Last Sat, Feb 27, four young boys were looking for some spiders in Habitat Village in Tagbilaran City, Bohol, when they saw a tarsier fall off a tree drop into the shrubs.
“The boys picked up the 5-inch long tarsier, the smallest primate in the world, put it inside a small pouch and brought it to a village councilor named Willie Maestrado,” reports Leo Udtohan in Philippine Daily Inquirer.
The report noted: “Maestrado called the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) but no one answered the phone. He then dialed the Telephone and Radio System Integrated Emergency Response (Tarsier) 117 for help. Personnel from Tarsier 117 came and brought the creature to the Philippine Tarsier and Wildlife Sanctuary (PTWS) in Corella town, around 10 kilometers north of Tagbilaran. Carlito Pizarras, PTWS caretaker, was on hand to check the tarsier.”
The tarsier turned out to be a five-inch long female that weighed about 120 grams. She was approximately two to three years old. She appeared weak and had bruises around the eyes. She will be kept under observation before it will be released to the forest.
