FIT TO BE SET FREE. Staff from the Protected Area Management Office of the Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary and a member of Bantay Danao Volunteers conduct an assessment and measurement Friday (Sept. 10, 2021) in one of the three tarsiers rescued in Barangay Katipunan, Loreto, Agusan del Sur. The three tarsiers, found to be fit, were immediately released back to the wild. (Photo courtesy of PAMO-AMWS)
BUTUAN CITY – Three Philippine tarsiers (Carlito syrichta) were rescued by the personnel of Protected Area Management Office of the Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary (PAMO-AMWS) in Barangay Katipunan, Loreto, Agusan del Sur on Friday.
“We responded to a report about the discovery of three tarsiers near the settlement area in Barangay Katipunan,” the PAMO-AMWS said in a statement on Saturday.
It added the tarsiers were found by the Bantay Danao volunteers and were immediately handed over to the barangay captain in the area.
“After conducting assessments, there were no signs of injuries observed. The tarsiers were found fit to be released back to the wild,” the PAMO-AMWS said, as the primates were immediately set free in an area far from the human settlement in Barangay Katipunan.
The PAMO-AMWS recognized the action taken by the Bantay Danao volunteers and the immediate response taken by the barangay officials of Katipunan to safeguard the animals.
“Tarsier, one of the world's smallest primates, is known to be inhabitants in the forests of Agusan Marsh. This enigmatic species is considered threatened under the IUCN that can be attributed to various threats, primarily due to habitat destruction. Furthermore, killing, inflicting injury, collecting, hunting, selling, and consumption of wildlife are strictly prohibited under Republic Act 9147 otherwise known as the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act of 2001,” the PAMO-AMWS said.
It also urged the residents in the settlement areas around Agusan Marsh to immediately report sightings of tarsiers to the local authorities or at the offices of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to facilitate immediate rescue. (PNA)
