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.
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