Many people seem to have misunderstood my previous post about the Philippine brown deer (Rusa marianna) that was allegedly spotted in Bakun, Benguet. I didn't say that wild deer can't be found in Benguet or other Cordilleran provinces. I even stated that deer populations can be found in all Cordillera provinces. I've seen some of them myself.
I was merely pointing out the obviously manipulated photo being circulated which can misinform people.
Wildlife populations in the Cordillera region are declining. Some species are considered endangered. Protection and conservation efforts for these are important and urgent. Spreading misleading or false information about these animals can negatively affect conservation and protection efforts.
I've written about the Philippine brown deer in the past a number of times. The first photo is a brown deer held in an enclosure at the Banao Protected Landscape facilities in Balbalasang, Kalinga. It was injured by a hunter's trap so forest rangers had to keep it in the enclosure. We saw this during the Lumin-awa Trek last February.
The second photo is another Philippine brown deer spotted by a hiker at a trail going up to Mt. Pulag in Kabayan, Benguet last March.
The third photo is a vintage shot of local hunters carrying a Philippine brown deer in Mt. Pulag in the 1990s.
The fourth photo is an infographic created by the Field Museum of Natural History with the help of the DENR and the National Museum of the Philippines in 2011. It shows mammals of the Mt. Pulag National Park and it includes the brown deer.
Wild deer populations still inhabit forested areas in the Cordillera region. That's a fact.
Creating images of these animals using AI then sharing these as "actual sightings". That's misinformation.
