Negros Occidental- In line with the strong urge to conserve the population of the Negros Bleeding Heart Pigeon (NBHP), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in partnership with the Talarak Foundation, Inc. (TFI), Singapore Government, and Mandai Wildlife Group (MWG) successfully returned ten (10) NBHP progenies or offspring at the Negros Forest Park, Negros Occidental, Philippines on January 16, 2025.
Singapore Ambassador to the Philippines, Constance See, expressed her gratitude to the province of Negros Occidental, Talarak Foundation, Inc., DENR and Republic of the Philippines as a whole for the trust in the conservation measures of the Negros Bleeding Heart.
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson also return the gratitude to the Singapore Government, Mandai Wildlife Group, Talarak Foundation, Inc. and, DENR for the effort to conserve and multiply the numbers of the Negros Bleeding Heart Pigeon, a critically endangered bird.
PENR Officer Joan Nathaniel Gerangaya and TFI President Fernando Guttierez both discussed the journey of the bird from its transportation to Singapore to the importation of its progenies back to its native country.
MWG CEO and Chief of Life Science, Dr. Cheng Wan-Haur is very grateful that they have been given the chance to conserve and to conduct breeding program to increase the number of the birds in Singapore. He also revealed that the rich background of the birds was told and retold to over 5 million tourists at Bird Paradise (a wildlife park) and Jurong Bird Park making the story of the bird known by many around the world.
Furthermore, these birds arrived at Bacolod City-Silay Airport on January 15, 2025 with the assistance from the TFI Resident Veterinarian Monica Atienza, DVM; Elden Gabayoyo of Mandai Singapore Zoo; and, technical personnel from the Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB). Also, present during the arrival were personnel and staff from the DENR 6 Regional Office, DENR-PENRO Negros Occidental and, DENR-CENRO Bago City.
In 2019, a “One-Plan Approach” for the Negros Bleeding Heart Pigeon was developed with Talarak Foundation, Inc. and other partners to address its declining population. This has brought six (6) NBHP to Jurong Bird Park, Singapore in September 2021 and later transferred to Bird Paradise under the care of MWG of the same country in January 2023.
This action became the first conservation breeding program for the NBHP outside the country.
DENR 6 Regional Executive Director Raul L. Lorilla also extend his heartfelt gratitude towards the people behind the repatriation of NBHP back to Negros Occidental. “These beautiful Negros Bleeding Heart Pigeon is a proof of a successful conservation efforts and collaboration with Singapore government to preserve the beautiful faunas we have in our country,” he said.
“We have so many fauna and flora that are in need of conservation efforts. We need them to balance our ecosystem, as well as they need us to protect them,” he emphasized.
The Negros Bleeding Heart Pigeon (Gallicolumba keayi) is endemic to the Philippines where it is found on the islands of Panay and Negros Occidental and is classified as Critically Endagered based to the DENR-DAO 2019-09. / DENR 6