Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon Paje on Sunday appealed to the public not to take wildlife out of their natural habitats in order to keep them as pets.
Paje issued the appeal following last week’s death from pneumonia and cardiac arrest of a male tarsier that had been rescued from the Manila Golf and Country Club in Makati City.
In a statement, Paje said, “We have very interesting wildlife species, such as the tarsier. Most of the time we are tempted to buy them and take them as pets. But these are very different from domesticated animals like dogs and cats. They are very sensitive and highly vulnerable to stress and diseases.”
He noted that the survival rate of wildlife animals kept as pets is very low.
The environment secretary stressed that the death of the tarsier should serve as a wake-up call.
He said, “If we want our children to see our precious wildlife species alive, let us leave them alone in the wilds where they belong. Let’s not pet them.”
Paje warned that collecting wildlife, both plants and animals, without a permit is illegal. Mere possession, he said, of endangered animal species is punishable under the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act with a maximum of four-year imprisonment and a P300,000 fine.
Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) Director Mundita Lim said the necropsy on the tarsier showed that it died of pneumonia and cardiac arrest, which are indications of stress.
The PAWB director said arrangements had been made with the Philippine Airlines for the tarsier’s flight back to Bohol for reintroduction into the wild.
The Philippine tarsier is among “endangered” wildlife species listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Conservation Monitoring Center in 1986.