Aired (January 12, 2025): Doc Ferds Recio rescues two lost Northern Luzon Giant Cloud Rats, while Doc Nielsen Donato travels to Puerto Princesa to investigate the mysterious bird striking fear among the locals—the Mantanani Scops Owl. Watch this video.
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00:00Oh, there's a flying fish!
00:06It looks like it has something in its mouth.
00:09It said it's a gecko.
00:11I saw it on the camera.
00:18The fish seems to be interested in food.
00:22Next, it targeted the bigger prey or food,
00:27the fish.
00:30It used its big eyes to examine its surroundings.
00:37When it was about to swim, it suddenly disappeared.
00:42To check, it turned its neck 180 degrees.
00:50The fish swam several times.
01:00It looks like it's bigger than it.
01:04Wow!
01:05It's my first time seeing an Oriental Darter.
01:10It's a type of water bird.
01:12Its feet are like webs.
01:15I saw its long legs, they're very thin.
01:19And its beak is a bit orange.
01:23But they have this striking plumage on the back,
01:26black and white.
01:28It looks very neat.
01:34It looks like a mixed piglet, duck, and cormorant.
01:41This is where they found their new home.
01:45You know, Sulu is the least area that is discovered for wildlife.
01:57It's gone.
02:01I took care of it.
02:04Then I brought it here.
02:07I can't do anything about it.
02:12This is where it lives.
02:15They put a makeshift can of paint here.
02:19If you look at their area,
02:22there are a lot of trees and they live in the mountains.
02:24This is probably where the cloud rats were trapped.
02:29These rats are fond of fruits.
02:33The problem is, they got caught in Manila.
02:38Bama Bait!
02:40They examined the mouth and the whole body.
02:43This is what happens when you catch them.
02:50Before the sun sets,
02:52using their sense of smell,
02:55the rats are looking for their favorite fruit.
03:06This is very delicious to eat.
03:10I'm sure the rat is full of delicious fruits.
03:16But when it comes to food,
03:19it is often put in a cage.
03:23Because of its presence in some communities,
03:28there are two secrets.
03:38Even though the rats are considered pests in the city,
03:41there is a larger species of rat
03:44that roams the houses in Rizal.
03:47These are the giant cloud rats.
03:53Noel is one of the last cloud rats
03:56that lives in his tree.
03:59Cloud rat is a Filipino word that means kind.
04:05These rats are fond of fruits.
04:09Brother, teach us how to catch.
04:12Here, in this tree.
04:13What is this?
04:15You didn't climb it?
04:18No, I just climbed it.
04:21Instead of letting it go,
04:23Noel took care of the rat.
04:26This is where it lives.
04:28They put it in a makeshift paint can.
04:33If you look at their area,
04:36there are a lot of trees.
04:38They live in the mountains.
04:40This is where the cloud rats are attracted.
04:43When they eat, they get hungry.
04:45They can smell the food here.
04:49That's why they come here.
04:51The problem is that they got caught.
04:54Noel has been taking care of the cloud rat for more than two months.
04:58He tried to call it a criminal,
05:02but it was too expensive for him.
05:06Because it is prohibited to take care of these animals,
05:09along with the DNR,
05:10we had to bring the cloud rat to the rescue center.
05:17Noel became emotional.
05:21I took care of the cloud rat.
05:25I wanted to catch it,
05:28but I couldn't because it is prohibited.
05:31We don't encourage people to take care of the cloud rat
05:34because they develop an emotional attachment to them.
05:38It becomes a burden for them.
05:41They feel sorry for the cloud rat
05:44because it doesn't breed in the forest.
05:46The cloud rat lives in a cage.
05:48It's like a prisoner.
05:50That's not right.
05:52The cloud rat can't do its job.
05:54Noel is very curious about his surroundings.
05:59Maybe he's used to being in a cage.
06:08When he was young,
06:10he was a kid.
06:12When he was in school,
06:14he had a bad reputation.
06:17He was a very naughty boy.
06:19He was very protective.
06:21He just promised not to bully anyone.
06:23If he felt like bullying anyone,
06:25we would teach him,
06:27but to be honest,
06:29he was just afraid of there being people around him.
06:32We were scared,
06:34because he was very different.
06:35I prepared the medicines that we will be giving to the cat.
06:48Bama Bates!
