I got this article from ABS-CBN, it’s an article 1 day old.

I was just in Bohol and must say that I enjoyed the spot at the Loboc River way more. let’s see if they will close that one down though…

In an effort to protect the region’s favorite animal, the Bohol provincial council has limited “tarsier viewing” to a local sanctuary.

In line with the passage of the “Tarsier Conservation and Protection Ordinance” by the provincial council of Bohol this month, tarsiers can only be viewed at the Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary in the municipality of Corella, Bohol.

The ordinance, authored by Bohol 1st District Board Member Alfonso Damalerio, Jr., limits tarsier viewing within Corella, the only place in Bohol declared as a sanctuary by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

The Philippine Tarsier Foundation, which is housed within the Corella sanctuary, said the move was long overdue.

The Foundation’s head Carlito Pizzaras said that tarsiers should not be held in highly-visited tourist areas in Loboc and Loay, since tarsiers are “very fragile and suicidal once stressed out” from excessive noise and being repeatedly touched by people.

Piazzaras said that if the tarsiers from those municipalities would be moved to the sanctuary, the tarsiers will undergo a series of observations to ascertain if they are healthy and therefore safe enough to be set free within the 167-hectare sanctuary. He added that the ideal habitat for every tarsier is at least one hectare.

Bohol Tourism Committee Chair Ester Galbreath said that the ordinance will be implemented in full once the “Task Force Tarsier” is formed and reservations among some tourism committee members are eased.

Bohol Tourism Board Press Relations Officer Lito Responte said further discussions are needed because tourism in Loboc and Loay could be severely affected.

The Philippine tarsier, reportedly the world’s smallest monkey and a species endemic to the country, is a favorite tourist attraction in Bohol.

The tarsier, however, has been listed in various endangered species lists, including the DENR’s Administrative Order Number 48 issued in September 1991, declaring that the tarsier “are in danger of extinction and whose survival is unlikely if causal factors continue operating.”

By the way, the article mentions the Tarsier as the world smallest monkey. This is wrong !!! The Tarsier is a primate, not a monkey, a kind of cousin…

cheers

Rhoody