The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has directed continuous wildlife monitoring along the Cacaransan-Saputan Road in Calbayog City following a series of Philippine tarsier deaths.
‘Immediately following the reports, DENR personnel from the Calbayog Pan-as-Hayiban Protected Landscape conducted an on-site investigation, verified the reported locations, gathered information from witnesses and local stakeholders, coordinated with barangay officials, and documented the circumstances surrounding the incidents,’ it said.
Panay News, a regional publication, earlier reported that another dead tarsier was found along the road in Calbayog City, Samar, on Oct. 22. It was the fourth recorded death in the same area this year, about 3 kilometers from the city proper.
The DENR said initial findings indicate the need for further investigation into possible habitat disturbance and other environmental or human-induced factors that may be affecting the species.
Philippine tarsiers are tiny nocturnal primates closely associated with the central island of Bohol, but researchers have found evidence that their range is far more extensive than previously documented.
A study by researchers at the University of the Philippines Diliman found reports of the species in 29 provinces, more than double the 14 provinces previously identified as habitats by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The IUCN lists the species as ‘near threatened’ on its Red List of Threatened Species.
The DENR said it is strengthening coordination with local governments, barangay officials and concerned stakeholders while encouraging the public to promptly report sightings of injured or dead wildlife.
Its regional office in Eastern Visayas ‘remains committed to taking decisive action to prevent further incidents and ensure the long-term conservation of this protected species,’ the DENR said