Bohol restricts viewing of endangered tarsier

[GLT]

By VERA LEIGH LASAM, ABS-CBN Central Visayas | 02/28/2009 8:26 PM


In an effort to protect the region's favorite animal, the Bohol
provincial council has limited "tarsier viewing" to a local sanctuary.

In line with the passage of the "Tarsier Conservation and Protection
Ordinance" by the provincial council of Bohol this month, tarsiers can
only be viewed at the Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary in the municipality
of Corella, Bohol.

The ordinance, authored by Bohol 1st District Board Member Alfonso
Damalerio, Jr., limits tarsier viewing within Corella, the only place
in Bohol declared as a sanctuary by the Department of Environment and
Natural Resources (DENR).

The Philippine Tarsier Foundation, which is housed within the Corella
sanctuary, said the move was long overdue.

The Foundation's head Carlito Pizzaras said that tarsiers should not
be held in highly-visited tourist areas in Loboc and Loay, since
tarsiers are "very fragile and suicidal once stressed out" from
excessive noise and being repeatedly touched by people.

Piazzaras said that if the tarsiers from those municipalities would be
moved to the sanctuary, the tarsiers will undergo a series of
observations to ascertain if they are healthy and therefore safe
enough to be set free within the 167-hectare sanctuary. He added that
the ideal habitat for every tarsier is at least one hectare.

Bohol Tourism Committee Chair Ester Galbreath said that the ordinance
will be implemented in full once the "Task Force Tarsier" is formed
and reservations among some tourism committee members are eased.

Bohol Tourism Board Press Relations Officer Lito Responte said further
discussions are needed because tourism in Loboc and Loay could be
severely affected.

The Philippine tarsier, reportedly the world's smallest monkey and a
species endemic to the country, is a favorite tourist attraction in
Bohol.

The tarsier, however, has been listed in various endangered species
lists, including the DENR's Administrative Order Number 48 issued in
September 1991, declaring that the tarsier "are in danger of
extinction and whose survival is unlikely if causal factors continue
operating."

as of 02/28/2009 10:14 PM