Endangered Animals Set to Reinvade the Wilds

The Visayan spotted deer is not much larger than some dogs

Come April 2004, the Visayan spotted deer (Cervus alfredi) and the Visayan warty pig (Sus cebifrons) will leave their long-time sanctuary, the Mari-it Conservation Park. They will be returned to their natural habitat.

Joining them are the Panay bushy-tailed cloud rat (Crateromys heaneyi), the Visayan writhed-billed hornbill (Aceros waldeni), the Panay tarictic hornbill (Penelopides panini), the blue crown racquet-tailed parrot and the little leopard cat (Felis bengalensis minuta).

These are just some of the animals found only in the Philippines that are threatened by extinction.

This milestone in conservation efforts would not come had it not been for people and entities that pooled resources to save these endangered species.

At the forefront is the Mari-it Conservation Park of the West Visayas State University (WVSU) College of Agriculture and Forestry. The park is located at the foot of the hinterland villages of Calinog town.

Foreign Assistance

Professor Lucia Lastimoza, the conservation park in-charge, said that the project was born when William Oliver came over in 1993. She said Oliver was seeking for "schooled" individuals who could manage a captive breeding center for the spotted deer.

Oliver is the chairman of the Pig, Peccary and Hippo Specialist Group of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). He is also associated with Fauna & Flora International.

Oliver's move came after a field survey conducted by Roger Cooks on the status of the Visayan spotted deer and the Visayan warty pig in 1987.

The little leopard cat

A little over eight years ago, in October 10, 1993, WVSU formally inked a memorandum of agreement with the Mulhouse Zoo of France for the conservation project.

The park started with only five deer, and the group had to work hard to get the necessary financial aid for the project from foreign entities and organizations. "The government has not given a single centavo for the project until today," explained Lastimoza.

"I wonder at times why I am doing this. This is supposed to be undertaken by the DENR [Department of Environment and Natural Resources]. But I also see that DENR has a limited budget, just like all government agencies."

She stressed though that the Philippine government contributed the 2.5-hectare park, owned by the WVSU, which was set aside for the project.

Flora and Fauna International, Melbourne Zoo, San Diego Zoo, Chester Zoo, Berlin Zoo, London Zoological Society, White Ox Conservation, Vogelpark, Loro Parque Fundaccion, El Retiro Park, Mulhouse Zoo, the Zoological Society for the Conservation of Species & Populations, and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature extended financial help to the project. Foreign individuals also shelled out cash for the effort.

Save the Deer…Save All Local Flora and Fauna

The Visayan spotted deer was chosen as the focus of conservation efforts among the endangered animals, or "flagship species," because Lastimoza had previously believed the deer to be the only most endangered endemic species.

"I thought that the deer were the most endangered species among our own animals so we picked it as the focus of our conservation efforts," she explained.

She recalled that, "Shortly before this project was born, people living in the hinterland villages would bring along a spotted deer they had hunted down for sale in the town center."

But she discovered that there were other animals that face the same threat as the Visayan spotted deer, so she decided to take care of them as well.

This explains why Mari-it is also taking care of many other animals.

The Visayan spotted deer is "a small deer not much larger than some dogs, being about 2.6 feet tall at the shoulder." Lastimoza describes it as "an attractive animal. It is a very charismatic animal."

A survey conducted in 1985 indicated that a few spotted deer were found in parts of Negros, Leyte, Samar and Panay Islands. Another study conducted in 1991 reported that the deer survived in small populations only in Panay and adjacent Negros Island. Oliver noted that in 1990, there were only 13 spotted deer known to be alive.

The Tarictic hornbill is critically endangered

In a report done by the Frankfurt Zoological Society on their Philippine Endemic Species Conservation Project, the group said that the tarictic hornbill "is now known certainly only from Panay and Negros, being probably extinct or nearly so on Guimaras, Ticao, Masbate, Sicogon and Pan de Azucar Islands."

Starting with only five spotted deer, Mari-it now has 31, with 17 born in captivity. The rest were either brought to or bought by the park.

There are now 32 warty pigs in conservation enclosures with 27 bred in captivity. Ten will be sent to the San Diego Zoo in California

27 cloud rats may also be found in the park, with six bred in captivity.

There are 12 writhed-billed and 19 Tarictic hornbills in the park now, along with another two racquet-tailed parrots and three little leopard cats.

Lastimoza said once the habitat of the flagship species is protected, "you are protecting the habitat of all other species" as they all live in the same environment. "Once you protect that forest which is the home of our spotted deer, then you are protecting all flora and fauna living there."

Blamed for the near extinction these animals and birds is the intense hunting pressure, clearing for agriculture, bad logging practices and the continued elimination and fragmentation of the animals' habitats.

Lastimoza said the spotted deer is "a critically-endangered" species, along with the Visayan warty pig, the Panay writhed-billed hornbill and the Visayan Tarictic hornbill. Classified as "endangered" are the bushy-tailed cloud rat and the racquet-tailed parrot. The little leopard cat is listed as "vulnerable."

IUCN classifies animals as "critically endangered" when they face an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future, "endangered" when are not critically endangered but are facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future, and "vulnerable" when they are not critically endangered or endangered but face a high risk of extinction in the wild in the medium-term future.

27 cloud rats now live in the Mari-it Conservation Park

Back to the Wilds

The current "success of conservation," however, does not end with the breeding of more endangered animals in conservation centers like the Mari-it.

While conservation centers could be showcases of education and facilities for research, said Lastimoza, their main goal is to return back to the wild the animals it has saved from extinction. "But only if there's a protected area," she emphasized.

Aside from expecting the declaration of the Panay 's remaining forests as "protected areas," Lastimoza hopes that DENR will approve her proposal for setting aside a 10-hectare portion of a watershed park in Calinog town where she will release a "functional breeding population" of the animals.

"I am amazed by nature. You know, it has the ability to bounce back to its original state," she said with full optimism. "It may take another 20 years to have this dream fully realized, but I'm happy to take a small step."

Rexcel John B. Sorza is a journalist from the Philippines and a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Communication and Management. He was recently the runner up in the Water Media Network Journalists’ Competition and received his award at the Third World Water Forum in Kyoto, Japan. Your emails will be forwarded to him by contacting the editor at: ScienceTech@islam-online.net.