Calauit Safari Park
 |
|
| Date opened | 1976 |
|---|---|
| Location | Calauit Island, Busuanga, Palawan, Philippines |
| Coordinates | 12°18′N 119°54′E / 12.300°N 119.900°ECoordinates: 12°18′N 119°54′E / 12.300°N 119.900°E |
| Land area | 3,700 hectares (9,100 acres) |
| No. of animals | 1,870 |
| Website | www |
Calauit Safari Park is a game reserve and wildlife sanctuary located in Calauit Island, a 3,700 hectare island in the Calamian Islands chain that lies off the coast of Palawan in the MIMAROPA region of the Philippines. It is known for its wildlife sanctuary with a substantial population of African animals, including giraffes, zebras, and antelopes, as well as local fauna that all roam freely in a game reserve created by former President Ferdinand Marcos in the 1970s.
On August 31, 1976, under Presidential Proclamation No. 1578, the island was declared a game preserve and wildlife sanctuary. Presumably, the Philippine government was responding to the request of President Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya during a Third World conference for help in saving African wildlife threatened by war and drought. A private, non-profit organization, Conservation and Resource Management Foundation (CRMF), was placed in charge of the forest preserve and wildlife sanctuary.
The secluded Calauit Island was considered the ideal location due to its size, terrain, and vegetation. More than 200 families were relocated to Halsey Island 40 kilometers away to make room for 104 feral African animals from eight species: 12 bushbucks, 11 elands, 11 gazelles, 15 giraffes, 18 impalas, 12 waterbucks, 10 topis, and 15 zebras. The animals were transported to the island by the ship MV Salvador on March 4, 1977. Without natural predators, the population of animals grew to 201 after five years, with 143 animals born on Calauit itself. The waterbuck and impala populations in particular were thriving. The gazelles and topis, however, proved less adaptable and died out by 1999. By 2005 there were approximately 481 specimens in all, with the impalas dominating the population at about 150 heads.
The zebras in the park are Grevy’s zebras are considered the most endangered of the world’s three surviving zebra species. Some of the giraffes seen on the same tour bore the purple marks of iodine that park staff use to treat cuts from the sharp spikes of some local plants. The park also is a haven for indigenous wildlife like the Calamian deer, named for the Calamian islands, the northernmost island cluster in Palawan province, a group that includes Busuanga. There were only 25 left on the island when the park started a conservation effort in 1981, capturing deer for breeding and protecting them once they were released back into the wild. Now there is a thriving herd of 1200. Some of the Filipino species are kept in pens, like the Palawan porcupines. Visitors are allowed to feed them, and apparently they have a passion for bananas.
...
Wikipedia