ORDER ARTIODACTYLA I EVEN-TOED UNGULATES 549 



lives in the densest jungles. It voluntarily attacks and kills the 

 much larger carabao. If trapped, it will usually kill itself in trying 

 to escape, and in any event will refuse to eat. It is said that its 

 young calves, when captured and put to suck to a tame buffalo, 

 will not only refuse to eat, but will attempt to attack their foster- 

 mother. Although the timarau is abundant in Mindoro, it is seldom 

 killed, on account of its wildness and pugnacity. Its flesh is good 

 eating." 



In a recent manuscript Pedro de Mesa gives the following ac- 

 count: "The Tamarao is the king of the forests of Mindoro, being 

 very furious though wild. It fights to the last breath and kills 

 human beings as well as other animals, especially when it is in a 

 disadvantageous and dangerous position and sees its foes. But when 

 it smells or notices a person at a distance, it tries to run away if 

 there is a chance to do so. ... The Tamarao is so wild that it can 

 not be tamed. . . . 



"The Tamarao is mostly found in Mount Halcon and Calavite 

 Mountains, and in the interior forests of Mindoro, as well as in the 

 forests near San Jose, Mansalay, and Bulalacao in the south." 



He adds that the natives capture the animal by means of rope 

 snares suspended from trees, corral traps, and pitfalls, into all of 

 which the animals are driven. Desperate and occasionally fatal en- 

 counters with the Tamarao are experienced by the natives. The 

 Government is now trying to preserve this species. According to an 

 executive order of the Governor-General, a hunter is allowed to 

 take only one Tamarao per year. Calavite Mountain is a reserve, 

 in which no hunting of this animal is permitted. Sportsmen from 

 various countries are attracted to Mindoro to hunt the Tamarao. 



Theodore Roosevelt (1934) and a companion secured three speci- 

 mens in the southern part of Mindoro, where the species appeared 

 to be moderately common. 



The Tamarao "is in danger of early extinction." In recent years 

 A. W. Exline has obtained three specimens for the Field Museum. 

 (Field Mus. News, vol. 7, no. 7, p. 4, 1936.) 



The Philippine Bureau of Science reports (in litt., April, 1937) 

 that although depletion of the species is observed by everybody 

 concerned, there are no statistics available to prove it. Poaching 

 for food and the settlement of a large part of its former range are 

 the two main causes of depletion. Formerly, during the open season 

 in January, the taking of one male was allowed but females were 

 protected. Since 1936 both males and females are completely pro- 

 tected, except that they may be killed for the protection of person 

 or property, or for scientific purposes duly authorized by the Secre- 

 tary of Agriculture and Commerce. 



