By Henrylito D. Tacio
The Philippines is home to some of the rarest animals. In fact, some of them can only be found in the country — like the endangered tamaraw (known in the science world as Bubalus mindorensis).
In the past, the tamaraw has been classified as a subspecies of the local carabao or the common water buffalo. But recent studies have found out that it is not. In contrast to the carabao, tamaraw has a number of distinguishing characteristics: it is slightly hairier, has light markings on its face, is not gregarious, and has shorter horns that are somewhat shaped like a V.
Tamaraw is the country’s largest native terrestrial mammal and the only endemic bovine found in the Philippines. Today, it can be found only in Mindoro although it is believed to have once also thrived in other parts of Luzon.
The tamaraw was first documented in 1888 on the mountains of Mindoro. Before 1900, most people avoided settling on Mindoro due to a virulent strain of malaria. But as anti-malarial medicine was developed, more people settled on the island.
As the population of people increased, the number of tamaraw in the island decreased. In the early 1900s, about 10,000 animals were roaming around the island. Less than fifty years later, in 1949, the population dwindled to just around 1,000. By 1953, fewer than 250 animals existed. It was not until in 1969, when the International Union for the Conservation of Nature published (IUCN) its Red Data Book that the population was placed at 100 heads.
As a result of the alarming state, the government did something to save the tamaraw from extinction. The head count rose to 120 animals in 1975. In the mid-2000s , the population continued to grow to as much 300.
According to Gregg Yan, a local spokesperson for the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), the government and private sector’s Tamaraw Conservation Program aims to double the current population to 600 by 2020.
“The tamaraw is the flagship species of the Philippines. It is our moral obligation and international commitment to preserve them,” forest ranger Rodel Boyles, who heads the joint conservation effort, was quoted as saying by Agence France-Presse. “If they are not protected, the species might get wiped out in five years,” he said.
Although not yet a critically threatened species, the Philippine deer (Rusa marianna) is native to the forests and grasslands on most larger islands of the Philippines. The only major islands where it is not distributed are Negros, Panay, Palawan, Sulu, and the Babuyan and Batanes island groups.
Also known as the Philippine sambar or the Philippine brown deer, the IUCN has already classified it as vulnerable “due to its increasingly fragmented populations as a result of habitat loss and hunting.”
The Philippine deer is generally much smaller than its cousin, the Sambar deer. It is mostly even brown in color, with the exception of the underside of the tail, which is white. Those found in Mindanao, the deer’s coat has been reported to be a pale, sandy grey color. The antlers of the male are quite small, usually having a length of 20 to 40 centimeters.
The tamaraw and Philippine deer are two of the identified native wildlife species that are considered for cryoconservation, according to Dr. Lerma C. Ocampo during the recent National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) roundtable discussion on animal genetic resource management and cryobanking.
Science says cryoconservation is a process where cells, whole tissues, or any other substances susceptible to damage caused by chemical reactivity or time are preserved by cooling to sub-zero temperatures. At low enough temperatures, any enzymatic or chemical activity which might cause damage to the material in question is effectively stopped.
“Cryoconservation methods seek to reach low temperatures without causing additional damage caused by the formation of ice during freezing,” a scientist pointed out.
Dr. Ocampo, senior science research specialist at the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC), explained that the tamaraw, Philippine deer, and small ruminants are believed to be disease-resistant. In addition, they survive climate change and thrive in local feed resources around them.
Currently, carabao, cattle and goat are being used for cryoconservation activities in the Philippines with a facility located inside the PCC complex in Nueva Ecija.
Dr. Ocampo said that several countries have been prompted to draw up an animal genetic resources conservation program to help ensure the continuous availability of food for their citizens due to population growth, urbanization, and weather disturbances “which could eliminate animal populations at any given time.”
But there are some problems to be clarified first like those involving local ordinances. These “have hindered the inclusion of these wildlife species into the Philippines’ cryoconservation initiatives,” said a statement from the Department of Science and Technology, which convened the roundtable discussion.
“One approach to address such constraint is to optimize a recovery method for testicular sperm from post mortem testes,” Dr. Ocampo suggested.
Another approach, she added, is to “revisit and propose the use of electro ejaculator machine to collect sperm from live animals for future semen collection preservation.”
Cryobanking capitalizes on cryopreservation technologies such as conventional slow freezing techniques, vitrification or quick freezing technology for egg cells and embryos, and liquid nitrogen storage
The Nueva Ecija cryobank facility for livestock and endangered indigenous animals, which was established in 2012, stores locally processed semen from various breeds of water buffalo, goats, and cattle. Semen production laboratories like the Nueva Ecija stock farm and the PCC at the Central Luzon State University and University of the Philippines at Los Baños serve as the repository and source of frozen sperm from commercially active livestock.
Currently, six cryobank units called cryotanks for the storage of frozen germ plasm are housed within the facility. These cryotanks are supplied with liquid nitrogen from a liquid nitrogen depot.
Dr. David Steane, honorary adviser on genetics and biodiversity of the Ministry of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives in Thailand, however, reminded during the NAST discussion that cryoconservation needs clear regulations, specifically on health and ownership among others.
Meanwhile, the population of the tamaraw has grown to its largest since efforts to save them from extinction started. “We are hopeful that their numbers will continue increasing,” Boyles said.
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