There are still a lot of Negrenses who are not aware that there is a breeding facility for threatened endemic animals in Bacolod City. The Negros Forests and Ecological Foundation (NFEFI) established the Biodiversity Conservation Center (BCC) to be a haven for rescued endemic animals and also serve as breeding center.
NFEFI is committed to saving threatened endemic species from extinction. The NFEFI-BCC is a breeding center for some of the world’s most threatened species; majority of which are found only in Negros and Panay and nowhere else in the world. Below are some of these animals.
- Visayan Spotted Deer – considered the rarest deer in the world because it is already extinct in 95% of its natural habitat.
- Visayan Warty Pig – considered as the most critically endangered species of wild pigs in the world. They used to be widely distributed in the six major islands in the Visayas but can only be found now in the remaining forests of Negros and Panay
- Visayan Tarictic Hornbill – already considered extinct in Ticao, Guimaras and Sicogon Islands, their number is estimated to be around 1,800 in the wild in their remaining habitats in Panay and Negros Islands
- Visayan Leopard Cat – kittens are usually mistaken as domestic cats when found by farmers in sugarcane fields.
It has been successful in breeding these species and plan to eventually return the captive-bred individuals into their natural habitat. Meantime, while sites are still being evaluated for release about 100 animals call NFEFI-BCC their home. The Center is working closely with the Philippines Biodiversity Conservation Foundation Inc., the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and several international partners.
You Can Help by Adopting a Threatened Animal
NFEFI is inviting individuals, schools, corporations and clubs to adopt one (or more) of the many threatened animals kept at the Biodiversity Conservation Center in Bacolod City. By doing so they will be helping to maintain a safe haven for threatened species.
For just P33 a day, adopters can play a vital role in helping to save threatened species by providing funds to enable the NFEFI-BCC to continue to provide world-class care of these animals.
Adoptions run for one year. The monthly cost of P1,000 per animal or bird will cover its food, supplements, veterinary care, enrichment and improvements in the animal’s enclosure.
All adopters will receive a welcome pack featuring an adoption certificate, an image and fact sheet of the chosen animal; quarterly updates about the adoptive animal; free access to the NFEFI-BCC, 20 visitor passes acknowledgments at the BCC and on the group’s website.
In addition, adopters can go behind the scenes for a private meet-and-greet with the chosen animal or bird.
Animals and birds available for adoption include Visayan spotted deer, Visayan warty pig, Visayan leopard cat and Large Flying Fox; Rufous-headed hornbill, Visayan tarictic hornbill, Southern rufous hornbill, Negros bleeding-heart pigeon, Luzon bleeding-heart pigeon, buff-eared brown dove, metallic wood pigeon, pink-bellied imperial pigeon, Philippine cockatoo, white-bellied woodpecker, Philippine eagle-owl, Luzon hawk-owl and Philippine hawk-eagle and the rare Philippine sailfin lizard
The NFEFI-BCC also welcome donations, however small. Every centavo goes to the center’s work of protecting and conserving some of the world’s most vulnerable animals.
Please contact NFEFI-BCC’s curator Dr. Joanne Justo on (034) 433-9234 or visit http://www.negrosforests.org/