ALMOST all of us have a penchant for different animals which are vital to our lives and to our ecosystem.
They are after all part of God's valuable creations next to human beings.
Negros Forest Park formerly Negros Forest and Ecological Foundation Inc. (NFEFI) is now managed by Talarak Foundation which started in 2017.
The park was established in 1986. It channels its efforts into the reforestation of forests, the rescue and captive breeding of endangered species, the creation of wildlife reserves, forest community organization, conservation education, alternative livelihood and sustainable projects.
It advocates the education of farmers, students, members of communities and civic organizations on the importance of preserving our forest and protecting the wildlife that live there.
David Castor, curator of the Negros Forest Park Biodiversity Conservation Center, formerly ran by the Negros Forest and Ecological Foundation Inc., which has merged with Talarak Foundation.
"We have here now in the enclosure our breakthrough which is the hatching of Baby Talarak (Walden's Hornbill, Rufous-Headed Hornbill or the Writhed-Billed Hornbill) named Valetin, the first hatch of Hornbill couple Kalantiaw and Ligaya after nine years of not having an offspring. This bird has an important role in our forest. They are one of the most efficient dispersal units of our nature after they eat some fruits, they drop it on the ground so that the seeds of the trees will germinate and re-grow," he said.
This young Hornbill was named Valentin as the bird was hatched on Valentine's Day. But now, we could not still determine the gender of Valentin because when the bird was hatched, the yellow color in the bird's face still remains but we will still wait for another two to three months to finally know it depending on the final color of the bird's face. For now, the color of the mother's face (Ligaya) is bluish. But a male Hornbill has a yellow-colored face.
"Now, the color of the face of Hornbill Valentin is gradually diminishing but its final color will soon be known including its gender,” he said.
Many people come to the park everyday and express their appreciation of the park in their social media.
The park has around 150 animals, including mammals, reptiles and birds.
"We still need to educate the people about the animals, birds, our forest and the environment in general. Although, we are located at the heart of the city, but still many people have not yet visited the park. It is a different thing to see people interact with the animals rather than seeing them in the internet or in some books. But a lot of people also come back here as they fell in love with these animals, which are our treasures and heritage that we wanted to conserve not only for ourselves but for the future generation. This is a forest in the heart of the city," he said.
TFI President Fernando Gutierrez said, "This hornbill is one of the most remarkable looking birds at the Negros Forest Park. These critically endangered birds used to be seen throughout the forests of Negros and Panay, but now we are lucky to even hear of stories about their existence in Negros. They are functionally extinct in Negros, and there have been a few sightings and calls heard, but no photographic proof so far.
Kim Decena, a volunteer of the Talarak Foundation, regularly feeds Hornbills Kalantiaw, Ligaya and Valentine.
He also takes care of the birds and other animals.
Sawa
Kim here plays with Zuma, a reticulated python (Sawa or Magkal).
This kind of snake avoids humans.
"Even if they encounter humans, the first thing they would do is just run away. They can only bite somebody if they are provoked. Zuma was rescued. He was someone else's pet. But unfortunately, that snake owner decided to dump him out perhaps because it is very hard to take care of this snake given its size,” he said.
"We have no right to kill a snake because before we started putting our houses in farm areas, the snakes used to inhabit there. And because the rainforest that they live in is very limited, they don't have other choices but to adopt to the urban area and take up the opportunity that is available to them. They eat the urban animals such as cats, dogs and even rats. For as long as you don't bother the snake as much or kill it without a reason, it would not be that dangerous.