Concerned residents and environment personnel rescued on Monday a juvenile male Philippine tarsier (Carlito syrichta) in a coastal village in Glan town, Sarangani province.

Forester Abdul Cariga, head of the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) in Glan, said Tuesday the tarsier was found at a portion of Purok Mangga, Sitio Calatungan in Barangay Burias.

He said a resident, identified as Julius Cononica, took the tiny primate from a young boy and brought it to Barangay Burias chairman Venancio Wata III.

Wata then reported the matter to the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office and CENRO-Glan that immediately dispatched their personnel to take custody of the tarsier, he said.

During the examination conducted by municipal veterinarian Dr. Verne Rino Asperga, Cariga said the young tarsier was found to be in good condition.

“It didn’t show any signs of injuries and was fit to be released back to the wild,” he said in a report.

The official said they immediately decided to release the rescued tarsier to the area’s forests, which is a known habitat of the tarsiers.

It was released by a composite team from the municipal government and CENRO near the site where it was found Purok Mangga of Sitio Calatungan in Burias.

Tarsiers, one of the world’s smallest primates, are known to be endemic in the forests of Sarangani province.

Three tarsiers were rescued in August last year in a village in Alabel town and another was found and rescued in October in Maitum town.

In Glan, sightings of the primate, called “mal” by indigenous peoples, were previously reported in villages within and near Mt. Gulo, the town’s highest peak.

Cariga said the tarsiers are considered as “near threatened species” based on the assessment of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

He said its population has significantly declined over the years due to various threats, among them the destruction of their habitat, hunting, agricultural pollutants and human disturbance.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources, through Administrative Order No. 2019-09 or the Updated National List of Threatened Philippine Fauna and their Categories,” classified the Philippine tarsier under the “other threatened species” category.

He reminded residents that possession of wildlife without permit is punishable under Republic Act 9147 or the “Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act.”

Any similar sightings of the animal should be reported immediately to their office or concerned offices to facilitate their immediate rescue, he said. (PNA)