In the rugged, emerald landscapes of Mindoro Island, a silent battle for survival unfolds. The tamaraw—a stocky, fierce bovine found nowhere else on Earth—stands as a testament to the resilience of Philippine wild-life, teetering on the razor’s edge between existence and extinction.
The tamaraw (Bubalus mindorensis) has been a part of my childhood – and yours too! From what our grade school civics class has taught us, we learned that this animal is endemic – meaning it is one-of-a-kind and can only be found in the wilds of Mindoro. The tamaraw taught us that small can be mighty. Smaller and more compact that its water buffalo cousins, its V-shaped horns and feisty personality made it larger than life.
The Tamaraw and Pop Culture
As our country’s rarest and largest native land animal, the tamaraw has appeared in pop culture in many ways. A lot of us would recall the tama-raw being featured on the Flora and Fauna Series 1-peso coin and on postage stamps. It is also the official mascot of Far Eastern University’s varsity teams. My mom, an avid Jaworski fan, fondly recalls the Toyota Tamaraws basketball team. And of course, most familiar to us all would be the Toyota Kijang, also known as the Tamaraw FX, a popular pickup truck model plying our highways and byways, moving people and goods safely and efficiently.
The Tamaraw and its People
More than just an animal, the tamaraw is a living symbol of Mindoro’s unique ecosystem and the delicate balance between human develop-ment and natural preservation.
To the indigenous Mangyan people, the tamaraw is part of their ances-tral land and cultural identity. Considered sacred and a creature of the forest god, hunting or harming a tamaraw is often viewed as taboo, re-flecting the animal’s spiritual significance within their belief system. The various Mangyan tribes, including the Buhid and Tau-Buid, regard the tamaraw as part of their cultural heritage, reinforcing their identity as the original inhabitants of Mindoro.
The Mangyans developed a sophisticated understanding of their envi-ronment and traditional resource managements systems which include concepts like sagrado (sacred areas), fantungkudan mangilafang (wild-life refuge), and fagfanluan mangilafang (roaming areas), which guide their interactions with the ecosystem. The tamaraw’s presence in their ancestral domain is seen as a blessing, symbolizing the health of their ecosystem.
The Tamaraw’s Decline
Once numbering in the tens of thousands, the years has seen it num-bers drastically cut. Recent surveys have put their numbers at 335 indi-viduals, marking a significant decline from previous years, with the popu-lation peaking at 523 in 2018. This has prompted the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to list the tamaraw as Critically Endangered on its Red List of Threatened Species.
The challenges facing the tamaraw are complex and interconnected. Habitat loss, driven by agricultural expansion and logging, has progres-sively squeezed these animals into increasingly fragmented territories. Grassland conversion, illegal hunting/poaching, and competition with domesticated livestock have further decimated their populations with each passing year narrowing their chances of long-term survival.
Mindoro was historically covered by dense forests, but by 1988, over 70% of its forest cover had been lost due to commercial logging and ag-ricultural expansion. Between 2002 and 2023 Oriental Mindoro lost 539 hectares of humid primary forest, an estimated 1.8% decline of its forest area, said globalforestwatch.org. Specifically, 540 hectares of primary forest were lost during this period, contributing to an approximate 2.3% loss of total tree cover.
Resettled communities and local farmers have engaged in slash-and-burn agriculture, which not only destroys tamaraw habitats but also dis-rupts the ecological balance needed for their survival. Local population growth contributing to urban growth and land conversion has also exac-erbated this issue, leading to further encroachment into tamaraw habi-tats.
The tamaraw has historically been hunted for food. While hunting is now illegal, poaching continues to threaten the species. Reports indicate that lowlanders have engaged in poaching activities targeting not only tama-raws but also other wildlife within their territories.
Disease also played a part in their decline, no thanks to the introduction of non-native cattle on the island. An example was the outbreak of rin-derpest, a viral disease that severely affected the tamaraw population in the 1930s. This disease took a hit on populations that were already un-der pressure from hunting and habitat loss. The ongoing presence of domestic livestock continues to pose a risk for disease transmission to the remaining tamaraw populations.
Conservation Efforts
Despite the challenges, there are reasons for optimism. With the help of carefully implemented comprehensive conservation strategies that com-bine scientific research, community engagement, and strategic interven-tion, we can save our beloved tamaraw.
In 1979, the country launched the Tamaraw Conservation Program (TCP) as a banner initiative of the Department of Environment and Natu-ral Resources – a program dedicated to protecting the tamaraw and its habitat. Rangers were recruited and deployed to conduct regular patrols in all the known sites where tamaraw were present.
The National Tamaraw Conservation Action Plan – created by a team of more than 70 conservationists, policy makers, and Indigenous peoples together with conservation organization Re:wild –aims that by the year 2050, the tamaraw will thrive in rewilded habitats and in coexistence with Indigenous peoples across Mindoro.
The establishment of protected areas such as Mounts Iglit-Baco National Park, a recognized key biodiversity area, and Calavite Wildlife Sanctuary, also need protection. By preserving Mindoro’s ecological infrastructure such as healthy grasslands, we can prevent soil erosion, support diverse wildlife, and maintain watershed integrity – benefits that extend far be-yond a single species.
The Tamaraw for Tamaraws
Last December 6, Toyota Motor Philippines Foundation (TMPF), the so-cial and humanitarian arm of Toyota Motor Philippines Corporation (TMP) represented by TMP President Masando Hashimoto and TMPF President Jose Maria Aligada, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the DENR, represented by Secretary Maria Antonio Yulo-Loyzaga, to boost support for the TCP. The signing ceremony happened on the sidelines of the Next Generation Tamaraw grand public launch in Makati.
Under the MOU, TMPF will donate a brand new Tamaraw vehicle and half-a-million-peso worth of “Bantay Tamaraw” kits for ranger gears and supplies. The resources will help the Bantay Tamaraw rangers conduct regular patrols at all known Tamaraw sites.
On top of in-kind donations, TMPF pledges a PHP 3-million conservation fund for other key program initiatives, including Tamaraw habitat monitor-ing and research, support programs for barangay and Indigenous Peo-ples (IP) volunteers, equipping of the Tamaraw Research and Conserva-tion Center, and other Communication, Education, and Public Aware-ness (CEPA) activities such as the national Tamaraw Month observa-tion.
The tamaraw’s story is still being written, with each conservation effort offering a new chapter of hope, resilience, and the potential for renewal. May we all do our share to make their story a happy one for all times.
