Skip to content
Sahabat Alam Malaysia
  • Home
  • About
  • Programmes
  • Resources
  • Contact
  • BMBM
  • Donate
  • Archive

Promote Biological Control to Combat Rodent Attack

  • Publication Date | August 3, 2018
  • Document Type | Letter to the Editor
  • Programmes | Agriculture
  • Issues | Biodiversity
  • Tags | barn owls, paddy farmers, Rodents
Share on twitter
Share on whatsapp
Share on email
Share on facebook
PDF

Padi farmers in Kepala Batas, Penang are crying out for help because of destruction to their rice crops, but their cries are not in vain for  the state Agriculture Department has come to their rescue through the biological control of rats in the paddy fields. 

Using barn owls to fight rodent populations is an old idea that is getting a second look by many sectors of the agriculture industry. This is, in part, due to pressure from environmental and consumer groups to reduce agro-chemical use in the field. But credit must also be given to the notion that nature can often be a farmer’s ally in  battle against pests.  

Recognizing the barn owl’s value as expert rodent hunters, farmers can easily encourage their presence by providing nesting sites as the birds are attracted to almost any snug, dark cavity. The birds will tolerate a fair amount of noise and commotion around their nest as long as they are not directly threatened. So long as the food supply remains dependable, the owls will return again and again.

University Putra Malaysia’s Assoc Prof Dr Hafidzi Mohd Noor in answering residents queries about barn owls (Star 16 Jan 2017) explained that barn owls were a form of biological control for rats. Compared to snakes, the owl is more suitable for reducing the number of rats, as a male owl can bring up to 10 rats back to its nest in a night.

The nocturnal owls, scientifically known as Tyto alba, have a voracious appetite, each adult consuming up to 2,000 rats a year. Researchers say barn owls in oil palm areas depend almost entirely on live rats for food.

Its unique intriguing looks make the owls unique with its many specialized characteristics and behaviors.   Its flat heart shaped face which sharpens hearing and large round eyes to provide nocturnal vision boosted by the ability to turn its head 180 degrees makes it an amazing bird. 

As hunters, barn owls are highly adapted creatures. The design of their wings renders them almost silent in flight, and their highly developed sense of hearing enables them to hunt in total darkness.  

Each farmer, of course, should consider what best serves their needs as well as the needs of the owl. In any case, nest boxes should be placed in an area of low human activity or in locations in the trees or in farm buildings where there is more protection from the hot sun.  

However it is important that the owls are not chased away or threatened. The Barn Owl is, on the average, a short lived creature. Many die before completing their first year. The causes of death include accidental pesticide poisoning, starvation, human predation, accidents with moving vehicles, fences and power lines, and attacks by the carnivorous mammals, eagles, other hawks and other owls.

It must be kept in mind, however, that barn owls will not be the ultimate solution to a farmer’s rodent problems.  Sustainable control can only be achieved by reducing the rodent carrying capacity of the environment, principally by reducing food and harbourage.

Another effective way  to control rodents, and one that’s often overlooked, is the snakes. Snakes consume more rats and mice than all other rodent eaters combined. However, snakes are still feared by most people, when people fail to understand or acknowledge a snake’s role in the environment. Hopefully the mindset towards snakeswould change in time because of their key link in the food chain.

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) urges the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry and extension agencies to aggressively promote biological control for pest and disease management in paddy fields.

S.M. MOHAMED IDRIS

President

Latest

Agriculture

World Health Day -Eliminate Health Inequities

This year’s World Health Day theme is all about eliminating health inequities. The use of toxic pesticides is a major global health issue, poisoning farmers

Read More »
April 7, 2021
Development & Planning

Sungai Kerian river bank erosion must be addressed immediately

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) urges the Penang Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) to take immediate measures to prevent further erosion of the riverbanks of

Read More »
April 7, 2021
Forests & Biodiversity

Stop peat swamp forest conversion and clearance at Mukim Sungai Panjang, Sabak Bernam for the Selangor Smart Agro Park (SSAP) project

