Talarak Foundation: rewilding the West Visayan Big 5

Nestled in turquoise seas of the Philippines, the West Visayan islands shimmer with lowland forests, surrounded by mangrove forests and coral reefs, and if you stay long enough, you may spot the flick of a Hornbills’ wing, or the gasping nose of a sea turtle. The love for this land and its unique wildlife led to the creation of the Talarak Foundation.

We are pleased to share a beautiful success story of endangered wild animals bred in captivity, released back into the wild, and now living fully autonomous lives.

This achievement is the result of the work of the Talarak Foundation in the Philippines, which currently manages the Bayawan Nature Reserve, 300 hectares of secondary forest where some of the most iconic species disappeared in less than two generations.

Thriving wild populations: the success of Talarak’s captive breeding program

Through its captive breeding programme, the Talarak Foundation began releasing groups of the West Visayas’ Big Five – the Visayan Spotted Deer, the Visayan Warty Pigs, the Visayan Hornbills, the Negros Bleeding Heart Doves – as well as other species in 2020. Today, their populations are thriving.

The organisation is observing and documenting wild behaviours never recorded before, including in captivity. For example, besides using complex social and language skills, Visayan Warty Pigs have been observed building shelters to avoid rain and heat. The observations mark a dramatic extension to previously recorded knowledge and finds the species as the only wild pig species ever recorded engaging in tool use.

Despite being born under human care, these animals have reclaimed their wild nature, and their second generations have lost the potentially-dangerous familiarity with humans, an essential milestone for long-term survival.

Who are the West Visayan Big 5?

The West Visayan Big 5 are a collection of species endemic to the West Visayan Faunal Region which includes the islands of Negros, Panay, Masbate, Guimaras, Ticao and Cebu. These 5 species are not only some of the most charismatic and endangered within this range, but their histories and ecology comprise different niches. Many of them act as ecosystem engineers within the various forest and grassland habitats of the region.

• Visayan Spotted Deer: a shy, brown deer with gold-beige spots and impressive antlers. Feeding on native fruits, leaves and branches of native trees, grass shoots and flowers, they are known for their adaptability between grasslands, montane forests and even dense forests.
• Visayan Warty Pig: a critically endangered wild pig with distinctive facial warts and tusks (and punky mohawks in the breeding season). The second largest mammal of the region, they previously roamed across the entire region.
• Visayan Tarictic Hornbill: one of the two species of hornbill, this forest-fruit eating bird is an excellent seed disperser and integral to the health of forests in the Philippines.
• Negros Bleeding Heart Dove: a rare ground-foraging dove with striking plumage (it really does look like a bleeding heart!), pushed to near extinction.
• Rufous-Headed Hornbill: one of the rarest hornbills in the world as they are dependent on intact forests and large trees for food and nesting; their beautiful colours adds life to the canopy.

Using these “Big 5” species as flagships for rewilding, an act that subsequently provides holistic protection of the habitats, ecosystem functions and other underrepresented species that share these habitats.

Reigniting memories of the local Elders

Local communities have been engaged each step of the way, and from the start, like all of the most successful cases of nature’s rebound. Locals were present when the first animals – having completely disappeared from the landscape – made their first tentative steps into the reserve.

There has been a fundamental shift in the relationship here; most people have gone from seeing wildlife as a resource to hunt, to something that is their own identity, and now their return is an example of resilience and value for their land. These reintroductions have sparked memories within the Elders of the communities, as they remember a time where these animals used to roam their forest, and now recognise their coming back with a warm familiarity.

By 2035, the Talarak Foundation hope to give full management and ownership of the reserve to these capable and capacitated communities.

Big ambitions: wildlife corridors to boost connectivity

Breeding and wild reintroductions are not the only projects of the Foundation. The organisation plans to establish a wildlife corridor connecting the Bayawan Nature Reserve to the primary forests of South West Negros, linking restored populations with remaining wild ones.

The Talarak team also shared a powerful lesson, that rewilding is most effective when it’s holistic. This means bringing back both plants and animals at the same time. So that plants can offer shelter and resources to the growing animal population, and wildlife can act as nature’s gardener, keeping the vegetation healthy and contributing to fertilisation and pollination, restoring the full functionality of an ecosystem.

We are delighted to welcome and support Talarak in this next chapter as a Global Rewilding Alliance Partner.

Want to help or engage with Talarak Foundation?

Bayawan Nature Reserve is a joint project of Talarak Foundation, Inc. and the Bayawan City Government, dedicated to protecting endangered endemic wildlife of the West Visayan Faunal Region. Combined efforts of conservation release programs, wildlife research and monitoring, habitat protection, education, and community engagement all help to achieve long-term goals. The reserve also supports forest restoration and long-term conservation efforts alongside local communities.

If you would like to experience the reserve in person or support their conservation efforts, you may visit and book. You can also donate to help support wildlife conservation and ongoing projects at the reserve.