The University of the Philippines Visayas Tacloban College (UPVTC) on Wednesday, Aug.10, announced the first sighting of Philippine tarsier (Tarsius syrichta) in Tacloban City
In a Facebook post, the UPVTC shared that a team of researchers from the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics has validated and documented the presence of the Philippine tarsier, locally known as "mago", in a secondary forest area located in Barangay Santa Elena, Tacloban City during night surveys conducted from July 29 to 31.
"The survey is part of an ongoing research project on Philippine tarsier in Tacloban City," said UPVTC.
The UPVTC also stated that the few records and reports on the sighting of Leyte tarsier, particularly in the neighboring municipalities of Tacloban City, motivated its researchers to perform a Philippine tarsier population study in the forests of the said city.
According to UPVTC, the confirmed existence of Philippine tarsier in Tacloban City's forest has given emphasis to the role of the city as a key biodiversity area.
The discovery of tarsiers and other endemic species should also be taken into consideration in the city's land-use planning to give protection to the animals' habitat, added UPVTC.
The Philippine tarsier is found only in the islands of Mindanao, Bohol, Samar, and Leyte.