This is one of the signs in the eco park I like to go to, to look for macro subjects to shoot. Called "Trail Manners", it has very good advice on what to do and not to do, in order to enjoy but not disturb the flora and fauna in the park.
The eco park is not a cultivated park with landscaped flower plots. It is really secondary forest, with simple grass trails running around the ponds, marshes and grasslands. Among the tips is advice not to bring one's pets, especially dogs. This is because dogs leave a scent which disturbs the native wildlife. Dogs may also dig up or harass wildlife, and wild animals that defend themselves from dogs may injure the dog.
In eco parks and nature reserves, there are snakes, wild monkeys and monitor lizards. I have not seen the monitor lizards but I've seen wild monkeys and big snakes.
There is a larger version, so you can view it to read the "trail manners" in greater detail if you like. 8)
Oh, behave!!!! No shagging the wildlife is missing...... Or the wild wife for that matter, it is a public park after all. Unfortunately I've been in parks where that rule was not even considered, I'm scarred for life.
Unfortunately too many people need educating, reminding and persuading, they need to be shown examples of behaviour and attitudes that preserve and protect the very things they have come to observe.We are maybe not all as enlightened and responsible as @robv appears to be. Then again maybe there are others who need educating, reminding and persuading that good manners cost nothing and that courtesy to all people on 365 should be a given.
All over the world people think that the one little exception they make will not matter - sigh. Good rules - especially for a place with so many people.
If a landscape is in that need of protection I think there most be no people allowed at all. As long as it is it`s a good reminder . Maybe I`m to strictly ?
I'm glad you took a photo of this! I go to so many botanical gardens and wildlife game parks in Africa, and see people throw banana peels and plastic bags out of their car windows. So inconsiderate of the animals. Great shot!
I like the way the sign is presented. Have been reading all the comments above; interesting the way something like this provokes all sorts of reactions, some humorous, some indignant, some moralistic, etc etc. Nothing like a DON'T sign to get everyone excited!
It's a shame that we even need signs like this, but it is has a good message - sounds like a great park...not too sure about coming across the big snakes though:)
I like the rules. Where is this park? But wild monkeys? I'm surprised. Hope they're really small. Chimps can get vicious and humans are no match for them.
@robv Thank you for the sarcasm. I do appreciate it. ;D We are over 5 million people on a tiny island that measures just 42km (26 miles) from east to west. All are hardcore city dwellers. A little advice on how to help preserve the biodiversity in the park can go a long way. As incredible as it sounds. 8)
@chamal@bobhuegel You can enjoy yourself at the park. Seriously. I do every time I go there. 8) The sign has good advice for those willing to listen. Those who won't, won't. Life goes on. 8P
@salza@kidatheart@humphreyhippo@pyrrhula A little reminder goes a long way. Is it sad? Well, the human condition is sad. In my more cynical moments, I like to say I have lost faith in humankind, the earth is doomed! Haha. In every population, there is a small percentage of people who care only for themselves. But, for the rest of us, it doesn't hurt at all to have a few signs to remind us that, what few pockets of wildlife and nature we have left on our tiny concrete jungle of an island, are very precious. 8)
@sophiaz I'm in Singapore, and I photographed this sign at the Tampines Eco Park. The same sign can be seen at the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, and on walking trails in other nature reserves. We do have wild monkeys and baboons. There are signs in places, where they have been sighted, to advise the public against feeding them, showing food in their presence or even staring at them because they may take this as a gesture of provocation and attack people. There have been a few incidents.
@girlie Haha, I am both surprised and amused by the reactions! I had thought, this shot is so boring, no one is going to comment on it. XD I learn something new everyday! 8)
I always, always wonder about the safety of such parks. I once emerged from a trail to see a sign above saying "wild cats". I could've been gored to death.
Nice thing, Livia! I wish we have such expressive signs in our parks, but, alas... Everywhere we look at we see the opposite... Thank you very much for your shot!
Great sign - much needed rules! I once took my students on a field trip to an island in Boston Harbor. They had a similar sign there. One of my students found a shell and put it in his pocket - the ranger explained that he couldn't take it from the island, and explained that very same thing - Take nothing with you!
They should also hand out brochures like this at entrance, so that people can look it all up later, when they meet an animal or feel urge to litter etc :D
Douglas Adams had a very telling passage in his book "Hitchhiker's Guid to the Galaxy", where Arthur Dent finds a button in a spaceship with the sign "Don't Push This Button". Of course he pushes it. Human nature. It either makes you grin - or it makes you despair. Yes, it's a shame people needs telling at all...
Very cool photo. Along one of the hiking trails I go to not as often as I'd like, there are no signs like this. In fact, there's just a beautifully carved map displaying the different trails, their length and what you might see. Great way to give information at the start of a trail. It becomes quite evident thought once on any of the trails, that the map is from 1950 or before, cause those trails no longer exist or have been changed so many times, there's nothing even remotely similar to whats on the map. Hence, while on the trail, I'll see the occasional day hiker with a confused expression on their face, clearly lost.
Have you looked for a Monitor Lizard? Would love to see a capture of that
@losthorizon Actually, I had managed to spot a monitor lizard last week! It was over a meter long. I was completely impressed but, I only had my macro lens with me. I did take shots from a distance. Naturally, they turned out horrible. HAHA.
@myautofocuslife I know how that is. Most of the best shots I've had have been out of focus, or missing something important, like a head. Do you carry your other lens with you? I usually carry two, my stock kit lens, and the zoom. Maybe some day you can get close enough to one with the macro.
July 21st, 2012
Leave a Comment
Sign up for a free account or Sign in to post a comment.
@chamal @bobhuegel You can enjoy yourself at the park. Seriously. I do every time I go there. 8) The sign has good advice for those willing to listen. Those who won't, won't. Life goes on. 8P
@salza @kidatheart @humphreyhippo @pyrrhula A little reminder goes a long way. Is it sad? Well, the human condition is sad. In my more cynical moments, I like to say I have lost faith in humankind, the earth is doomed! Haha. In every population, there is a small percentage of people who care only for themselves. But, for the rest of us, it doesn't hurt at all to have a few signs to remind us that, what few pockets of wildlife and nature we have left on our tiny concrete jungle of an island, are very precious. 8)
@sophiaz I'm in Singapore, and I photographed this sign at the Tampines Eco Park. The same sign can be seen at the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, and on walking trails in other nature reserves. We do have wild monkeys and baboons. There are signs in places, where they have been sighted, to advise the public against feeding them, showing food in their presence or even staring at them because they may take this as a gesture of provocation and attack people. There have been a few incidents.
@girlie Haha, I am both surprised and amused by the reactions! I had thought, this shot is so boring, no one is going to comment on it. XD I learn something new everyday! 8)
Have you looked for a Monitor Lizard? Would love to see a capture of that