The Curious Case of Bubalus Mindorensis, the Endangered Tamaraw
I have been to Mindoro, the home province of my mom, several times and since then I have been curious how a live tamaraw looks like. This curiosity became stronger when I saw a head of the tamaraw displayed prominently in the sala of one of my mom’s friends. To have or own one is a status symbol, according to my mom. She said I better kill my curiosity about seeing a live tamaraw because it is now listed as one of the ten most endangered species in the world. Mindoro is synonymous to tamaraw because the animal is endemic to the province. Not a single Tamaraw has ever been seen in other islands. That’s why Mindoro used to be the “Land of Tamaraws”. But because it is in danger of extinction, my mom’s province might lose the symbol that made it popular to the world. Today, there are as few as 20 heads roaming in the wilds, according to my mom’s friend in the provincial capitol. This explains the phrase “used to be”.
When they were young, their elders warned them to stay away from forests because a tamaraw might attack them. It was impressed on them that the tamaraw is wild, fierce and aggressive. Indeed, they are. When it corners you, according to my late Lolo, it will pierce your body with its upward horns, described as “V” form horns . In case you don’t know, the horns of the carabao that we know take a curved shape. Now that you know, the moment you see a small carabao with a “V” shaped horns, take the direction that will lead you to a safe place.
Their being wild and aggressive is partly the reason why tamaraw population declined. They have been a favorite target of adventurous hunters. My mom’s neighbor, a known personality in their town, was once visited by a popular actor in the 70’s to go on tamaraw hunting. ( Today, that actor still appears in a popular teleserye, but my lips are sealed.). Because of this disturbance by humans, the tamaraws moved to dense forests.
The rampant destruction of these forests- the natural habitat of tamaraws- is now the major reason for the extinction problem. Very little is left of the forest cover of Mindoro, which I noticed every time I visit the place. In our experiments we always end with a conclusion. The conclusion for this sad plight of tamaraws is, the destruction of Mindoro’s forests led to the sudden decline of Tamaraw population.
As a Mindoreno, my mom is concerned. I am concerned, too since I fell in love with the place despite its bald forests. The best that my fellow Mindorenos can do ( I consider myself one already) is to ensure that the little that remains of Mindoro’s forests are protected and conserved. With these forests gone, gone would be the pride of Mindoro that is Tamaraw.