06:49Hey!
06:50We will examine the mouth, the whole body.
06:53If it's like this, it's really a gut peck.
06:56So that the cat won't get stressed, I put it to sleep.
07:05That it's a male.
07:06Let's check if there are any wounds.
07:08Number one, the problem with them is the teeth.
07:11Because this is what they will do for defense.
07:13For him, it's intact.
07:14The oral cavity is intact.
07:19They use this tail to balance themselves out.
07:24But Mamau is not alone.
07:28The turnover in the DNR Calabarzon,
07:32the tail is cut off.
07:34There.
07:35Okay.
07:36There.
07:37He's only been here for two days.
07:41There are still bruises.
07:43His teeth are long.
07:45Eyes are clear, except for the left one.
07:47Check the fingers of their hands.
07:50There are additional rugations.
07:57All to help in climbing.
07:59Imagine, their nails are already very sharp.
08:03And then, with the additional grip,
08:06these ridges help his hands.
08:10It's been long since it was cut off.
08:11But this one healed and closed.
08:13The tail is important for the cats.
08:15Because this is what they use for balance when climbing trees.
08:19We were able to give his vitamins,
08:21and his purgative exam,
08:23which we also checked up.
08:25This is releasable.
08:26Because we saw earlier how strong he is.
08:28His body is beautiful.
08:29He has no problems.
08:30I gave them a seal of fit for release.
08:33The number of cats brought to the rescue center
08:36has a secret that we need to understand.
08:43According to the DNR,
08:44the cats are being chased away from their homes
08:47due to problems in the jungle.
08:49First, deforestation.
08:51Second, interaction with humans and wildlife.
08:55They are attracted to our crops, vegetables and fruits.
08:59They are attracted to go down to the community
09:03because they are also looking for a safe place.
09:06Sierra Madre is part of the province of Rizal,
09:09where more than 16,000 hectares of forest are inhabited.
09:15This is also the home of the cats.
09:17Last year, we rescued and documented two cases of cats in Rizal.
09:24A family of cats.
09:26And a cat that was bitten by a dog.
09:33The last two cats that we caught in Rizal
09:36have good news.
09:39Even after several months of Noel's care,
09:43and even after the cat's tail was cut off at the rescue center,
09:47they still have the so-called wild instincts
09:50or the courage and strength of the body
09:53to return and live in their original home.
09:58In this area, there are fruits that they can eat.
10:01It's safe for humans.
10:03The cat, named Mamaw, is no longer able to walk.
10:10When it was able to get out of the cage,
10:14it immediately climbed up the tree.
10:20And never came down again.
10:23While the cat that was cut off its tail,
10:26Oh, it looks like there's a different target.
10:32Food.
10:34Food is a big help to the cat in saving the forest.
10:39By eating fruits,
10:41it can spread the fruits of the trees.
10:46There are many more things to learn about the lives of cats,
10:49according to the mamalogist, Dr. Aloy Duya.
10:52So as long as there are trees that are big enough
10:54that they can use as sleeping areas,
10:57if they have a territory that they defend,
10:59so we have not encountered that yet for Cloud Lats.
11:03If there's a wild cat in the house,
11:06let's not catch them.
11:08Let's not hurt or imprison them.
11:10Because they will return to the forest that they came from.
11:15Especially if we are able to keep an eye on the trees
11:19that are left in the forest.
11:26In this day and age,
11:30animals are hard to find paradise.
11:35Because they themselves have a checklist.
11:40Peaceful,
11:41lush,
11:45abundant in food,
11:50and most of all,
11:52far from the human eye.
11:59Before darkening on an island in Puerto Princesa, Palawan,
12:05there is something that the wild cat avoids.
12:09It is active at night.
12:12Its catch is a sign that it will bring bad luck.
12:19That's why the cat is afraid of it.
12:26They say that there is an eagle here,
12:29but the ones that live here,
12:31are believed to be bad.
12:34It is believed to be a camp of darkness.
12:41I met Chris, the caretaker of the island.
12:46If it sounds, it is a dog or a cat.
12:51What are they afraid of here?
12:53If you hear something like that, don't imitate it.
12:55Because the dog is believed to be bad.
12:59If it sees it,
13:01the sick child will die.
13:04That's why when they hear its catch,
13:07they don't leave the house.
