Weird and Wild in the Philippines

The Philippines is one big zoo of a country. Nestled in its 300,000 square kilometers of land are some of the world’s most diverse creatures endemic to the islands.

Traveling to the Philippines may be just as exciting and adventurous as visiting the jungles of Africa and may even offer more in terms of its assortment and uniqueness of animals.

For instance, grazing in the dense forests of the island of Mindoro, the tamaraw or MIndoro dwarf buffalo is the Philippines’ largest native land animal and is smaller and stockier than the common buffalo. Though not as comparable as to that of the size of elephants and giraffes, the tamaraw is such a unique creature that it can only be naturally found in the Philippines and is presently marked as a critically endangered animal of the world.

Tourists visiting destinations in the Mindanao islands of the Philippines could also come across with an animal that does not have wings but can fly. The colugo, renowned for its ability to ‘fly’, or leap rather, across an area of 100 meters is known around the world as the Flying Lemur. Also called the kagwang, it looks like a cross between a dog and a squirrel.

Travel to the islands near Palawan and one can find ruminating in the shrubs of Balabac Island, the Pilandok (Philippine Mouse Deer) that holds the record for the world’s smallest hoofed mammal measuring only 40 centimeters. Travel nearer to Palawan and one will have an encounter with a creature that is neither a bear nor a cat known, the Palawan bearcat, running happily in the lush forests.

Upon traveling to the island of Bohol and visiting its Chocolate Hills, the Tarsier can be found resting on the tourists’ palms or heads. The Tarsier fascinates its audience in Bohol with its big, round eyes and meek size entitling it as the world’s smallest primate averaging at 90 to 160 millimeters or 3.5 to 6.25 inches only.

Calamian Islands, on the other hand, wows travelers to the Philippines as tourists come to see the Calamian deer, a kind of hog deer with longer and darker legs thriving in the said area and are also endemic in the Philippine areas.

Philippine travel is more exciting when completed with a venture to Davao. Be dared by the ‘Man-eating crocodiles’ or the Philippine crocodiles, famous for their agility and notoriety.

If one is eager to meet some of these worlds’ most captivating animals and is looking for a destination equaling the thrills of an adventure to Africa, Philippine travel might just be it. Philippines’ premier animal sanctuaries are located in Calauit Island of Palawan, Tarsier site of Bohol, Crocodile Park of Davao and Albay Park and Wildlife also of Bohol, along with numerous other zoos and wildlife parks as well as animal preservation sanctuaries.

Philippines is one big zoo of a country, and travelers are very much welcome to interact with the weird and wild animals in it.