Everyone has a favourite animal. For me it’s the diminutive tarsier (pictured), a primate found exclusively in Asia, and endemic to the Philippine archipelago. It is a unique mammal in that it is the only fully carnivorous primate feeding primarily on insects, lizards and small birds which it hunts at night in the jungle springing acrobatically from tree to tree. I find this animal totally engaging which belies its shyness and retiring nature. I first saw this cute and loveable little creature on the island of Bohol in the Philippines where conservationists had created a sanctuary in the middle of the jungle in an effort to increase their dwindling numbers due to loss of habitat. The tarsier, like so many other animal species, is reliant on tropical rainforest to forage for food, so any deforestation has an immediate and profound impact on their ability to survive in the wild. Tarsiers can expect to live to 24 years of age in the wild but this is halved when they are placed in captivity where they often develop sore eyes due to lighting and poor diet, and many sadly commit suicide by hitting their head against objects rather than face the stress of living in an enclosure. Domesticated pets like dogs and cats happily co-exist alongside us in our household environment because their diet is non-specific. If only all animal species were so easily pleased but without a natural food source most wildlife would perish overnight. Wildlife would be guaranteed a future if they could be tamed and fed from a refrigerator but, unlike dogs and cats, they haven’t had generations to adapt to our way of living. Time is a luxury wild animals, like the tarsier, can’t afford while they are living in a rapidly diminishing natural environment.Jens Ward
Words ④ Wildlife