Aired (January 19, 2025): Doc Ferds Recio explores a bat sanctuary in Pangpang Kabillaw, Basilan, and uncovers an unusual bat habitat in Nueva Ecija. Meanwhile, Doc Nielsen Donato visits Sulu to check on monkeys being cared for by soldiers. Watch the video for the full story!
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00:00In most of the fruit bats, they can only see the head of the predator.
00:10Because they are so close to each other, just a stretch of their companion can make them leave the position.
00:20Predators need to be strong enough to enter the cave.
00:26Like the hawks.
00:37And the birds.
00:41They're not just fighting for food, but also for space.
00:45It's inevitable that in a cramped area like this,
00:49the head will get hot, the head will bump into each other.
00:52It's almost like they're fighting.
00:55Fruits bats are not just inside the cave.
01:01Sometimes, they also need to steal space from humans.
01:06There are so many of them here.
01:08I can already smell the guano.
01:12The destruction of the forest and poaching are some of the main threats to the fruit bats.
01:27It's hard for the fruit bats to find food.
01:36But this is not the only problem of the fruit bats.
01:41The marks left by them are also noticeable.
01:54It looks like there's a hose.
01:56There's a rope.
01:58Oh my gosh.
01:59There's a wound.
02:00There's a wound here.
02:01Oh, that's right.
02:03That's so sad.
02:05The fruit bats are among those affected by the floods in Sulu.
02:12Most of the time, the fruit bats are still young.
02:17And when they grow up and become aggressive,
02:20they often lose their feathers.
02:24There's a fruit bat called Simuy-muy.
02:26It lost its feathers and its tail was cut off.
02:30The tail was cut off.
02:33Simuy-muy is a victim of human abuse.
02:36Yes, sir.
02:37It's weak.
02:38It's like it was hit by a bullet.
02:40The body is weak and the tail was cut off.
02:54Fruit bats in space.
02:57Fruit bats in space.
02:59Fruit bats remain resilient to the rising conditions of the fruit bats in space.
03:06Because together, we are safer.
03:21An hour from Lamitan, we're here at Langil.
03:25It's so beautiful here.
03:38We were greeted by the residents of Langil Island by their traditional dance.
03:49But it's not only the culture that is colorful in Basilan.
03:55Because their life is colorful,
03:59a lot of people flock to the island.
04:04It's beautiful here.
04:05If no one goes to the middle of the sea to help them,
04:09they won't be disturbed.
04:14A lot of fruit bats.
04:15They can only see their heads.
04:18We were surprised because on one side of this cave,
04:21it looks like the bats are too small.
04:29At first, we thought they were babies.
04:32Upon close examination using the telephoto camera,
04:37we saw that those bats are actually adults.
04:41This is the first time that we've observed this kind of behavior.
04:45Because they are so close to each other,
04:48just a single touch from them
04:51can make them leave the place.
04:55This one,
04:56it looks like it can't keep up with its neighbor
04:59and almost hit it.
05:02They're not just fighting for food but also for space.
05:06It's inevitable that in a cramped area like this,
05:10bats can push each other,
05:12heat each other's heads,
05:13hit each other,
05:14and almost fight each other.
05:16There's a group of bats that are already content in a cave.
05:25But it's really unusual because if you compare
05:28this side versus that side,
05:30think about it,
05:32bats from different groups are here.
05:36Because here, they seem to be more open,
05:39but here, for whatever reason,
05:42we don't know why they're fighting.
05:44Every day, the bats are panicking.
05:47You can see their behavior.
05:50There's a bat, like this one,
05:53that seems to be pushing its fellow bats out.
05:56Until it totally let go and flew away.
06:02The other one seems to be fighting with itself.
06:06It's trying to fit into an already crowded group.
06:15The bats are fighting in this way
06:18to maintain the temperature inside the cave.
06:24First come, first serve is the position inside.
06:29In the middle part of the cave,
06:30aside from being high,
06:32there's also a barrier that serves as protection
06:35for other animals.
06:37If you're going to observe,
06:39the other side is still wide,
06:41but they're cutting it there.
06:44Maybe because they're conserving their energy there
06:47because it's warmer,
06:49and they feel safer when they're together.
06:57On the other side of Langil Island,
07:00the bats are panicking
07:02that are happening on the side of the cave.
07:07Here, the strong ones are joining together,
07:10while the weak ones need to be separated from the position.
07:16The bats that are positioned here
07:18need to have enough strength to fight the predators
07:22that might enter the cave,
07:25like the bats.
