The warning was issued yesterday by Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Elisea Gozun, who said the tarsier is of such frail constitution that touching or petting it may result in its death.
Gozun, whose husband Conrado died of a respiratory ailment last Monday morning, was reacting to reports that some restaurants and pubs in Bohol are holding tarsier-petting sessions to draw in customers.
The tarsier, considered the world’s smallest primate, has become a symbol of the island’s tourism industry. However, the mammal is extremely sensitive and improper handling can result in stress and even death, Gozun said.
In addition, with the enforcement of the Wildlife Act, the DENR will go after those who are illegally keeping the threatened species as pets.
Now that the implementing rules and regulations of the Wildlife Act have been approved, Gozun said, "we will mobilize our people to go after those individuals who are keeping tarsiers in captivity without permits."
Under Article III, Section 26 of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Wildlife Act, no person or entity shall be allowed possession of wildlife unless such person or entity can prove financial and technical capabilities and the facility to maintain such wildlife.
"The tarsier is a lovable animal but these are not meant to be kept as pets. We want to prevent the practice in order to stop the continued decline of the tarsier population," Gozun said.
Tarsiers are mostly found in Bohol, particularly in its natural forest habitat surrounding the Loboc River, in Basilan, Samar and Leyte.
According to the website of the Singapore Zoo, there are only 1,000 tarsiers left in the Philippinees.
Tarsiers measure only about nine to 16 centimeters from head to tail. They have large 1.6-cm eyes and have brains bigger than their stomachs.
Nocturnal, tree-dwelling and insect eaters, tarsiers were once popular as pets, fetching as cheap as P100 per animal, according to the Haribon Foundation.
Aside from the Philippines, tarsiers are also found in other Southeast Asian countries with dense vegetation, lowland rain forests and secondary mangrove forests.