ILOILO City – As a precautionary measure against African Swine Fever (ASF), the municipal government of Lambunao in Iloilo province temporarily closed the Mari-it Wildlife and Conservation Park in Barangay Jayobo.
Lambunao Municipal Tourism Officer Jennifer L. Osorio said the temporary closure was due to the confirmed cases of ASF in the barangay.
“Indi naton ma-sacrifice ang aton mga baboy talunon, that’s why may temporary closure for the safety sang aton mga baboy talunon,” Osorio said yesterday.
The Visayan warty pig or baboy talunon is a critically endangered species endemic only in Panay and Negros islands.
Currently, there are 10 heads of Visayan warty pigs (seven females, three males) being taken cared at the wildlife and conservation park.
Situated in 4.3 hectares of land inside the West Visayas State University – College of Agriculture and Forestry (WVSU-CAF) campus, Mari-it (enchanted) is the first and only government-run conservation, breeding and rescue park in Western Visayas.
Moreover, as part of the prevention measures put in place, Osorio said job hires assigned at the park to take care of the wild species are prohibited from bringing in or consuming pork.
The tourism officer noted that the initiative to close the park was recommended by Dr. JB Ian Bullo, wildlife and conservation park director and veterinarian, which the local government unit through Mayor Reynor Gonzales and the Department of Agriculture agreed with.
Aside from Visayan warty pig, the conservation park is also home to the Visayan Writhe Hornbill or Dulongan Kalaw (the second most critically endangered species of hornbill in the world), Visayan tarictic hornbill or tirik, Visayan spotted deer or Usa Pamitun-on; Visayan leopard cats, long-tailed Macaque (monkey), and Philippine civet cat.
On the other hand, Osorio lamented that one Visayan spotted deer died just this month. With this, 19 heads are left.
She shared that the deer was killed by a fellow deer after the former intruded the cage of another family of deer.
She explained that it’s the nature of the Visayan spotted deers to kill those who would intrude their family cage./PN