The Coalition for the Protection of Selangor’s Forests of which SAM is a part of, released the following statement against the conversion and clearance of

Read More »
April 6, 2021
Agriculture

Proposed licensing of seeds and processing activities may deny farmers’ rights

The Malaysian Forum for Food Security and Sovereignty which SAM is a part of held a press conference today and issued the following statement against

Read More »
April 6, 2021

World Health Day -Eliminate Health Inequities

  • Publication Date | April 7, 2021
  • Document Type | Articles & Stories
  • Programmes | Agriculture
  • Issues | Agroecology, Pollution, Toxics
Read more

Sungai Kerian river bank erosion must be addressed immediately

  • Publication Date | April 7, 2021
  • Document Type | Media Statement
  • Programmes | Development & Planning
  • Issues | Development, Fisheries, Mitigation, Planning
Read more

Stop peat swamp forest conversion and clearance at Mukim Sungai Panjang, Sabak Bernam for the Selangor Smart Agro Park (SSAP) project

  • Publication Date | April 6, 2021
  • Document Type | Media Statement
  • Programmes | Forests & Biodiversity
  • Issues | Biodiversity, Conservation, Forest Conversions, Plantations
Read more

Proposed licensing of seeds and processing activities may deny farmers’ rights

  • Publication Date | April 6, 2021
  • Document Type | Media Statement
  • Programmes | Agriculture
  • Issues | Agriculture, Agroecology, Biodiversity, Certification, Seeds
Read more
Agriculture

World Health Day -Eliminate Health Inequities

Read More »
April 7, 2021
Development & Planning

Sungai Kerian river bank erosion must be addressed immediately

Read More »
April 7, 2021
Forests & Biodiversity

Stop peat swamp forest conversion and clearance at Mukim Sungai Panjang, Sabak Bernam for the Selangor Smart Agro Park (SSAP) project

