DENR action urged as 4th dead tarsier found near Calbayog roadway

MANILA — Another dead Philippine tarsier was discovered along a connecting road in Calbayog City, Samar — the fourth in the same area this year. 

The latest body was found along the connecting road between Barangay Cacaransan and Barangay Saputan on Thursday, October 22. The area is just three kilometers from the Calbayog City proper.

According to Abicer Doroja, a registered social worker and local Youth Development officer who runs the Calbayog: City of Waterfalls advocacy page, the area has seen a troubling pattern of tarsier fatalities that mirror incidents documented during the same period last year.

“As of now, pang-apat na patay na na-document… Sa same na lugar. Pero may mga reported incident from the locals na wala lang pics,” Doroja said.

(As of now, this is the fourth dead tarsier documented…in the same area. Locals have reported some incidents but there were no photos.)

Local advocates believe external factors—such as deforestation and land expansion—are pushing the highly sensitive, nocturnal mammals closer to human settlements and roads.

“Endangered species na sila, at sensitive sila sa ingay [at] sa human activities,” Doroja explained. “Nasisira na mga tirahan nila, nakaka-cause ng stress sa kanila tulad rin sa ating mga tao.”

(They are an endangered species and are sensitive to noise and to human activities. Their habitats are being destroyed, which causes stress as it also would to people.)

Wildlife experts note that Philippine tarsiers (Carlito syrichta) are extremely susceptible to stress, which can lead to behavioral changes and premature death when their forest habitats are disturbed or fragmented.

Despite recurring deaths and reported sightings from residents, local advocates expressed frustration over the lack of concrete conservation efforts from environmental authorities.

According to Doroja, dead tarsiers found in the area are often left where they were discovered without being brought to laboratories for necropsy or investigation, and no official intervention has been initiated by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) since last year.

He said advocates post about the dead tarsiers to raise awareness and to alert agencies mandated to protect them.

He added that while tourists travel as far as Bohol to catch a glimpse of the iconic species, local populations in Samar remain vulnerable and unprotected.

Classified as Near Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Philippine tarsier is legally protected under Republic Act 9147, otherwise known as the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act, which strictly bans hunting, killing, or destroying its habitat.