Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary
Definition
The Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary in Corella, Bohol is a government-declared forest reserve dedicated to the protection of the Philippine tarsier (Carlito syrichta), one of the world’s smallest primates. Managed with the Philippine Tarsier Foundation, the sanctuary maintains a visitor area where tarsiers may be observed in their natural forest habitat under strict behavioral rules.
The sanctuary model — research, rescue, captive care, and controlled visitation — was established to counter the stress and mortality tarsiers suffered in improper captive display, and it anchors Bohol’s conservation tourism.
Identities
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Also Known As
Corella Tarsier Sanctuary; Tarsier Conservation Area
Examples and Analogies
The sanctuary set the national standard for tarsier viewing the way a wildlife observatory sets rules over a zoo: silence, no flash, no touching, and the animal’s welfare placed above the photograph.
Usage Scenarios
Visitors walk quiet sanctuary paths with guides to spot tarsiers resting on saplings; researchers monitor the population; the foundation’s visitor center educates on the species’ needs and the illegality of keeping tarsiers as pets.
Strategies
The foundation combines habitat protection within the sanctuary’s forest, captive breeding research, rescue of trafficked tarsiers, and education campaigns that reduced improper tourist displays across Bohol.
Security and Safety Measures
Sanctuary rules prohibit flash photography, noise, physical contact, and crowding — stress can be fatal to tarsiers. Rangers patrol against poaching and the pet trade, which national wildlife law criminalizes.
Historical Context
Scientific concern over tarsier mortality in captivity drove the foundation’s founding in the 1990s and the sanctuary’s establishment in Corella. The species — named after the island — is among the Philippines’ most iconic protected endemics.
Challenges and Controversies
Unregulated tarsier displays outside the sanctuary, habitat fragmentation in Bohol, and balancing tourism income with the species’ extreme sensitivity to disturbance remain the central issues.
Related Topic
Bohol