petrochemicals float" are very mistaken, especially after the use of dispersants which are in effect petrochemicals themselves - detergents etc. - the oil then forms a kind of emulsion I.e. droplets these don't just disappear, they either sink to the bottom or get invested by sea life and work their way up the food chain...towards us.

Just as I suspected...looks as if PTT have been playing down the full extent of the spill.it's reach the mainland as well as Koh Samet.

Do now it has hit the beach on Koh Samet

http://www.richardbarrow.com/2013/07/oil-slick-spreads-to-beach-on-koh-samet/

.

Shrinking populations in developed countries is a real and growing problem.

What is needed is young immigrants to fill the gap....until racist and xenophobic mind sets are overcome this will not happen quickly enough.

Rayong had some very nice beaches. It is now admitted that some oil may reach them.

May problem with the reporting on this is that it all sounds like "newspeak".

"Everything is under control"

It would be nice to hear from someone other than the perpetrators - PTT - or the government news agency

I don't think I saw this posted, but its a recent article posted in the Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Disease, entitled "Repellent activity of herbal essential oils against aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus"... I think those are the 2 mosquito female types largely responsible for transmitting diseases like Dengue Fever.

Anyways, I bring this article to everyone's attention because I was trying to find a solution for my 2 kids. They both were getting eaten alive at school, parks... etc. apparently big breeding grounds according to all the reports I read. I read the attached article and my wife and I found a new repellent on the market which seems to work and is safe for kids. My kids get bitten much less often. Check it out, its called KIRI's mosquito patch... www.facebook.com/KIRIThailand. My wife got them because they are DEET-free, citronella based, and all natural. I even use it now when jogging and working out in the park... and my wife laughs when I use them watching tv along with my mosquito zapper in hand. The little pests are like ninjas. Anyways, protect the little ones... for those adults that have gotten dengue fever, you know what I am talking about.

Article: http://www.apjtcm.com/zz/20134/4.pdf

It has appeared on several sites and is promoting a single brand of mozzie repellent.

The report alluded to doesn't mention the product and appears to restate what is already known - it doesn't offer any new info and the peer review is of minimal value.

It would seem that they are trying to promote the product by association with this report.

Be aware that so called "natural" repellents last nowhere near as long as DEET.

I don't think I saw this posted, but its a recent article posted in the Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Disease, entitled "Repellent activity of herbal essential oils against aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus"... I think those are the 2 mosquito female types largely responsible for transmitting diseases like Dengue Fever.

Anyways, I bring this article to everyone's attention because I was trying to find a solution for my 2 kids. They both were getting eaten alive at school, parks... etc. apparently big breeding grounds according to all the reports I read. I read the attached article and my wife and I found a new repellent on the market which seems to work and is safe for kids. My kids get bitten much less often. Check it out, its called KIRI's mosquito patch... www.facebook.com/KIRIThailand. My wife got them because they are DEET-free, citronella based, and all natural. I even use it now when jogging and working out in the park... and my wife laughs when I use them watching tv along with my mosquito zapper in hand. The little pests are like ninjas. Anyways, protect the little ones... for those adults that have gotten dengue fever, you know what I am talking about.

Article: http://www.apjtcm.com/zz/20134/4.pdf

why bother, the thai people do not give a shit about their own country, all that matters is money. Just look at the filth and crap all over the place, they have no respect for anything. This is so disheartening, it is a beautiful country but the people just dont care about it. How do you teach people to respect their own country when they are lazy and too proud to do the right thing, it is easier to throw your rubbish in the street than it is to bin it. They really nned a clean up Thailand day but no one would attend because it would mean working and that would cause too many to loose face, pathetic......

Being a diver and avid lover of the ocean, I was shocked in horror the first time I went to to Pattaya in 1999. I went with a group of friends on a chartered bus which dropped us off right on the beach. I proceeded to run right into the ocean ignoring the people behind me mostly Thai....screaming Don't ! Don't !. as I ran into the water I noticed a funny feeling around my legs, as I looked down I noticed I had tons of trash wrapped around my legs gazing at this then moving my focus to the area directly around me, I noticed that there was trash everywhere. The trash was so thick I couldn't believe my eyes. I never went back until about 10 years later when I had to go there for some reason. I noticed that the face of Pattaya had changed looking new and exciting. However, the water was still the same. Getting to my point, I visited Khao Larn with some friends only to see why there is so much trash in Pattaya. We were sitting on the back porch of a beach cabin while looking over at the homes that lined the shore , pretending or ignoring the trash that was just under the surface of the clear ocean waters trying to stay focused on the beauty when we witnessed a man walk out of his home and toss a huge bag of trash into the water. with in an hour the trash was all over the shore line as he then reappeared without a care in the world.. I guess I was truly bothered more by the ignorance of this guy more than the trash on the shore. I couldn't help but too think that there really are people who will actually pee in the wind, just to shower. The beach was right at his front door.... I just can't understand why he would throw trash in his front yard. Then looking deeper into the water you could clearly see he wasn't the only one. Even now I just can't believe they still haven't done anything about it, yet people keep coming to this sh** whole.

Are you talking about attitude here or chase and effect?

As a diver you must be aware if the effects of wind currents and tide on the distribution of pollution in the sea.....and it is not just the stuff you can see that is so bad......many pollutants are clear and odourless.

Poorly designed effluent outlets can mean that anything they release is swept along to beaches used by tourists......but the source of rubbish is seldom just local...it is swept along by tides and current from country to country and much is dumped from ships at sea - totally unregulated.

Next time you find yourself on a beach, take a stroll down the tide line and examine the garbage there - plastics are particularly common - look at the writing on the con trainers etc - you might be surprised how far from origin some if it has come.

Exactly the same situation in the Andaman sea. Can frequently see thousands of fish fry being sold at markets as anchovies, when in fact they are just fry of what would have grown to far larger fish. The famous Phuket Lobster no longer exists off the coast of Phuket.

Whereas the Andaman certainly has problems it is NOT exactly the same and the Gulf which is an enclosed sea and in reality turning into a cesspit for the nations that surround bit.

it's enough to make one turn vegetarian ...soon we may all end up eating our own words, just as most of all our fearless leaders have done

nom nom nom

Never turn vegetarian, i am too addicted to munching meaty muffins.

If vegetarian's are trying to save the animals....why do they eat all the animals food ?