Fwd: water buffaloes

[luistaylormd]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ren...@aol.com (Renowl)
Date: May 7 2004, 12:15 am
Subject: water buffaloes
To: soc.culture.filipino


tamaraw

Pictures:Tamaraw#1 (35 Kb GIF) (Phil. Sust. Dev. Net. Inc.);Tamaraw#2
(22
Kb JPEG) (Field Museum)

Thetamarawis a small wild buffalo weighing about 300 kg (660 lb). It
lives in
dense forest with open glades for grazing, such as are created by
fires or
landslides. At one time it was found from sea level to 2000 m (6600').
It also
prefers to be close to water for wallowing. Thetamarawfeeds on
grasses,
bamboo shoots and aquatic vegetation. Its small size and great
strength enables
it to push through dense jungle and climb steep
mountains.Tamarawapparently
associate in pairs, rather than herds, except when the cows are about
to give
birth.

Thetamarawwas first documented by Western science in 1888. It has
never been
recorded from any area other than the island of Mindoro (Philippines).
Prior to
about 1900, most people had avoided settling on Mindoro, since it
harbored a
particularly virulent strain of malaria. Thus human impact on
thetamarawhad
been slight. At one time thetamarawlived throughout most of the
island. With
the advent of anti-malarial medicines near the turn of the century,
Mindoro
became more accessible to human settlement. Since that time,
thetamaraw's
population has been reduced from abundance to a critically low level.
By 1966
its range had been reduced almost entirely to 3 principal areas: Mt.
Iglit, Mt.
Calavite, and the vicinity of the Sablayon Penal Settlement. By 2000,
reports
suggested thattamarawwere restricted to just 2 areas: the Iglit
Ranges, in
Mounts Iglit-Baco National Park, and Aruyan, with very few data about
numbers
in either site.

Thetamarawhas declined mainly because of hunting, especially after the
introduction of modern firearms after WWII and the Vietnam war; and
habitat
loss, due to settlement, logging and ranching, after malaria was
brought under
control around 1900. Disease (rinderpest) caught from domestic cattle
introduced to the island in the 1930's has also had a serious impact.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
------

Tidbits
*** Thetamarawis one of the world's rarest mammals.

*** Natives of Mindoro feared thetamarawbecause of its aggressiveness.

*** Hunters with automatic weapons flew to Mindoro from Manila in
helicopters
during the 1960's and 1970's to pursue thetamaraw.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
------

Status and Trends
IUCN Status:
1960's - 1994: Endangered
1996: Endangered; (Criteria: B1+2c, D1)
2000 - 2003: Critically Endangered; (Criteria: C1) (Population Trend:
Decreasing) (Last Assessed by IUCN: 2000) (IUCN 2003a)
Countries Where theTamarawIs Currently Found:
2003: Occurs in the Philippines (Mindoro). (IUCN 2003a)

Population Estimates:
[Note: Figures given are for wild populations only.]

WORLD (Philippines - Island of Mindoro)
1900: 10,000 (Kuehn 1977)
1949: 1000 (Kuehn 1977)
1953: Fewer than 250 (Kuehn 1977)
1969: 100 (IUCN 1969)
1973: 173+ (Oryx 1973)
1974: 148 (Fitter 1974)
1975: 120 (Oryx 1989d)
Mid-1970's: 200-280 plus (Burton & Pearson 1987)
1983: 150-200 (Nowak & Paradiso 1983)
1987: 369+ (Oryx 1989d)
1995: 3-400 (de Leon 1995)
1998: "there is no reason to believe that the number has increased
since the
175 counted in 1983" (Heaney and Regalado 1998)
2000: Thought to be about 30 - 200 (IUCN 2000)
2003: Thought to be about 30 - 200 (IUCN 2003a)
History of Distribution:
Thetamarawwas first documented by Western science in 1888. It has
never been
recorded from any area other than the island of Mindoro (Philippines).
Prior to
about 1900, most people had avoided settling on Mindoro, since it
harbored a
particularly virulent strain of malaria. Thus human impact on
thetamarawhad
been slight. At one time thetamarawlived throughout most of the
island, from
forest at sea level up to 2000 m (6600'). With the advent of anti-
malarial
medicines near the turn of the century, Mindoro became more accessible
to human
settlement. Since that time, thetamaraw'spopulation has been reduced
from
abundance to a critically low level. By 1966 its range had been
reduced almost
entirely to 3 principal areas: Mt. Iglit, Mt. Calavite, and the
vicinity of the
Sablayon Penal Settlement. By 2000, reports suggested thattamarawwere
restricted to just 2 areas: the Iglit Ranges, in Mounts Iglit-Baco
National
Park, and Aruyan, with very few data about numbers in either site
(IUCN 2003a).

Distribution Map #1 (8 Kb GIF) (Huffman 2004)
Distribution Map #2 (28 Kb JPEG) (Spec. Cons. Found.)

Threats and Reasons for Decline:
Thetamarawhas declined mainly because of hunting, especially after the
introduction of modern firearms after WWII and the Vietnam war; and
habitat
loss due to settlement, logging and ranching. Once malaria was brought
under
control around 1900, loggers moved in and cut the prime trees from
lowland rain
forest, plantation owners brought in laborers and their families to
clear the
lowlands for sugar cane and other crops, and subsistence farmers from
Luzon and
other densely populated places moved to Mindoro in search of farmland.
(Heaney
and Regalado 1998) Disease (rinderpest) caught from domestic cattle
introduced
to the island in the 1930's has also had a serious impact.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
------

Data on Biology and Ecology
Weight:
Thetamarawweighs up to 300 kg (660 lb).

Habitat:
Thetamarawlives in dense forest with open glades for grazing, such as
are
created by fires or landslides. At one time it was found from sea
level to 2000
m (6600'). It also prefers to be close to water for wallowing.

Thetamarawoccurs in the Philippines Moist Forests Global 200
Ecoregion.
(Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999)

Gestation Period:
276 - 315 days.

Diet:

Thetamarawfeeds on grasses, bamboo shoots and aquatic vegetation.

Behavior:
Thetamaraw'ssmall size and great strength enables it to push through
dense
jungle and climb steep mountains.

Social Organization:
Thetamarawapparently associates in pairs, rather than herds, except
when the
cows are about to give birth.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
------

References
Burton & Pearson 1987, Curry-Lindahl 1972, de Leon 1995, Field Museum,
Fitter
1974, Huffman 2004, IUCN 1969, IUCN 1994, IUCN 1996, IUCN 2000, IUCN
2003a,
Kuehn 1977, Macdonald 1984, Nowak & Paradiso 1983, Olson & Dinerstein
1998,
Olson & Dinerstein 1999, Oryx 1973, Phil. Sust. Dev. Net. Inc., Spec.
Cons.
Found.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
------

Top of Page | Search This Site

Home | Rarest Mammals | Species Index | Species Groups Index | Country
Index |
Links

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
------

By: Paul Massicot; Last modified: April 21, 2004; © 1999 - 2004 Animal
Info
Questions or comments, please contact webmaster