Every October for Tamaraw Month, two unique animals take a tour of their own home in Mindoro.
Tala the Tamaraw (Bubalus mindorensis) and Mindy the Mindoro Bleeding-heart (Gallicolumba platenae) pigeon like to visit Mt. Siburan, Mt. Iglit, and Mt. Baco, mountains where generations of their friends and relatives have lived side-by-side.
Unfortunately as time goes on, there are less of them now.
Only around 600 Tamaraw can be found (MBCFI 2021), and up to 400 Mindoro bleeding-hearts are estimated to be left in Mindoro (BirdLife).
Both of them are “island endemics” meaning they can only be found in Mindoro and nowhere else in the world! (Gonzalez 1999)
Learn more by attending the upcoming Tamaraw Symposium in Calapan, Oriental Mindoro this October 16 to 18, 2025. Follow Thriving Together with Tamaraw, Mindoro Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, Inc. (MBCFI), and the DENR-Tamaraw Conservation Program Office for the latest updates and trivia.
Tamaraw Symposium events
- 📌 Oct 16 – MBC Summit
- 📌 Oct 17 – Tamaraw Symposium
- 📌 Oct 18 – Mindoro Wildlife Quiz Contest
References
- Juan Carlos T Gonzalez et al, 1999 – Rapid island-wide survey of terrestrial fauna and flora on Mindoro Island, Philippines https://www.mbcfi.org.ph/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/8_Mindoro_Island_Wide_Survey.pdf
- BirdLife International – Mindoro Bleeding-heart https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/mindoro-bleeding-heart-gallicolumba-platenae