ILOILO City – The Mari-it Wildlife and Conservation Park in Barangay Jayubo, Lambunao, Iloilo is now open to the public.
Dr. JB Ian Bullo, veterinarian of the West Visayas State University-College of Agriculture and Forestry (WVSU-CAF) said it is breeding season for some animals inside the park.
Deer breeds from October to November. It is also the breeding season for the Visayan writhed hornbill, locally known as “talarak,” and the Visayan warty pig.
Dr. Bullo advised the public to take extra caution while at the park.
“When they visit, we make sure that they won’t create too much noise,” he said.
Nonetheless, he said that visitors are manageable because there are not much since the area is far from the town proper.
Mari-it (enchanted) is the first conservation, breeding, and rescue park in Panay Island. It is situated in a 1,000-hectare lot within the 3,000-hectare campus of the WVSU-CAF, some 16 kilometers away from the town center.
It currently hosts 15 Visayan writhed hornbills, considered as the world’s second most critically endangered hornbill, and endangered Visayan tarictic hornbill; 20 endangered Visayan spotted deer; 11 critically endangered Visayan warty pigs; five vulnerable Visayan leopard cats; and two cloud rats, among others.
He said people are prohibited to approach the deer, leopard cats and monkeys for they tend to be aggressive while breeding.
In an interview with Philippine News Agency on Thursday, Lambunao municipal tourism officer Jennifer Osorio said guests should observe minimum health protocols and must log in and out for contact tracing while in the area.
“The maximum number of guests is only 30 at a time,” she said.
Osorio said most of the guests are also from Lambunao or from schools that are into educational tour.
Meanwhile, she said the pandemic has allowed animals to rest. “It’s rejuvenating time,” she said.
While the number of guests is controlled, the animals could still be stressed if they are exposed to noise or anything that is new to them, she added.
The wildlife and conservation park is being promoted as an eco-tourism site. Apart from the endangered species, it also hosts rich flora and fauna.(with reports from PNA/PN)
