We visited the Tarsier Foundation today! Although it was raining heavily today, it did not dampen our spirits. We had the BEST EXPERIENCE talking to the Tarsier Man, Mr Carlito Pizarras, who shared insightful knowledge on tarsiers and the foundation with us. We were really inspired by his hospitality and his contribution to the conservation of tarsiers in Phillipines.

The tourists visiting the Tarsier Foundation were also really helpful and enthusiastic, with many willing to give more information than we had originally expected!

Most of the tourists we interviewed cited the tarsier’s large eyes and furry appearance that drew their attention. Despite the tarsier’s docile and cuddly demeanour,  we learnt from the PTFI that these animals are actually efficient predators that feed exclusively on live bugs and will even eat one of their own in certain circumstances. Strangely, these voracious predators are easily stressed out by human disturbances and have been known to commit suicide. Many of the tourists were fascinated by these fun facts and it definitely served to pique our interest in the Philippine Tarsier!

We also trekked along the Alamid Trail which was challenging yet fun at the same time! Our shoes were all so muddy at the end of the trek that our hiking boots were twice the original weight (due to the massive amount of mud stuck on the soles). Nevertheless, we still had fun during the trek anyway and for some of us, it was the first time trekking in a rainforest.

We would like to thank the staff of the Tarsier Foundation (Joannie, Carlito, and Marcos), T.J., and the tourists whom we interviewed! 😀 We would also like to thank the other BES students for being super enthusiastic about the interviews and their contributions to our project! A BIG THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HELP! 😀

This is us with the famous TARSIER MAN! (Our Hero!)

Group 3 (Jiawei, Jolene, Edrea, XueQin, Sarah Seo, Maria)