Under protection by law as it is considered endangered, the Philippine Tarsier is commonly found in the southeastern part of the Philippines. It measures about 4 to 6 inches in height. Its eyes are fixed in its skull and its head can rotate at 180 degrees. The tarsier is considered to be the mammal with the biggest eyes. It is gentle, nocturnal, quite shy and solitary.We took these tarsiers’pictures at the Loboc, Bohol’s Tarsier Sanctuary captive display a few years ago. In the so called sanctuary, caged tourist viewing sites can provide visitors to see up close and interact with these mammals. I was actually surprised and worried to see them on display as tarsiers rest during the day and are only active by night to hunt for food. To have them caged and in close interaction with humans caused undue stress and disrupted their nocturnal lifestyle. As locals have said, these tiny mammals could actually commit suicide by banging their heads on their cages and/or by stop eating altogether.
I was really relieved and happy to hear that recently, the local government of Bohol has prohibited the possession and display of tarsiers in the towns of Loay and Loboc. I really hope this law is being implemented properly and judiciously as these tiny mammals are not meant to be pets and should be left alone in their natural habitat.
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15 comments:
Such a lovely critter! Thanks for sharing this amazing shot!
Have a great weekend!
I remember my daughter wanting to take home a tarsier when she first saw one :)
kids are vacationing in Bohol right now :)
I've never seen or heard of these animals. They do look like gentle creatures.
Stop by and see mine if you have the chance.
JyLnC's Photo Hunt
What a cute little creature! :)
I'm glad they decided to protect such a beautiful little creature.
Lovely post!
They are really so adorable. Hope they can still be preserved for the future generations to see. happy weekend!
Mine is here.
Great eyes!
Thanks for the visit and the comment.
those were beautiful tarsier.
Those are gorgeous. I can see why they would be protected. Wonderful photos.
The small and peaceful need to be protected especially well. Sad how our curiosity and interest have put an extra stress on the population. I enjoyed my visit this week.
http://healingmagichands.wordpress.com/2009/04/25/photohunt-protection/
Great! I have never seen a Tarsier before!
They are adorable, thanks for sharing... it's important to offer protection to all our friends from the animal kingdom.
Thanks too for visiting us!
Oh cute i wish I can see like that ...Thanks for coming by.
Thank you for stopping by my Photo~hunter and for commenting.
These Philippine Tarsier are very interesting and so small. It was fun learning about them.
Have a blessed day!
These are quite cute and cuddly looking creatures. But if these are not domesticated, they should be left in natural habitat and protected, just like snakes, bears, cougars (other wild big cats), and other exotic animals.
Nice photohunt pick.
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