Today's post focuses on the wild inhabitants of the Abaga Falls area. I've decided to recollect on my boyhood encounters with some of the more interesting and exotic wildlife of Abaga Falls. Again, from the few pictures I have seen of the area, things may not be as pristine as they once were. I'm wondering, are all these creatures still there?
Sadly, one must understand that
the Abaga Falls area is probably not the only ecosystem in jeapordy of losing an important segment of flora and fauna that may be important to our planet and people in the future, the loss of this habitat is also a threat to the national identity of the Philipines and the Filipino people themselves. Why is this important? Simple, because ultimately it is the people who are to be the stewards of the land. Imagine Switzerland without the Alps or the American Southwest without it's painted deserts. While it's true that one could argue that there's no need to really worry and that we have the technology, the scholar’s and the best zoos in the world to lessen the perceived crisis but I'm afraid. Afraid that what is done and cannot be undone. That years of neglect cannot be reversed no matter how often we consider ourselves masters of science and nature…
On that note, I thought that perhaps the best way to illustrate my concern about the surrounding wildlife and it's role in the ecosystem of Abaga Falls would be to post some pcitures of a number of animals inhabiting the falls and the surrounding area. These are the creatures, the Wild Things I remember seeing on a regular basis during my boyhood adventures around Abaga Falls....
Philippines Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi)–Very elusive, feeds on monkeys and reptiles; -resident of the falls area. Details at Wikipedia
Hornbill (
Buceros hydrocorax)- feeds on insects, small reptiles and wild fig tree fruits; -a regual rresident of the falls area.
Details at Wikipedia.
Hornbill (
Penelopides affinis affinis)- feeds on insects, small reptiles and wild fig tree fruits; -a regualr resident of the falls area.
Details at Wikipedia.
Collared Kingfisher (
Todiramphus chloris)-feeds on insects, small reptiles and fish along the river; -resident of the falls area.
Details at Wikipedia
Golden Fox Fruit Bat(
Acerodon jubatu)-feeds on wild fig tree fruits and other fruits; -resides along the
Agus River above Baloi and at twilight time the bats start their trip to
Abaga Falls area to feed all night and leave to roost by daybreak.
Details at WikipediaHopefully I got this part right. If anyone out there has any information on the status of wildlife in and aorund the Abaga Falls area, I would really appreciate you
contacting me so that I may share it with my readers.
That's all for today. Hopefully this brings us a little closer to understand the importance of restoring Abaga Falls as a National Park and doing what we can to turn it into the “cage-less zoo” that it once was. We need to protect this vital habitat and the wildlife in the area. Once the area has been restored, one can venture deep into one of the most beautiful and enchanting pieces of real-estate on the planet. I know the the work will be difficult and the road to success is long and arduous, but we certainly have the imagination and perseverance to keep the message alive. Success is measured and achieved when; one can travel into such an area and stop to quietly reflect on how to coexist with nature’s magnificent gift. Remember, coexistence does not mean we are restricted from crossing the boundary between us and nature, we're all a part of it. The birds, the trees, the people... everything.
I just came across some nice coverage by National Geographic on conservation efforts taking place in the Philipines (just so you know that I'm not the only one harping about it!). Unfortunately, this is only a sample of the coverage. For more in-depth information, you'll have to get the February 2007 print version of National Geographic...
