Swarming to the Swamp

Our love for the mangrove led to a close encounter with the swamp creature. Find out more as Chan Su Hooi discloses the rendezvous.

9th May 1998, 2pm

Everyone gathered at Sungei Buloh Nature Park full of enthusiasm—volunteers, undergraduates and staff alike. We were all eager to start the "Introduction to the Mangrove Swamp", an enrichment course via Siva's style . None of us want to miss out on the opportunity to get up close and personal with the mangrove and its inhabitants after bearing much about how Siva conducts his mangrove ramble.

He started off with filling us up on the status and location of mangroves in the world and in Singapore before we moved on to the Mangrove Boardwalk. We got well acquainted with 10 of the most common mangrove species as we were made to examine, draw and jot down notes on the plants that were pointed out to us. Through this activity, we found out many interesting facts like why the Sea Hibiscus attracts ants. Apparently, the Sea Hibiscus secretes nectarins that the ants feed on through the 3 tiny slits on the veins of the leaf. This is a form of defence mechanism which the plant practices to protect its leaves from being eaten up by predators as the ants fight to protect their "benefactor".

The second part of the programme brought us back to the theatrette where Siva gave us an interesting slide presentation on the macro and micro-habitats of the mangrove ecosystems. Then we "marched off" to Sungei Buloh East beyond the boundary of Sungei Buloh Park, where we met up with the creatures of the swamp. We braved through the long grasses, walked past the old prawn ponds and before long, we were transported into the mysterious mangrove swamp.

We moved carefully around the mangrove roots with the trees towering above us. Carpets of algae on the mud resembled that of a golf course turf. Unlike the golf turf, these carpets were teeming with life! We saw many tiny creepy crawlies hiding beneath the carpet as we slowly picked it up. Siva helped to identify the creatures which were mainly crustaceans and molluscs.

The further we ventured, the more enthralled we were about the swamp. Then we came to a point where our walking skills were put to the test. We encountered the "quick sand" of the mangrove swamp. We watched in awe as Siva made his way towards a stream with the mud reaching almost up to his waist!

Soon, it was our turn to attempt the journey across the soft mud. Some of us got stuck while others just breezed through effortlessly. One (no names mentioned) was stuck so badly that we had to dig him out of the mud. It sure looked like he was having a mud bath. As we approached the edge of the mangrove swamp, we took time to wash up as well as admire the beautiful view of Johor Baru.

The coolness of the evening and the silent call of the wild kept us so enraptured that we all yearned to stay back a little longer. However, time beckoned us to return to the Visitors Centre as the last rays of light hid behind the horizon. Thus we bid a hasty farewell to the enchanting woods as we traced our footsteps back to the Park and to civilisation.

Editor's note: Sivasothi is currently doing his PhD at NUS. He is a principal demonstrator at the Habitat Group with the NUS School of Biological Sciences. The mangrove habitat is one of his favourite haunts for his guided groups. We would like to thank him for his kind offer to open this programme to the volunteers and staff of Sungei Buloh.