Injured tarsier found in Bohol village brought to sanctuary

“Tarsierman” Lito Pizarras holds the tarsier after it is turned-over on Saturday to the Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary in Corella town in Bohol province. Leo Udtohan/Inquirer Visayas

TAGBILARAN City, Bohol— A weak Philippine tarsier with bruises around its eyes was found in the shrubs in Habitat Village in Barangay Bool, this city, on Saturday noon.

Niño Lopena and his three friends were looking for some spiders when a tarsier fell from the tree.

They picked up the tarsier and put it inside a small pouch and brought it to Willie Maestrado, a village councilor of Bool.

“Tarsiers occasionally appear in our place. And this was not the first time that a tarsier is found here,” said Maestrado.

Maestrado called the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) but no one answered the phone. He decided to call the Telephone and Radio System Integrated Emergency Response (Tarsier) 117 for help.

At 2:30 p.m., personnel of Tarsier 117 and Maestrado brought the tarsier to the Philippine Tarsier and Wildlife Sanctuary (PTWS) in Corella town, at least 10 km north of Tagbilaran.

Carlito Pizarras, PTWS caretaker who is called here as “tarsierman,” checked the tarsier.

The tarsier is female, about five inches long, weighs about 120 grams and approximately 2-3 years old.

The Philippine tarsier (tarsius syrichta), which is the smallest primate in the world, is considered endangered species.  They are usually seen in Bohol province.

The little creature appeared weak and had bruised around the eyes, said Pizarras.

“Iyang mata nga nahubag murag naigo sa sanga. Ato pa ning obserbahan hangtod makarecover kung unsa (The eyes appeared swollen and may have been hit by a tree branch. We will observe it until it recovers),”  said Pizarras.

The tarsier will be kept under observation before  it will be released to the forest.

Pizarras also urged the public to turn-over the tarsier to proper authorities if found outside their natural habitat.

“They should be returned to their natural habitat. They will not survive if inside a cage and they have tendency to commit suicide,” Pizarras said.

He also said that Philippine tarsier is endemic to the Philippines.

No larger than an adult man’s hand, a tarsier’s length from head to body is 118 to 149 mm.  Tarsiers have extremely large ears and eyes.

They are nocturnal creatures that live on small crickets, lizards and insects. They have thin, rough fur, whose color ranges from gray to dark brown.  Tarsiers communicate with each other using loud piercing notes.

In 1986, the Philippine tarsier was listed as “endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Conservation Monitoring Center.