Latest news with #HasberSalim
Malay Mail
20-05-2025
- Science
- Malay Mail
‘Silent guardians' of the fields: What to know about Asian barn owls that are helping Malaysian farms fight rat infestations for less
GEORGE TOWN, May 21 — The Asian barn owls, natives of Malaysia, are known as 'silent guardians' — whose voracious appetite for rats protects valuable crops on local farms. Since 2014, the Barn Owl and Rodent Research Group (Borg) from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has been encouraging the conservation of barn owls and introducing the species to padi farms and oil palm plantations as natural pest control agents. Borg, spearheaded by Associate Professor in Pest Management Hasber Salim, has successfully introduced thousands of artificial nest boxes to attract barn owls to oil palm plantations and farms nationwide since then. Recently, 20 artificial nest boxes were installed in padi farms in Kepala Batas to reduce pesticide costs and increase yield — a collaborative effort by Borg, Padiberas Nasional Berhad (Bernas), Global Giving Grant and Corteva Agriscience. But what do you actually know about this local species? Associate Professor Hasber Salim displays a pellet that a barn owls regurgitated after consuming rats. — Picture by Opalyn Mok Here are some facts about the barn owls:
Malay Mail
20-05-2025
- Science
- Malay Mail
Barn owls vs rodenticide: Why scientists want you to ditch poison and trust this local bird instead for sustainable farming
GEORGE TOWN, May 21 — The Barn Owl and Rodent Research Group (Borg) of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) is pushing for a reduction in rodenticide use in plantations and fields to prevent secondary poisoning of other non-target species such as birds, fish, and reptiles. Associate Professor Hasber Salim, who leads Borg, said some oil palm plantations and paddy farmers are using highly toxic second-generation rodenticides, which pose a threat to the natural predators of rodents, which includes the Asian barn owl. 'We are trying to encourage the conservation of barn owls as they can be implemented as biological control agents of rodents in oil palm plantations and paddy fields,' he said in an interview with Malay Mail. An adult barn owl has a voracious appetite and can consume up to three rodents per night. However, Hasber said secondary poisoning from ingesting rodents that have consumed second-generation rodenticides is one of the biggest threats to these owls. 'We have worked with various oil palm plantations and farms nationwide to introduce artificial nest boxes to attract barn owls to these places and to reduce the rodent population and reliance on rodenticides,' he said. He added that corporations often refuse to stop using rodenticide, so Borg is hoping to push them to switch back to first generation rodenticides that are less toxic to the owls. To note, first-generation rodenticides often require multiple feedings over several days to kill a rodent, whereas a second-generation dose is likely to kill in one feeding. 'Even after introducing barn owls to reduce the rodent population, we know they would not stop using rodenticide entirely so a compromise is to encourage them to use the less toxic rodenticides,' he said. An installation of nest boxes at a paddy field by the Barn Owl and Rodent Research Group. — Pictures courtesy of Borg Trials and setbacks in owl conservation Borg, established in 2014, has been studying barn owls and rodents in the past decade and has implemented multiple projects introducing the owls in various situations. This included a project to introduce barn owls into urban settings to reduce rodent populations, specifically in Subang Jaya and around the USM campus. 'I would not say the project in Subang Jaya was a failure but we discovered that the bright moving lights of vehicles affected the sight of the owls' sensitive eyes,' he said. Furthermore, whenever people spotted the owls in the city, they chased after them and used flash photography that further frightened the owls, he added. 'Somehow, people get excited when they see the owls,' he said. As for the project around USM grounds, Hasber said 20 artificial nest boxes were installed around the area, but only a small number of barn owls were attracted to live in them. 'We do not have a large population of barn owls here because of insufficient food for them,' he said. In oil palm plantations and farms, the artificial nest boxes that Borg installs are often made of wood and placed on a stilt that is about 12 to 14 feet high. 'It has to be high enough so that people could not reach it and not too high that it could tip over when there is strong winds,' Hasber said. At its aviary in USM, Borg has studied owlets that were rescued from nests where the mother owl was unable to feed all of its nestlings. This allowed the group to learn about the growth, the habits and the diets of the owls up close before releasing the bird back into the wild. 'We let them learn to hunt rodents within the aviary and once we are confident that they can survive in the wild, we will release them in the paddy fields,' he said. He said sometimes, people would find injured owls and bring them back to Borg to be rehabilitated and released once again. Though Borg sometimes brings young barn owls out for exhibitions as part of educational campaigns to push for their conservation, he said the team is careful not to tame the owls. 'We do not want them to be tame because we plan to release them to the wild so that they can survive in the wild on their own,' he said. Samples preserved in jars and display boxes for research at USM's Borg. — Picture by Opalyn Mok Establishing barn owls in East Malaysia The Asian barn owls are native to West Malaysia, but there used to be none in East Malaysia, so Borg conducted several projects to introduce the species there. It took a few attempts, but they finally managed to translocate eight pairs of barn owls to Sabah about 10 years ago. Hasber said translocating owlets from Peninsular Malaysia to Sabah does not work, as they would return due to a strong homing instinct. 'They are very smart creatures, so even if you bring them to another country, they will find their way back here,' he said. So Borg devised a plan to bring eight pairs of owls to Sabah and breed them there, so that the owlets born in the location will consider it their home. 'It was successful as the owls, including the original eight pairs, continued to stay there and now, there are thousands of barn owls there,' he said. Moving forward, he said Borg will continue to work with plantations and paddy farms to install more nest boxes to encourage the use of these natural pest-control instead of relying on rodenticides. 'Barn owls are the best method in sustainable farming that does not poison the environment or kill non-targeted species in the farms,' he said.
