Tamaraw are now numbering in the wild

Tamaraws or Bubalus mindorensis are considered Philippines' prized possession.

These are small carao with darker skin and short erected horn that form "V" on their head. They are only found in Mindoro.

But, because of human intervention like hunting, habitat removal and lack of knowledge, these creatures became critically endangered. In 1960 there were only 75 Tamaraws left in the wild.

Because of this, the government made an aggressive move to remove hunters in Mindoro, spreading knowledge on locals and culture cultivation programs. In 2000, officials counted more than a hundred Tamaraws in the wild.

Rodel Boyles, project manager of the Tamaraw Conservation Program (TCP) said via an interview with The Inquirer that as of now, there are 800-900 Tamaraws in the 75,000-hectare park of Mindoro.

In 1990's 20 Tamaraw were caught in the wild for a breeding program by the government, but only produced one calf named Kasibsib who is now 13-years-old and alone. The government considered this program as a failure and have abandoned it concentrating on wild preservation programs.