Here is the story:

It was our favorite pastime to go in the forest. We do this when we want some adventure. It was Easter and we want to spend our time in the wild.

We were seven in the group. While on our way, I had a camera in my hands while some of my friends had their bolo which they use to reap the hampering grasses. We had a vague destination, but we continued.

Our team was quiet big different  from a group who “shoot” wilds not with camera lenses but with guns. It was a great adventure indeed. I was so happy seeing how trees grew after Yolanda and the beauty of the forest which withheld from me for so long.

I appreciated the butterflies flying around, the melody of the colorful birds in trees and how things in the forest were vividly curated. But I never expected that what will happen next will upturn me to disappointment.

One of our  companions discovered a wild  cat lying on its burrow. It was inside the withered coconut trunk and we did not expect that the wild cat inside was with its two youngs. Later, I just knew that it is locally called “maral”, or Visayan Leopard Cat according to philippine-mammals.blogspot.com.

I positioned my camera to capture the wild cats while they were still unconcious with our presence, but I was blocked by my obstreperous companions who noisily overtook each other just to see those peculiar cats. The noise provoked the mother wild cat to jump from its burrow, leaving its two cute youngs in the dark. I heard the mother wild cat's meows while it moved away.

My companions then site raced to sieze the kittens. I knew their mindset. They want to own it as their pets. As it was lifted from the burrow, it was then passed to everyone's hands who seemed first timers to hold a kind of it. It was an unordinary animal; it was cute.

Supposed, I just want to take a picture of that wild cats and secure not to disturb them while they were in their natural habitat. But it seemed that my companions were not yet aware about the wild cats' population vulnerability according to the manner they possessed.

According to the blogs of the Philippine Mammals, this kind of wild cat CAN ONLY BE FOUND IN PANAY, Cebu and Negros. In Cebu however, it was reportedly extinct due to the destruction of its natural habitat. Farmers also love to eat their meat. Far from what I know that it is herbivorous, it is 100% rat predator. That is why, here in our place, rat infestation is not a major problem of our crops.

I made a decision that we will return the kittens inside the coconut trunk, with hopes that the mother wild cat will get back to have them again. I told my companions that we should let them live in their natural habitat but I was upset when all of them argued that they will bring it in their house. They want to make it as pets since they believe it is a charm to win the weekly cockfighting league in the nearby barangay. It was an insubstantial justification. No big difference from the killers of wildlife.

I strongly negated their decisions, but since I am not the one who found it and the majority won, their decisions were followed. I kept on saying that their mother will get back, their population was vulnerable, but they remained convinced by their wrong mindset. “If a person will touch a wild youngs, their mother will not go back anymore,” that was what they believe which for me it was absolutely wrong.

It was so hard for me to left the forest with those kittens but I have nothing to do but to resist my anger. I doubted they can take a good care with those youngs while foreseeing it will end up to demise just like what happened to the wild chicken hatches they also brought in their houses years ago.

I took a picture of it then I went to my room. But my disappointments never ended up there when I heard that my they decided to make those kittens as lures to catch the mother wild cat. They brought the kittens back to the forest and put traps on it while they expected two possibilities: they may catch the mother wild cat or the mother wild cat will escape the traps and bring its youngs to safe place.

The night came, and honestly I prayed for the latter possibility. There was nothing more happy feeling seeing a mother again reunited with her youngs. And that was what I wanted to happen.

I did not see the scenarios at the forest during the night. But in the morning, I was happy that God had granted my prayers. The mother cat, with her youngs, escaped the traps and get safe. They were again free in the wild while disappointments surfaced in the eyes of its perpetrators... Honestly, I was so happy while optimistic that these wild cats will sustain its population to the next generation... but still worrying this optimism will be crippled by humans.


youngs = kittens