Mammals

Mammals

According to Wild World,  about 191 mammal species are found in the Philippines, of which there is a high rate of endemism of about 61%. The website reports that about 8 of these mammal species such as the Visayan spotted deer, Visayan warty pigs and the Calamianes hog-deer are critically endangered. Two of the critically endangered mammals, the spotted deer and the warty pig have been elaborated on below. These species have considerable roles to play in maintaining the balance of the delicate ecosystem, and their endangerment may pose disastrous effects to the environment.

Source: Mammals of the Philippines

Visayan Spotted deer (Rusa Alfredi):

According to Animal Diversity Web (ADW), the Visayan spotted deer (scientific name: Rusa Alfredi) cannot be found anywhere else in the world but only in Central Philippines. They are one of the rarest species of deer in the entire world and are classified as a critically endangered species by the IUCN (Red List of endangered species). In 1991, it was reported that more that 95% of the original population of Visayan spotted deer were extirpated, leaving only a mere few hundred in existence.

The main predators of this particular species are human beings, particularly peasants affected by poverty who hunt them down for food and also logging activities, which cleared the forestlands in which these deer used to roam in as well. Though they are a fully protected species, it has been difficult for the government to provide guard patrols for them due their remoteness.

Visayan spotted deer are a valuable part of the ecosystem due to their foraging behavior. They seem to prefer areas that have undergone natural disturbances such as landslides and fires. They seem to have some influence in the ecological succession of tender plants that rise near to the ground after a fire or a landslide. Their foraging behavior may lead them to prefer some kinds of vegetation to others thus enabling the population of these plants to be stable and may help in maintaining the ecosystem balance.

To read more on the Visayan spotted deer and its habitat, please refer to this website: Animal Diversity Web

Visayan Warty Pig (Sus Cebifrons):

The Visayan Warty Pig is believed to be highly influential in maintaining the ecosystem, more so than the Visayan spotted deer as it had been observed that it was responsible in the dispersal of seeds of certain kinds of plant species. It was observed that these pigs feed on plants such as the Lithocarpus (Fagaceae) and Dillenia reifferscheidia (Dilleniaceae) which depend solely on these pigs for seed dispersal. As such, extinction of these pigs may mean the endangerment and possible  extinction of these other plant species that are dependent on this animal species.

Similar to the Visayan Spotted Deer, this species of pigs has been listed as critically endangered by the IUCN. Over 95% of its original population has been said to be lost, and the remaining numbers of this species is unclear.

The endangerment of this species of pigs has had several causes. Primarily, the intensive hunting for the meat of this species and the clearing of forested lands for crop plantations drove this species to endangerment. Also, domestic pigs hybridizing with these pigs have introduced several diseases and parasites.

The endangerment of these wild warty pigs have been widely recognized and three rescue programs have been created in the Philippines for the possible revival of this species. Also, small numbers of these pigs are in captivity in North America and Europe for better breeding possibilities.

To read more about the Visayan warty pig, please refer to this link: Ultimateungulate.com