A
historical perspective
I first became aware of the flight of an endangered Philippine
Spotted Deer in 2003 when I met Peter Temple-Smith. I was doing a coursework
on Threatened Species Management as part of my Master of Environmental
Science (Conservation Biology and Biodiversity) at the University of
Melbourne in Australia when I met Peter at Melbourne Zoo. He was describing
how the Zoos' around the world evolved to include the practice of conservation
in their agenda. But before he got started he noticed me maybe because
of my asian background and asked me "Where are you from?"
I immediately responded " Am from Philippines!" after hearing
my response, he responded back and said "Work with the spotted
Deer!" I never met Peter before and never really come across with
him ever since but he planted a seed in me and passed me the torch of
responsibility in working with the conservation of this endangered species.
Early 2003 when my Master's supervisor Graeme Coulson asked me to write
a critical review to complete my Master's training and we both decided
that Philippine biodiversity conservation is a natural subject for me
to submerge to and immerse on. I contacted Chris Banks from Melbourne
Zoo who is working with the endangered Philippine Crocodile and the
Spotted Deer. He was an inspiring person that has given me useful leads
in my attempt in writing a critical review of Philippine biological
conservation. It was restricting to do research on Philippine biological
conservation in Australia so I went to The Philippines to participate
in the symposuim organised by the Wildlife Conservation Society of the
Philipines in Negros Island in 2003. It was a very intense symposium
where I networked with countless Filipino and non-Filipino conservation
practitioners in the Philippines. It was a very productive trip back
to the Philippines and I have collected enough materials both published
and personal communications to write my critical review. A few months
later I completed writing "A Critical Review of Wildlife Conservation
in the Philippines" and submitted it. This formally ends my Master's
training. Graeme encouraged me to publish this document and I did.
I met Eberhard Curio at the WSCP Symposium and he invited me to his
NGO named PESCP that is operating in the NW Panay peninsula in the Panay
Island. He greciously guided me to his Sibaliw research station near
the centre of the mountain ranges. This is where Eberhard and I discussed
my interest in working with the Spotted Deer. The wild behaviour of
this rare species is only known to hunters and not to the scientific
world. This really ignited my interest and I made a commitment to unravel
this wild behaviour of this endangered species.
I organised my first spotted deer expedition in site 1 which is the
middle of the NW Panay peninsula protected area in Janunary 2004. It
was a hard walk and food supplies were limited. My team camped in for
11 days and has not seen any signs of the deer. The known deer food
were plentiful and there is a lot of signs of the endangered Visayan
warty pig but not of the Spotted Deer! This preliminary fieldwork is
not conclusive and I would dearly want to continue working in the Panay
peninsula but Eberhard strongly encourage me to work in the northern
section of the Central Panay Mountain Ranges, site 2.
April 2004 is when I organised an expedition in site 2 with my volunteer
Australian student Simon Brady. This was a successful expedition because
I have personally have seen glimpses of 4 wild spotted deer, plenty
of scats, a urine site, antlers markings in tree trunks, foot prints
that I made casts, permanent and foraging trails, wallowing sites and
heard nucturnal calls. The expedition was physically hard. We started
walking from the coastal town up to the highest peaks of over 1000 metres
of Mt Sakpaw and Mt Igtuog 20 kms in the jungle across rivers, creeks,
cliffs, giant rockslides and gullies. I have taken some extra ordinary
landscape photographs in my stay in the jungle.
A solo exhibition of my Photographic work and the released of my book
"A Critical review of Wildlife Conservation in the Philippines"
was made open to the public at the firestation gallery in Armadale,
Victoria Australia in August 2004. The book and the photographs were
well received.
My application for research grant were rejected by Melbourne Zoo early
2005 and my collaborative work with Eberhard also failed due to his
decission not to endorse my work which was critical when I was applying
for the grant. However, these did not deterred me, and I continued my
field-work self funded in site 2.
April 2005 was when I organised another expedition in site 2 but this
time around I decided to employed a different guide named "Totong"
to walk a U shaped route instead of my normal linear route in the jungle.
We walked approximately 100 kms in 8 days. Totong suggested this route
because this was his hunting ground and thus he knew it really well.
During the expedition we walked and walked but we have not seen any
Spotted Deer signs whatsoever. It was frustrating and unfruitful until
we came across with the Rafflesia flowers(see image below the title).
I have immediately asked the guys to look for more flowers especially
fresh blooms but they couldn't find except the late bloomed pictured
above. I decided to not to photograph it using my 4x5 inch camera because
it was not worth the trouble of setting up a large format camera. Instead
I simply extend the tripod's legs and video recorded it. This was all
done not knowing that this is a potentially new species! Nevertheless
I had the presence of mind to recorded it and made a note in my journal.
The discovery of this new species of Rafflesia is a great result of
my self funded and hard work in Panay Island Philippines. And this is
just the begining. I am committed to continue performing field-work
with Spotted Deer and now with Rafflesia lobata in site 2 and eventually
back to site 1 until my legs failed me.
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