07:29Bats
07:32Bats
07:35Bats
07:38Bats
07:41Bats
07:44Comfort in numbers.
07:47There are bats that are really crazy,
07:49maybe because they're irritated by insects
07:51or parasites on their body.
07:53These bats are covered with hair,
07:56and because they're going to different places,
07:58they get parasites.
08:01But the cave,
08:02even though it's far from people,
08:05it's not safe from garbage.
08:07The garbage from other communities
08:09and other islands
08:11is brought here.
08:13In fact,
08:14this cave is even luckier
08:16because it's not destroyed yet.
08:19And there's a lot of research that can be done here,
08:22according to Doc Aloy Duya,
08:23a mammalogist.
08:25Bats are prone to enter deep caves.
08:28Usually, they're only near entrances.
08:31The waste management system
08:33that we need to improve is proper.
08:36In the Philippines,
08:374 out of 78 species of paniki
08:40are cave dwellers.
08:4437% of caves in the Philippines
08:47are protected,
08:48like Biakna Bato National Park in Luzon.
08:52While others
08:53make bat sanctuaries
08:55like Montfort Cave in Samal Island.
08:59For now,
09:01there's still no proper research
09:03on caves and paniki
09:05that we documented in Basilan.
09:09At the Bat Conference in Vietnam
09:11last year,
09:13the destruction of forests and poaching
09:16was one of the main threats
09:18to the number of wild paniki.
09:21Just like what happened
09:23in Biakna Bato National Park in 2021,
09:26where more than 6,000 paniki
09:28were caught by poachers.
09:31They plan to sell them as food.
09:39The last poachers were charged
09:41with violating the Wildlife Act.
09:45If this continues,
09:46in the search for a new home and food,
09:50it's possible that the paniki
09:52in people's homes will be extinct.
09:56In Nueva Ecija,
09:58Grace's neighbor,
10:01the paniki.
10:04The walls outside their house
10:07were demolished
10:09and it looks like
10:10they plan to live there forever.
10:14There's a lot of them here.
10:15I can already smell the guano.
10:19This is the first time
10:20they lived in a church.
10:23Until they slowly moved
10:25to their place.
10:27How's living with bats?
10:29They're used to it.
10:30There's a lot of spray.
10:32They'll just leave,
10:33but when the spray happens,
10:34they'll come back.
10:35They don't know the exact reason
10:37why the paniki moved
10:39to their place.
10:41But one thing is certain,
10:43it needs to continue.
10:49Whether it's human or animal,
10:53we all need space
10:56to breathe,
10:59to be safe and free.
11:02Community, mountains, or land,
11:06it's important to take care of it.
11:09It doesn't need to be stolen.
11:14It's still sleepy,
11:16but it needs to wake up
11:19and look for breakfast.
11:27This is a group or troop
11:29of Philippine long-tailed macaques.
11:35It's hard for the monkeys
11:37to find food.
11:39That's why some
11:42pick the leaves.
11:48It's almost time
11:50for the trees to bear fruit.
11:54But this isn't the only problem
11:56for the monkeys.
12:00They also notice
12:02that the leaves
12:04are falling.
12:07They also notice
12:09the marks
12:10left by their
12:12amazing journey.
12:22In the city of Indanan, Sulu,
12:25the monkeys' favorite place
12:27is the beautiful part
12:29of the forest.
12:32But while we're observing
12:34the monkeys,
12:36I noticed something.
12:38There's a hose in the rope.
12:40Oh my gosh.
12:41That's where the wound is.
12:42Yes, that's right.
12:44It's so pitiful.
12:46There's a tight rope
12:48in the beak of a monkey.
12:50It's pitiful because
12:52it's so deep.
12:55It's possible that
12:56this monkey was lost
12:58or abandoned.
13:00The long-term effects of this,
13:02when they grow up,
13:03their beaks will be damaged.
13:06For this purpose,
13:07we need a tranquilizer gun
13:09to get the monkey
13:11and remove the rope
13:12from its beak.
13:13I feel so frustrated
13:15that I can't do anything.
13:17I can't attempt
13:18to help the monkey.
13:20But we have to be careful.
13:24Because the monkey
13:25and our team
13:27can fall into the mud.
13:29I don't know
13:30how we can retrieve it.
13:32If it falls,
13:33it will get injured.
13:37In this situation,
13:39I can't help the monkey.
13:47In Panamau, Sulu,
13:50I met Meme,
13:54George,
13:57and Quick-Quick.
13:59There are monkeys here
14:01that can take care
14:03of three monkeys.
