2. “One saw a bird dying, shot by a man. It was flying with
rhythmic beat and beautifully, with such freedom and
lack of fear. And the gun shattered it; it fell to the earth
and all the life had gone out of it. A dog fetched it, and
the man collected other dead birds. He was chattering
with his friend and seemed so utterly indifferent. All
that he was concerned with was bringing down so
many birds, and it was over as far as he was concerned.
They are killing all over the world. Those marvellous,
great animals of the sea, the whales, are killed by the
million, and the tiger and so many other animals are
now becoming endangered species. Man is the only
animal that is to be dreaded.”
― jiddu krishnamurti
5. Yes, if it had its way it may not hesitate in
taking a chunk out of your limbs. Careful there!
But the opposite is true. Through the years, many
of these Mindoro crocodiles – endemic only to
the Philippines – have disappeared falling prey
to relentless hunters. Mighty and dangerous may
the Philippine Crocodile be, its hide is a prized
catch, an expensive material for fashion
accessories (e.g., bags, shoes).
Unlike the saltwater crocodile Lolong, said to be
the world’s largest crocodile at 21 feet long
weighing 1,075 kilos, Philippine Crocodiles also
called as Mindoro Crocodile are much smaller
growing 3 meters or less than 10 feet (almost
half of Lolong). Scientific Name:
Crocodylusmindorensis
Common Name: Philippine freshwater crocodile
Habitat: Mindoro, only about 100 left
7. Its heart must be bleeding saddened by its fate.
Another species that is fighting for its very existence is
the Mindoro Bleeding-heart, a type of ground dove
with the unmistakable red markings on its chest. The
sad reality is most, of its natural habitat has been
cleared as majority, if not all, of the primary forests of
Mindoro have been cleared.
Scientific Name: Gallicolumbaplatenae
Common Name:Kulo-kulo
Habitat: Mt. Siburan, Mindoro
9. This bird with a lot of weight on its horn, is found only
in the Philippines. Yes, you’re right. No other country
has this mighty specie.
That fact alone should make us proud. Had it stayed
that way. The thing is the Kalaw or rufous-headed is in
an extremely rapid population decline or in plain
English their numbers are dying. It’s a shame that we
can’t take care of such a wonderful bird treasure.
Scientific Name: Aceroswaldeni
Common Name:Kalaw
Habitat: Panay, some part of Zamboanga del Norte,
extinct in Guimaras
11. Again here is a story of how a wonderful
creature can be lost in the face of the Earth
all because of human impact.
Distinguished for its narrow, pointed beak that
earned it its name as “Hawk’s bill”, this
medium-sized vegetarian of a turtle has been
under heavy attack from humans in general, and
Filipinos in particular who hunt them for their
meat and for their shells which are prized
material for many accessories in the fashion
industry.
Scientific Name: Eretmochelysimbricata
Common Name:pawikan
Habitat: global
13. You can never mistake this 12 inch-long cockatoo
made up of just two colors: white and red. Like a
priest out to say Holy Massthis bird is all-white with
red feathers around the vent.
Perhaps because of its strikingly-clean personality, the
red-vented has become a victim of the cage-bird trade
with a bird fetching as much as $160 in Manila. And
that was in the late 90’s.
Scientific Name: Cacatuahaematuropygia
Common Name:Katala, Kalangay
Habitat: Palawan, only about 180 left
15. This turtle may have gotten a misnomer as it is totally not
endemic to the island of Leyte but only in the Palawan island
group.
You can easily distinguish this land turtle by its ginkgo-shaped
vertebral scutes (at its back). Also, a line which is colored pale
white to yellow traverses across its head behind the ears.
They are prized as pets and ranks as one of the most
commonly confiscated species in the Philippines with
overseas buyers visiting the islands to collect them. However,
sadly, the Philippine forest turtle do not do well in captivity
making them avery vulnerable species.
Scientific Name: Siebenrockiellaleytensis
Common Name: Palawan turtle
Habitat: Palawan
17. Size is not everything. Being the largest cave-dwelling bat in the whole
archipelago measuring up to 220m in total length is no protection.
Instead, the Philippine naked-backed fruit bat has attracted bad men,
being hunted for its meat.
However by some twist of fate, this mega bat specie known for its naked
appearance due to the wings attachment on the midline of their back,
made an amazing recovery. Reported to be extinct in 1970’s, the night-flier
known to very equipped at biting through hard-skinned fruits making
them extremely unpopular to farmers, were rediscovered, though in small
numbers by the 2000’s.
Fortunately, Cebu forests where this bat is endemic to is protected by law.
Negros may do well to follow suit.
Scientific Name: Dobsoniachapmani
Common Name:kwaknit
Habitat: Cebu, Negros Island (very small numbers)
19. It’s no secret Filipino love to eat pork. One of the major
reason why this wild pig known for the 3 pairs of wart in its
appearance has become so rare.
And to confound things up, the pig has as a subspecies the
Cebu warty pig. Seems things are looking bleak for the boar
as Cebu is the unofficial lechon capital of the Philippines.
Luckily, breeding programs for the specie are being
undertaken in Rotterdam Zoo and San Diego Zoo.
Scientific Name: Suscebifrons
Common Name: Cebu warty pig, Negros warty pig
Habitat: Cebu, Panay, Negros Island
21. The wild buffalo, a distant cousin of the carabao, has been
grazing the land 12,000 years ago, long before there were any
natives to disturb their peace – much less malls.
Today, however, the Tamaraw distinguished by its slightly
smaller build and V-shaped horns as compared to the more
docile carabao, holds its final stand in the rugged mountains of
Mindoro. They are at the brink of extinction as only about 350
remain.
Scientific Name: Bubalusmindorensis
Common Name:Tamaraw
Habitat: Mindoro
23. Truly a jewel of the Philippines, the Philippine Eagle also
known as monkey-eating eagle is tagged as the national bird
of the Philippines.
Though like a king of the forest this eagle is among the most
powerful of birds with sights that are the stuff of legends, the
Haribon has become one of the rarest. Foremost cause for this
population decimation is habitat loss.
If you fancy catching the Philippine Eagle, think again. Killing
one means you’d have to spend 12 years of your life in prison.
Not to mention paying heavy fines.
Scientific Name: Pithecophagajefferyi
Common Name:Haribon
Habitat: Philippines