13:14In the morning,
13:16it is resting on a high part of a tree.
13:20That's why I tried to find it.
13:23Oh my God!
13:24I thought it was a broken branch
13:26in between the wire of this mango tree.
13:29They are talking about a type of owl,
13:33the Mantananis Caps Owl.
13:37It is so small.
13:39And it looks very slim.
13:41It looks like it is camouflaged as a branch of a tree.
13:47It doesn't move.
13:48But you can see its beak.
13:49That's why they say it is a camp of darkness
13:52because it comes out at night.
13:54And its beak is a bit scary.
14:00Because it seems to be scary.
14:07It is said to be free to live on the island.
14:14There's someone flying.
14:16It's night time.
14:18It's time to look for food.
14:22It seems to have meat in its beak.
14:26Gecko!
14:27It's a gecko.
14:28I saw it on the camera.
14:31It's hunting its food at this time.
14:34The last bite was eaten by the hungry owl.
14:42The owl seems to be addicted to food.
14:46It then targeted the bigger prey or food.
14:51The gecko.
14:54Using its big eyes,
14:56it is examining the surroundings.
14:59It can also hear its hunt
15:02that is being chased by other residents.
15:08Until it swallowed its prey.
15:15In its hunt,
15:16it suddenly disappeared.
15:19Until it felt something running around it.
15:25To check it,
15:26it turned its neck
15:28almost 180 degrees.
15:33It swallowed the prey several times.
15:43But it looks bigger than it.
15:47In fact,
15:48there is a guardian of the island,
15:51the Mantananis Caps Owl.
15:53What they are afraid of,
15:55because of our documentation,
15:57is that they can understand the Mantananis Caps Owl better.
16:01They don't have other desires
16:02but to balance the ecosystem in one place.
16:06Just like reducing the population of flies
16:10that can be a pest
16:12if there are too many of them.
16:17In the past,
16:18Chris was afraid of the gecko.
16:20His belief changed when he saw it.
16:24Now that you're older,
16:26do you still believe in it?
16:27I don't.
16:28Because I saw it personally.
16:30Day and night.
16:31It's a small gecko.
16:33Even Randy, a bird guide,
16:37is happy with the Mantananis Caps Owl.
16:41For me,
16:42it's really important to see it.
16:44It's never-ending.
16:47Aside from the Mantananis Caps Owl,
16:50there is also a species of bird
16:52that is looking for paradise
16:54in a bay in Panamau, Sulu.
16:59Their necks are long,
17:01they have a big beak,
17:04and they can fly like this
17:07to birds
17:08that have long necks and beaks.
17:12But they have this striking plumage
17:15on the back,
17:16black and white.
17:18It looks very neat.
17:24It's like a mixture of egret,
17:26duck, and cormorant.
17:29According to the residents,
17:31they only saw it there recently.
17:34Did you see that bird?
17:36It's new there.
17:37It's new?
17:38Yes, it's new there.
17:39Their necks are long,
17:41they can fly like this.
17:45It's raining,
17:47it's windy.
17:51According to them,
17:53they can't move their wings
17:56because their guardian is serving them.
18:02The Oriental Darter are considered
18:04as foreign or migratory birds.
18:08I think there are 5 to 7 of them here.
18:11They are native or natural
18:13to other countries
18:15like Indonesia and Malaysia.
18:18Sea and lake are their preferred habitat
18:21because first, they are water birds.
18:23Basically, they need water to live.
18:25Second, they have the resources
18:28to live on food and other things.
18:31And another reason is
18:33there are no threats like hunting.
18:36In the middle of the old Oriental Darter,
18:39there is a hidden nest.
18:43It's neck is pulled out
18:46to examine the surroundings
18:48but it still can't leave its nest.
18:52They found their new home here.
18:55And we're so lucky
18:57to see this kind of bird.
19:01In choosing a place
19:03that is considered as paradise,
19:05we have our own reasons.
19:08But for birds,
19:10more than the beauty of a place,
19:13it needs to be a safe place
19:16for them to live.
19:19And even though
19:21some people believe
19:23it's presence,
19:25sometimes it can also help
19:28to protect it more.
19:35Thank you for watching Born to be Wild.
19:38For more stories about our nature,
19:41please subscribe to the JMA Public Affairs YouTube channel.