Face to Face

The debate over the Cross-Island Line is reaching a pitched heat. And the important thing is to not forget the human (or, well, animal) face to the impact. It’s not just trees: it’s animals like this colugo, whose sensitivity to disturbance would render it vulnerable to the impact of soil testing. One of the most distinctive (i.e., strangest) species in Singapore forests, despite being called a “Sunda flying lemur”, they do not fly, nor are, indeed, a lemur. Nocturnal, they glide from tree to tree with a membrane stretched between their limbs; during the day, they camp out on the side of or under the branches of trees.

Hardly anything is known about them – not about their breeding habits, nor whether sexual dimorphism is or is not prevalent amongs the species, nor their interactions with one another. Extremely shy through most of their range, MacRitchie is one of the best places to find them.

However, their population (or visibility) has only risen in recent years, and the CRL threatens their continued viability in Singapore. Charismatic and virtually unknown, they represent all the knowledge there is to lose with the gain of six minutes’ productivity.

If you have photographs of MacRitchie or experiences you want to share, post them on social media with the hastag #MyMacRitchie.

We are the human voice for this forest.