Read More »
April 6, 2021
Agriculture

Proposed licensing of seeds and processing activities may deny farmers’ rights

Read More »
April 6, 2021

Testimonials

Sahabat Alam Malaysia adalah satu badan bukan kerajaan (NGO) yang telah sekian lama berjuang mempertahan kelestarian alam. Ia juga mendidik masyarakat tentang pentingnya kebersamaan dalam pemikiran dan tindakan agar alam ini dapat kita wariskan kepada generasi hadapan dalam keadaan yang elok dan terpelihara. Dalam pada itu juga SAM giat membantu golongan nelayan pantai dalam memperjuangkan hak-hak mereka sehinggalah tertubuhnya Persatuan Pendidikan dan Kebajikan Nelayan Pantai Malaysia (JARING). Nelayan pantai sepenuh masa ini dididik oleh SAM sehingga mereka mampu memainkan peranan sebagai pemimpin nelayan yang meneruskan kesinambungan memperjuangkan hak-hak nelayan pantai lainnya. Sebagai contoh SAM telah berjaya menyedarkan masyarakat nelayan keperluan menjaga hutan paya bakau untuk kebaikan hasil tangkapan nelayan itu sendiri.
Jamaluddin Mohamad Bualik
Jamaluddin Mohamad BualikPersatuan Pendidikan dan Kebajikan Jaringan Nelayan Pantai Malaysia (JARING)
During the 1980s, I used to read about the Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) in the news. After retirement, some time in 2001, while lazing around, I read news about the construction of a carbon in leach plant using sodium cyanide to extract gold in Bukit Koman. My friends and I visited CAP and we were introduced to SAM and her legal team. We discussed the details of filing a case against the gold mining company and the department of environment with Ms Meenakshi Raman and her legal team. That was the beginning of a beautiful friendship between lawyers from SAM and many of us from Bukit Koman. We had many ups and downs in our struggle to shut down the gold mine that was causing a nuisance in our village. But, as a community we never gave up because SAM had our backs.
Hue Fui How
Hue Fui HowSecretary, Bukit Koman Ban Cyanide in Goldmining Action Committee (BCAC)
Sahabat Alam Malaysia adalah sebuah NGO yang memperjuangkan nasib masyarakat luar bandar khasnya. SAM menerima aduan-aduan masyarakat dan menyelesaikan masalah yang dihadapi. SAM telah mewujudkan ramai aktivis-aktivis sosial dan alam sekitar. Pada era 1980 dan 90an SAM sangat dihormati oleh masyarakat dan agensi kerajaan. Apabila media sosial menguasai maklumat maka SAM pun terkesan dan masalah masyarakat terus disalurkan dengan pelbagai cara. SAM perlu mewujudkan aktivis-aktivis pelapis yang muda untuk terus membantu masyarakat. SAM juga perlu membuat perubahan supaya banyak turun kelapangan dan jangan mengharapkan laporan media sahaja. Tingkatkan prestasi sebagaimana pada zaman kegemilangan SAM di era 80-90an.
Che Ani Mt Zain
Che Ani Mt Zain
SAM taught me the importance of social activism and the role it plays in upholding the rights of people and the protection of the environment. In my experience, SAM has never hesitated to speak up in defence of people and their environment, and has gone the extra mile to champion their rights, by helping communities take their battles to the higher ups and even to the courts.
Jessica Binwani
Jessica BinwaniPublic/Private Interest Lawyer
Semenjak kami kenal SAM, banyak pengalaman dan pengetahuan yg kami dapat. Kami telah belajar cara membuat baja asli daripada SAM. Semenjak itu, bermulalah minat kami dalam aktiviti pertanian. Dengan memperolehi kemahiran dalam membuat baja asli dan penanaman lestari, kami juga telah dapat menambahkan pendapatan sampingan kami. Ini lebih baik daripada tanah kami terbiar dan tidak diusahakan. Terima kasih SAM kerana sudi memberi bantuan dan tunjuk ajar kepada Persatuan kami.
Chedo Anak Nyuwen
Chedo Anak NyuwenPersatuan Penduduk Sg Buri, Bakong, Marudi
My journey with SAM started when her community organisers took me to the meet the paddy farmers of Kedah, connecting my growing interest in environmental law with our people who struggle to work the land in the face of pollution, replacement of traditional seeds with commercial hybrids and their accompanying chemical package of fertilisers and weedicides. I then had the honour to work with SAM in the struggle for the rights of the native communities of Sarawak, in defence of their forests from massive logging and destructive mega-projects. In every issue that SAM takes up, she combines rigorous research with the realities and voices of the communities to advocate for policies and laws that care for people and nature. From the courts to the elected legislators to policy makers and implementers and to the United Nations, SAM walks side by side with the communities in Malaysia. How can I not be inspired by the vision and passion of the generations of women and men who coalesce to form SAM?
Chee Yoke Ling
Chee Yoke Lingstudent of SAM, Executive Director of Third World Network, SAM’s sister organisation

Support our mission

Do your part for the environment with your donations. Each contribution enables our organisation to create more impact towards environmental justice.

Donate here

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (Headquarters)
No. 1, Jalan Joki,
11400 Penang,
Malaysia
Tel: +604 827 6930
Fax: +604 827 6932

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (Marudi Office)
129A, First Floor,
Jalan Tuanku Taha,
P.O.Box 216,
98058 Marudi,
Baram, Sarawak,
Malaysia
Tel & Fax: +6085 758 973

Sitemap

  • Home
  • About
  • Programmes
  • Resources
  • Archive
  • Donate
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Usage of the Website Content

Get the latest news

Facebook
Twitter
Youtube
Instagram

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (Headquarters)
No. 1, Jalan Joki, 11400 Penang,
Malaysia
Tel: +604 827 6930
Fax: +604 827 6932

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (Marudi Office)
129A, First Floor,
Jalan Tuanku Taha,
P.O.Box 216,
98058 Marudi, Baram, Sarawak,
Malaysia
Tel & Fax: +6085 758 973

Sitemap

  • Home
  • About
  • Programmes
  • Resources
  • Archive
  • Donate
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Usage of the Website Content

Get the latest news

Follow us here

Facebook
Twitter
Youtube
Instagram
Copyright © 2021 Sahabat Alam Malaysia