BORN to be Wild—the country’s pioneering wildlife, travel and conservation program —celebrates its 14th anniversary this month in a two-part special “Breaking Territories” airing this November 21 and 28.
Most wildlife species in the animal kingdom are known to be territorial—they protect their territories from incursions by other species.
For years, the team of program has documented violent encounters when animal spaces are encroached by humans and vice versa. But can humans really co-exist with wildlife?
GMA Network’s formidable wildlife vets are back to visiting the wildest places to film the most amazing animal behaviors. Doc Ferds Recio goes to Palawan while Doc Nielsen Donato headed to Tawi-Tawi for another nature expedition.
Recio tells how excited he is for the anniversary shoot and that he missed preparing clothes for travel.
“It is our first expedition after almost two years because of the pandemic (and) we’re here (in Palawan) for an extended period of time doing what we used to do and how we used to shoot Born,” he shares.
For his part, Donato said shooting for Born to be Wild has always been a refreshing experience.
“I have looked forward to this work-travel-leisure-shoot. Since the pandemic, we weren’t able to shoot outside Luzon and being able to board a plane again is really exciting,” he said.
Both vets are ready to face the wildlife again in their natural habitat. But in some places, animals live near humans too.
In Aborlan, Palawan, residents not only wake up to the humming of birds in the morning but also to playing squirrels and flying lizards that freely wander in trees of nearby houses.
Recio observes how both humans and animals co-exist where no one is harmed as they respectfully acknowledge each other's territory.
What he is also thrilled about is the team’s attempt to film the Asian Small Clawed Otter or Dungon that lives near a fishpond of a local resident.
“We made several attempts to film the Dungon in the past, but we failed (since) they are elusive,” Recio said, adding that a resident in Palawan confirmed that these animals regularly visit his fishpond, so, they tried their luck again.
Meanwhile, Donato has rescued and handled a number of crocodiles in captivity and he said nothing beats seeing a crocodile in its natural habitat.
In Tawi-Tawi, where some residents live on stilts, crocodiles are a common sight although not all sightings are pleasant, some have been fatal.
Donato meets some family members of people who have been attacked by crocodiles and some have miraculously survived, unfortunately, others didn’t.
Despite this, most residents still recognize the importance of crocodiles and they respect their existence.
“Usually, when humans break boundaries from wildlife, it's destruction. Mining, logging, claiming of the forest, putting structures by the seas but that's not all the time,” Donato explained
He furthered that there are instances when people break boundaries to discover, to understand the behavior and the situation of wildlife—in the case of scientist. (PR)