Island

Visayan bleeding-heart pigeon

[Gallicolumba keayi]

A foundation in Negros hopes to preserve the island’s indigenous animals through reforestation, breeding, research and education

How to save a bleeding heart Story by John oates

PhotograPhy by John oates and Godfrey Jakosalem

EnvironmEnt+ PrESErvation

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Island EnvironmEnt + PrESErvation

Visayan tarictic hornbill, male [Penelopides p. panini]

Philippine serpent eagle

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It isn’t hard to recognize a Visayan bleeding-heart pigeon: as the name suggests, the ground-dwelling birds have

bright red patches on their breasts and they really do look like they have been horribly injured. It is popularly claimed that this helps them to convince predators that they are already dead and therefore no good to eat.

Unfortunately there’s no evidence that this is actually true. Much more unfortunately, little has protected them from human activity and finding one of these birds living in the wild is no easy task. The Visayan pigeons are – unlike their close relatives in Luzon – critically endangered due largely to a combination of hunting and a loss of habitat. The forest cover in Negros, one of only two islands on which the bird is found, deteriorated from 91% at the start of the 20th century to just 4% in 1992.

Conserving biodiversityThe efforts of the government and other agencies over the past couple of decades mean that forest cover on Negros is now estimated at between six and 10%, but that is not enough of an improvement to ensure the survival of the pigeons or many other indigenous animals. According to Nigel Simpson, Curator of Birds at the UK’s Bristol Zoo and a recent visitor to Negros, “BirdLife International estimates there are only 300 bleeding-heart pigeons left in Negros, so their future here is uncertain.”

The work being done by the Negros Forest and Ecological Foundation (NFEFI) is, therefore, absolutely essential. Started in

1986, the Foundation combines reforestation work with breeding, research and education projects. As part of this they opened a Biodiversity Conservation Center to the public in Bacolod city in 1997.

When I visited the center, located close to the city’s lagoon, I was lucky enough to be shown around by volunteer Tam Sarad. He talked to me about the Foundation’s work and showed me animals such as a Visayan Tarictic Hornbill – known locally as the Tularik – which had been confiscated from hunters. Sadly these magnificent birds are often hunted for food or even taken as pets. The penalties for hunting endangered species are

high, including long prison sentences and harsh fines, but conservationists still face an uphill struggle.

The center is the first in the world to have bred the Tularik, a difficult task as the birds are monogamous and require a period of courtship in a separate cage. Other successes from the breeding program include the Philippine Eagle-Owl and Negros sailfin lizard.

ProteCting the futureOne of the aims of the NFEFI is to encourage the development of more protected areas in Negros. There are currently three such areas

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Visayan warty pig [Sus cebifrons]

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on the island: the North Negros Natural Park, the Mt. Kanlaon National Park and the Balinsasayao Twin Lakes Natural Park. Unfortunately they are not ideal for reintroducing the species, which the NFEFI is breeding.

“We are looking for vacant habitats to reintroduce the species,” says Joanne Justo, Curator at the Biodiversity Conservation Center. “With our partner organization, the Philippines Biodiversity Conservation Foundation Inc., we are still doing field surveys. These will then be presented to the local government officials for declaration as protected areas or conservation areas. There is still a long way to go.”

In the meantime, the Foundation works to monitor populations in existing protected areas. This often means

working with international partners. A group from the UK arrived in March of this year, for example, to help monitor the wild populations in the North Negros Natural Park of two

important indigenous species – the Visayan warty pig and the Visayan spotted deer.

Despite its rather unappealing name, the Visayan warty pig – which can be seen in the center in Bacolod – is of particular interest to conservationists as it is the most threatened wild pig species in the world. It gets its name from three bumps on its head, which are used for defense when fighting.

getting involvedIt’s important to make sure that people know how fragile the populations of creatures such as the Visayan warty pig really are, and much of the work done by the Conservation

Visayan warty pig

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Visayan spotted deer [Rusa alfredi]

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Center is educational. This includes, for example, running a Junior Zookeepers workshop for children aged seven to twelve. Participants get a chance to be zookeepers at the center and act as tour guides to their family and friends. Other groups can arrange their own tours of the center.

If you’re interested in visiting as an individual, then you – like me - may be lucky and find a volunteer able to show you around. Otherwise, there are signboards to tell you a little about what you are seeing. One good idea is to arrive at feeding time: the best times are 2–3pm for the deer, pigs and most birds, 4pm for raptors (birds of prey)

or for the Visayan leopard cats. These felines are nocturnal so they hide and sleep for most of the day, coming out for feeding time.

If you want to help their work then you can contact the NFEFI (034 433 9234, negrosforests.org), as they have a number of programs that concerned citizens, schools, companies and civic groups can join. These include adopting an animal, adopting a tree or becoming an NFEFI volunteer. With this kind of help, it’s hoped that animals such as the Visayan bleeding-heart pigeon will still have a habitat in the wild for decades to come.

Island EnvironmEnt + PrESErvation

The Bacolod Biodiversity Conservation Center is located close to the Provincial Capitol and Negros Museum. It is open Mon–Sat 9am–noon & 1–4pm; payment is by donation. The city has plenty of accommodation and eating options, and is also a good base for visiting the heritage homes in Silay 20km to the north.

The airport is located 15km northeast of Bacolod, and is served by flights from Manila and Cebu City. There are frequent ferries from Iloilo, as well as services from Manila and a number of ports on Mindanao.

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CONTRIBUTOR’S PROFILEJOHN OATES – A former literary agent, John took up travel writing to legitimize his wanderlust. He has been lucky enough to spend plenty of time exploring the Philippines – although he’s always keen to go back for more – and these days makes a pretty decent chicken adobo.