A tribe of Philippine Long-Tailed Macaque (Macaca fascicularis philipensis) has been spotted in Quezon Protected Landscape (QPL) during the Biodiversity Monitoring conducted by DENR-CENRO Tayabas City personnel in February 2023.

As observed by the team during the monitoring, the tribe is now often seen alongside the Zigzag Road inside QPL, and tends to wait for travelers, expecting human food to be thrown to them. DENR-CENRO Tayabas prohibits everyone to approach or interact with them. The consumption of foreign food may be detrimental to them and could have a significant impact on their behavior, hormone imbalance, stress levels, inter-group aggressiveness, and reproductive patterns.

The best course of action when observing a Philippine Long-Tailed Macaques is to keep distance and avoid provoking or feeding them. Also, it is important to maintain their natural habitat and avoid any actions that can damage or disturb it, including dumping of garbage.

All of the major islands have populations of Philippine Long-Tailed Macaques that live in lowland woods including mangroves. It has a 40–50-centimeter height limit. Males normally weigh 4-8 kilograms on average while females typically weigh less. This wildlife is important seed dispersers and helps to promote the growth of new vegetation within the protected area which is crucial in maintaining its healthy ecosystems.

Aside from the Philippine Long-Tailed Macaque, QPL is also teemed with various species of dwelling fauna such as Philippine Rind Rat, Rufous Hornbill, Rufous Coucal, Philippine Forest Kingfisher, and Luzon Little Crow.

CENRO Tayabas continuously reminds the public that Philippine Long-Tailed Macaque is listed and designated as “Other Threatened Species” under the Department Administrative Order No. 2004-15 and “Endangered” under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

The same is protected under RA 9147, also known as Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act of 2001. Hunting, collecting, possessing, and poaching of its kind is punishable under this law.

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Parent Category: News & Events
Category: Photo Releases
Published: 28 March 2023