There may be 1,000 tamaraw in the wild
By TJ Burgonio
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 06:26:00 10/04/2008
MANILA, Philippines – After being decimated to near extinction, tamaraw have maintained a stable population of over 200 in the wilds of Occidental Mindoro since 2001, but there could be more than 1,000 of them out there.
This year, 269 head have been counted on the island of Mindoro, up by 30 heads the previous year, environment and provincial officials said Friday.
"To have 30 more tamaraw, that's an accomplishment,” Dr. Lydia Echauz, Far Eastern University president, said in a forum, lauding environment and Mindoro officials for their conservation program.
The tamaraw is the icon of the university; its basketball players are known as the Tamaraws.
From a high of 10,000 in the 1900s, the population of the tamaraw was been drastically reduced to 200 head in the late 1970s due to the destruction of their habitat by logging and cattle-ranching, as well as hunting.
The tamaraw, a cross between a carabao and a deer, is one of the world's 204 endemic mammal species. It can only be found on Mindoro island.
Environment officers have counted 269 head this year in their habitat in Mt. Iglit-Baco Natural Park on the island, according to Antonio Manila of the Protected Area and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB).
From 185 head in 2001, the population jumped to 253 in 2002 and further increased to 261 in 2003, but dipped to 232 in 2004 before sharply rising to 269 in 2005. The number dipped to 263 in 2006 and 239 in 2007.
The stable population could be attributed to the government's conservation program started in 1979 and the populace's growing awareness of the need to conserve the animal.
The annual count, however, has been limited to the tamaraw's habitat in Mt. Iglit-Baco, where many of them are found, according to Manila.
They can also be found in Mounts Calavite, Halcon-Eagle Pass, Aruyari-Sablayan-Mapad and Bansud-Victoria-Bongabong-Mansalay, he said.
Symbol of conservation
"Today, the tamaraw are the living symbols of the urgency of the need to conserve what is left of our rich biodiversity," Environment Undersecretary Manuel Gerochi said in his speech at the forum on tamaraw conservation.
But he added: "Based on our systematic counting, more than 1,000 are in the wild. This may allow us to recoup its former population."
To do this, their habitat should be rehabilitated. Otherwise, it would be impossible to bring back the original 10,000 population, he said.
Gerochi said the public should bear in mind that tamaraw contribute to the equilibrium of the ecosystem. People have a moral responsibility to protect them for future generations, he added.
"In the mainstream conservation paradigm, it is said that we could benefit much in appreciation rather than the exploitation of our natural resources through ecotourism," he said.
Tourist attraction
The tamaraw could be made a prime tourism attraction – an activity that could generate money – which could be used to finance its conservation, he added.
At present, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is taking care of two tamaraw (a mother and offspring) in a gene pool farm in Rizal, Occidental Mindoro under the government's conservation program.
Occidental Mindoro Gov. Josephine Ramirez-Sato pushed for the establishment of a research center to further study how the tamaraw population could be increased in their habitat.
"We believe the tamaraw should be studied in their natural habitat," she said.
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