The Philippine Tarsier (Tarsius syrichta), is an awesome little creature which lives in the disappearing forests of Bohol, Samar-Leyte & Mindanao in the southern Philippines. Sadly, because of hunting for the tourist & pet trade, as well as heavy deforestation, the Philippine Tarsier is on the endangered species list.
I visited Bohol in 2006 & had the chance to photograph the tarsier in a protected forest near the town of Corella. The Philippine Tarsier Foundation manages the reserve & they run a captive breeding & rehabilitation project. The rangers were more than happy to take me to see some resting Tarsiers (they are nocturnal), a rare opportunity to get close to & photograph these normally shy creatures.
If you ever visit this area, avoid visiting the tarsiers kept in cages along the Loboc river. These caged animals have been taken from the wild & put in captivity to attract tourists. I saw a few of these places near to Loboc. Here, these shy animals have miserable lives, and normally don’t survive for long. Go to the sanctuary instead at:
The Philippine Tarsier Foundation,
Km. 14 Canapnapan Corella, Bohol 6300 Philippines
Tel: (0912) 5163375
Mobile: (0918) 6021326
Email: tarsier@mozcom.com
Website: http://www.tarsierfoundation.org/
You can see more stock photos taken in Bohol & the Philippines by going to the Philippines gallery in my stock image archive.
Philippine Tarsier, Tarsius syrichta, Bohol, Philippines
Marc Anderson is a freelance photographer based in Sydney, Australia, specializing in commercial, travel & architectural photography. We deliver high quality imagery to both local & international clients including design agencies, property developers & publishers.