Philippines: Efforts to save rare ‘tamarau’ bearing fruit
Continued institutional support necessary to sustain re-population
Manila: Efforts to save the endemic Tamaraw continue to show positive response, with experts saying that continued support to conservation efforts is necessary to keep the species from extinction.
A headcount conducted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Tamaraw Conservation Project (DENR-TCP) show that from 154 documented in 2000, the population of the endangered endemic buffalo now number close to 600 in the wilds of the island of Mindoro south of Metro Manila.
“This is good news, and it shows that the tamaraus exist all over Mindoro,” Luis Caraan, Western Mindoro Project Manager of the Worldwide Fund for Nature-Philippines (WWF-Philippines) said as he referred to reports that the critically endangered animal had been sighted in various parts of the island.
“We’ve had anecdotal reports of sightings in certain areas, but we couldn’t validate those. Only in 2019 did we have validation. We’d seen manure and markings before, but this is our first time actually seeing and counting these populations,” he said.
Also known as the “dwarf buffalo,” V-shaped horns and smaller size distinguish the tamarau from the domesticated Philippine Carabao, the all-around beast of burden in local farms.
The tamarau (Bubalus mindorensis) is endemic to Mindoro and is known for its aggressive behaviour when cornered. It was prized by trophy hunters and was hunted close to extinction until a laws were adopted to save them from disappearing from the face of the earth forever. Now, four national laws protect it from poaching — Commonwealth Act 73 plus Republic Acts 1086, 7586 and 9147 on top of being classified by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature as “critically endangered.”
Caraan said that despite the presence of laws protecting it, the tamarau needs to be continuously safeguarded in order to thrive.
“It’s the practices that threaten the tamarau, the ones that are encroaching on their territory. They’re running out of land, they’re being pushed back,” Caraan concluded. He said that through comprehensive multiparty conservation work, the species has been able to recover in numbers. However, human activity continues to threaten it and continued support is needed to keep the species from extinction.
“Further funding, research, and institutional support is both urgent and vital in providing information necessary for the conservation of the remaining tamaraus. As efforts continue, however, and as calves are born and as more and more tamaraus are spotted beyond the boundaries of Mts. Iglit-Baco, hope persists that this species is returning from the brink of extinction,” he adds.