14:06It's been a long time
14:07since monkeys were taken care of here.
14:10Sir,
14:11you are the one
14:13taking care of the monkeys here.
14:15Yes, sir.
14:16Did you adopt them?
14:17Yes, sir.
14:18When I was there,
14:20they were still young.
14:22They were small,
14:23almost two months,
14:25three months old.
14:28Of course,
14:29their mothers were scared.
14:33They were left behind.
14:34They couldn't run.
14:36It was during the war.
14:38Because of the bullets,
14:40they were left behind.
14:42Monkeys are among
14:44those affected
14:45by the floods in Sulu.
14:48After the floods,
14:51they went down to the community
14:53to look for food.
14:57Sometimes,
14:59they put their lives
15:00in danger.
15:05Monkeys are usually
15:06taken care of when they are young.
15:10And when they grow up
15:11and become aggressive,
15:17they are often left behind.
15:23But not all situations
15:26can bring them back to life
15:28in the jungle.
15:32In Sulu,
15:33one of the soldiers
15:35is taking care of the monkeys.
15:38There is no facility
15:40for animals
15:41that are sick
15:42and can't be taken care of.
15:46Meme is the oldest
15:48of the three monkeys
15:49that Johnny is taking care of.
15:51He has been left behind
15:52in the jungle
15:53several times.
15:55We left them all behind.
15:57We saw them following us
15:59to the camp.
16:03Currently,
16:04the Provincial Environment,
16:06Natural Resources,
16:07and Energy Office,
16:09or PENREO,
16:11allows the monkeys
16:12to stay in the camp.
16:15When it comes
16:16to our protocols
16:18for wildlife conservation,
16:20our office assesses
16:22the status
16:24of the monkeys
16:25and the status
16:26of the wildlife.
16:28For example,
16:29if we don't release
16:30the monkeys
16:31to the wild,
16:32we let their owners
16:33take care of them.
16:35We just tell them
16:37to be careful.
16:39But a reminder
16:40for everyone.
16:42According to the law,
16:44it is prohibited
16:45to take care
16:46of monkeys
16:47and other animals.
16:50There is a lack of permit
16:51or document
16:52before the authorities
16:53approve it.
16:54If the monkeys
16:55are released
16:56back to the wild,
16:58it is possible
16:59that it will cause
17:00negative interactions
17:01with people.
17:02They have a site fidelity
17:03where they return
17:05to the places
17:06where they were taken care of.
17:08Because of this,
17:09they will forage
17:10for food
17:11in communities
17:12or nearby farms.
17:14In these situations,
17:16farmers are affected
17:18and the monkeys
17:19can be hurt
17:20or killed.
17:24I noticed
17:25that they lack
17:27nutrition,
17:28vitamins,
17:29so I'm going to
17:30give them some
17:31deworming
17:32and vitamins.
17:55Aside from the three monkeys,
17:59there is another
18:00monkey who experienced
18:02a broken tail.
18:04Moimoy is no longer
18:06alive.
18:07It's been almost
18:08three months
18:09or two months.
18:10He is weak
18:11because his body
18:12is swollen
18:13and his tail
18:15is broken.
18:17Because Moimoy
18:18is getting weaker,
18:20this monkey
18:21cannot be left
18:22to the monkeys
18:23or to the soldiers
18:24in the jungle.
18:25That's why
18:26they were forced
18:27to take him
18:28back to the camp.
18:29So,
18:30I pricked his tail
18:31and there are
18:32some bones.
18:33So,
18:34I brought him here
18:35and take advantage
18:36of trying to repair it.
18:37We will operate on him.
18:38What we will do
18:39is we will remove
18:40the broken tail
18:42and then
18:43we will close
18:44the skin.
18:45I will just give him
18:46some help.
18:51We're preparing
18:52the tail
18:53for partial amputation.
18:56It's very important
18:59to repair this.
19:01When I touched it,
19:02it was very painful
19:04because the stump
19:06of his bone
19:08is difficult
19:09to heal.
19:15Now,
19:17Moimoy is safe
19:18and fully recovered
19:19because of the people
19:20who took care of him.
19:23There are times
19:24when people need
19:25to be careful
19:26when the animals
19:27are already
19:28in danger.
19:31But it's better
19:32not to catch
19:33and take care of them
19:35if it's not necessary
19:38to preserve
19:39their freedom.
19:40Thank you very much
19:41for watching
19:42Born to be Wild.
19:43For more stories
19:44about our nature,
19:45please subscribe
19:46to the JMA Public Affairs
19:47YouTube channel.