A vlogger may face charges after his video while touching endangered Tarsier went viral on social media.
In the said video, the South Cotabato-based vlogger, who was identified as ‘Farm Boy,’ recorded himself while catching two Tarsiers, which are considered one of the protected species in the Philippines.
“Akin ang isang to,” the vlogger told his cameraman.
“Smile. Baby…” he said.
Farm Boy was visibly holding the Tarsier tightly, which according to some experts, caused stress to the animal.
He also claimed that he would ‘rescue’ the Tarsiers and would set them free once they were fed enough.
After the video went viral, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) visited Farm Boy’s house to recover the Tarsiers.
“This is to inform the public that the DENR-12 monitoring and enforcement team received a report on Monday, April 8th, about a video of improper treatment of Philippine Tarsiers. The video was posted on social media by a vlogger known as ‘Farm Boy’ from Polomolok, South Cotabato,” DENR Region 12 wrote.
“The Department has already conducted an investigation into the matter and discovered that the two tarsiers featured in the video were released into the wild by the vlogger. However, the agency is still looking for further actions to be taken on the wildlife incident. Thank you,” they added.
Catching wildlife species, both flora and fauna from the wild without a permit is against RA 9147 or “The Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act.”