Malaysian Reserve
19-05-2025
- Science
- Malaysian Reserve
Bernas, USM use barn owls to combat paddy field pests
ADIBERAS Nasional Bhd (Bernas) is collaborating with Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in the 'Driving Sustainable Agriculture' project which uses barn owls (Tyto alba javanica) as a natural biological control agent to combat paddy field rats — one of the primary threats to the crop yields of smallholder farmers in Malaysia. This collaborative project with USM is driven by the Barn Owl and Rodent Research Group (BORG) under the School of Biological Sciences, and is fully funded by GlobalGiving, an international organisation that supports sustainable development worldwide. BORG coordinator and lead researcher Dr Hasber Salim said the project stands as evidence of how ecology-based approaches can replace toxic rat poisons, which pose significant risks to humans, wildlife and the environment. 'We are deeply grateful to GlobalGiving for its trust and full financial support for this project,' he said in a statement. Using barn owls help farmers reduce costs and avoid the risks associated with chemical pesticides He added that the project is specifically focused on paddy-growing regions, particularly supporting bottom 40% income group (B40) farmers in adopting more environmentally friendly and sustainable agricultural practices. Bernas plays a crucial role in on-ground implementation, including logistics, the distribution of 20 barn owl nest boxes to selected farmers and the management of community awareness campaigns. Bernas head of the farm management department Mohd Zakri Zulkafli shared that the company is committed to supporting this innovative effort as it aligns with Bernas' role as a key stakeholder in the nation's rice industry. 'In addition to helping farmers reduce costs and the risks associated with chemical pesticides, this initiative also contributes towards a more sustainable and competitive agricultural ecosystem,' he said. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) exchange between Bernas and USM to conduct a pilot study on the use of barn owls as biological control agents is expected to bring significant benefits to paddy farmers. Mohd Zakri added that this pilot programme has the potential to become an alternative eco-friendly and safe pest control model for paddy fields, in line with Bernas' agenda to ensure the sustainability of the nation's rice industry and the well-being of local farmers. — TMR
New Straits Times
14-05-2025
- General
- New Straits Times
Bernas, USM launch eco-friendly barn owl project to combat rice field pest
KUALA LUMPUR: Padiberas Nasional Bhd (Bernas) in collaboration with Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has launched the "Driving Sustainable Agriculture" project to reduce the threat of rice field rats and lessen dependence on pesticide use. According to Bernas, the initiative introduces the use of barn owls (Tyto alba javanica) as a natural biological control agent to combat paddy field rats — one of the primary threats to the crop yields of smallholder farmers in Malaysia. "This collaborative project with USM is driven by the Barn Owl and Rodent Research Group (BORG) under the School of Biological Sciences and is fully funded by GlobalGiving, an international organisation that supports sustainable development worldwide," it said in a statement. BORG Coordinator and lead researcher Dr Hasber Salim said this project stands as evidence of how ecology-based approaches can replace toxic rat poisons, which pose significant risks to humans, wildlife, and the environment. Salim said the project is specifically focused on paddy-growing regions, particularly supporting B40 farmers in adopting more environmentally friendly and sustainable agricultural practices. "Bernas plays a crucial role in on-ground implementation, including logistics, the distribution of 20 barn owl nest boxes to selected farmers, and the management of community awareness campaigns," he said. Meanwhile, Bernas head of the farm management department Mohd Zakri Bin Zulkafli said the company is committed to supporting this innovative effort as it aligns with its role as a key stakeholder in the nation's rice industry. In addition to helping farmers reduce costs and the risks associated with chemical pesticides, Mohd Zakri said this initiative also contributes towards a more sustainable and competitive agricultural ecosystem. "This pilot programme has the potential to become an alternative eco-friendly and safe pest control model for paddy fields, in line with Bernas's agenda to ensure the
