A brief stop in the land of make-believe - Adventure in the Asian Archipelago

January 22, 2005

A brief stop in the land of make-believe

On the journey back from Carmen our driver stopped at a roadside attraction just before Loboc. We had asked to visit the the Tarsier Research Centre in Corella, but this place was closer and was allegedly Government approved. That often means nothing in Asia, especially when it comes to the management of endangered wildlife, and primates in particular. I wasn't fond of supporting an illegal operation, but here we were. In a large habitat of small timber a group of 14 'rescued' Tarsiers lived under the watchful eye of the caretakers.

The tarsier is one of the world's smallest primates, fitting easily into the palm of your hand and about the size of a closed fist. Their most distinguishing feature is undoubtedly their incredible eyes; well suited to their nocturnal habits. Almost everything about these creatures is strange. Long alien fingers, sharp triangular fingernails project from their wide finger pads at 45 degree angles. Their ears can contort to strange shapes to enhance hearing. Their heads can twist 180 degrees in each direction. Pretty darn amazing. So alien, yet so distinctly primate. Absolutely adorable...

Here's one.

Here's another.

And a third.

Here's Kourosh and a group of tarsiers.

Pretty amazing.

After a good long oggle, during which we were virtually alone in the compound, we agreed to take a boat cruise up the Loboc River to the Tontonan Falls. Rather unspectacular themselves, the cruise to reach them was very nice. A group of boys playing at the top of the waterfall posed for a few photos and then continued what they were doing.

The falls up close.

After the falls we cruised downriver to the townsite and saw the site of a new bridge construction project. Apparently this project was started during Marcos' regime (1965-1980's I think), but the engineers at the time failed to realize that the high-tech bridge would bisect the 400 year old Spanish church. The villagers revolted and the project was put on hold. Currently the bridge remains mostly finished, except at the one end where the end of the road sits about 20feet above ground level, and 50feet from the front wall of the San Pedro Church; aimed, waiting. The boat guide said something about Marcos wanting to demolish the church for something that was hidden in the chambers below...

We returned to the van and were off to Panglao.

But not before stopping at one of the Philippines' oldest churches, the Baclayon Church, dating back to 1595.

Posted by evonkrogh on January 22, 2005 03:39 PM
Category: Philippines

Comments

hey AAA,

As much as I enjoyed looking at the pictures of the tarsiers - after reading yours and Other Erik's account of visiting tarsier centers in Bohol, I have to say that I am very disappointed. I don't fancy going to Bohol for the tarsiers anymore. I'm disappointed at the fact that these tarsiers are kept akin to a petting zoo, they feed them and keep them awake in broad daylight and these animals are supposed to be nocturnal! Other Erik mentioned how visitors could even pet them. grrrrr...

Posted by: cayce on January 27, 2005 12:40 PM

Ahh, yes. The dilemma of the endangered animals. Should they be exhibited, even unlawfully, if it means that people are being educated? I certainly agree that the government, or an NGO, should step in and enforce international regulations regarding threatened and endangered species, but the reality is that the Philippines lacks regard for such things. There are illegal roadside "petting zoos", however the centre I visited was bragged to be government certified. I would not have visited if I hadn't confirmed that first...
No they are not in nocturnal habitats, yes they are being occasionally touched, but at least the tourist-public is being educated about their plight. A small step, I think.

Please do visit Bohol. There is a fully legitimate Tarsier Research Centre in Carmen. Bohol is well worth the visit...

Posted by: Erik on January 28, 2005 12:22 AM

Kinda reminds me of the zoo dilemma. Are zoos good things, or bad?

Made a mistake, Tarsier Research Centre is in Corella, not Carmen.

Posted by: Erik on January 28, 2005 08:18 AM

"at least tourist-public is being educated about their plight"

don't want to be nit-picky (yes, I do! he hee) but how are the tourists being educated in these type of centers? Were there signboards detailing the endangered status of the tarsier? Did the caretakers explain more about the tarsiers' plight in the Philippines? I'm actually quite keen to know.

I don't doubt the educational value of the zoo. For example, it sounds like Singapore Zoo is worth its weight in educating the public about endangered wildlife. But what irks me is when so-called centers make themselves out to be "conservation" and "education" but they're petting zoos first and foremost.

If these centers actually cared for the tarsiers, they would only open the exhibits at night, and not allow any petting, and have a proper educational system in place. But they don't - they're opened during the day because it drives more visitor revenue for themselves.

Believe me, I feel the same way about Semenggok!! Not about the nocturnal and petting issues, but rather, it is tourist-driven than conservation-minded. It was supposed to be closed to the public so that proper rehabilitation of the orang utans could take place but the tourist agencies made such a fuss that the center was made opened again.

Interestingly enough, there was an article in the local paper a couple of days ago about the Tarsier Research Centre.

Posted by: cayce on January 28, 2005 08:49 AM

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