Farm - Eagle Farm / Philippine Eagle Center, Davao

Malagos, Calinan, Davao City

Once known as the monkey-eating eagle; it is endemic(found only) to the eastern portion of the Philippine comprising the Sierra Madre mountains in Eastern Luzon and the heavily forested area of Mindanao. The largest eagle, standing to about three and a half feet (3 1/2) may be recognized by its powerful bill, strong legs and claws. The general body color is grayish brown in the back and wings, whitish front neck and belly with shafts of gray brown streaked feathers on the head, which when erect forms a crest. The prey mostly on monkeys, but lately they have been observed feeding on flying lemurs (caguang), wild cats (musang), and flying squirrels (tapilac) in Mindanao. Usually the male does the hunting, sharing his catch with the female and the young, especially during the breeding time. The life of the eagle has been closely watched resulting in the following findings: pairs occupy a wide territory in lowland and medium elevation forest. Hunting flights extend to the cleared areas as well. At breeding time, they usually indulge in high searing flights and are said to mate in mid-air. The nest is a crude platform of branches and twigs, set in the tallest tree. Only one white egg is laid which hatches in about two months. The very size of the monkey eating eagle with its majestic stance makes it a very desirable target as a trophy. Also because of its uniqueness, there is a demand for its in major zoos of the world.

Farm - Crocodile Farm / Palawan

IRAWAN CROCODILE FARMING INSTITUTE

Location: National Road, Puerto Princessa How to get there: From the city proper, one can take a tricycle and get off at Irawan where the crocodile farm is located. Travelling Time: Five minutes by tricycle The Irawan Crocodile institute aims to preserve and further research studies on crocodiles. It also intends to make good use of the raw materials derived from the crocodile skin.

Located between Iwahig and Puerto Princessa is a crocodile farm. It is a joint venture between the Philippine and Japanese governments. The idea is to breed the animals in captivity and eventually harvest them for the meat, skin, and whatever a crocodile has that is valuable. We arrived just after 12:30 pm and it did not open up to the public until 1:00. We stayed until it opened, but it turned out to not really be worth the wait. There was a fifteen minute walking tour of the facility which included a small crocodile museum. The museum needed a little work done on its displays, but it did have the skeletal remains of the largest crocodile caught in the Philippines. The remainder of the tour involved looking at the different crocodiles in their pens. There were pens for hatchlings, one, two, three, and four-year-olds.

Farm - Crocodile Farm / Crocodile Park, Davao

The Davao crocodile Park all started from the fascination of the owner, Mr. Philip Dizon, to Saltwater and Freshwater Crocodiles. He did not think of it as a lucrative business until he learned that crocodiles are raised in United States not just for public viewing but as well as for production of leather purposes. It was in November 1995 when the government has given the owner the accreditation and permit to operate the 1st Davao Crocodile Park. 10 years later , on August 18, 2005, the world-class Davao Crocodile Park was opened with the help of the consultant Dr. Gilbert Buenviaje. The Davao Crocodile Park Inc. is owned and operated by a group of businessmen headed by Mr. Sonny Dizon, a resident of Davao City. The Davao Crocodile Park is an establishment that showcases a ‘state of the art’ crocodile farming system in the Philippines. It has the most recent crocodile farm design equipped with modern facilities and equipment. The presence of other exotic animal species like raptors, monkeys, bearcats, snakes, birds, and other reptiles makes it one of the most desired tourist destinations in Davao. The purposes of this establishment are as follows: tourism, public viewing and entertainment, venue for educational tours, promotion of public awareness through regular lectures, conservation of crocodiles and other wildlife animals and, acts as a field laboratory for students in Biology, Zoology, Animal Science, Veterinary Medicine as well as for wildlife animal enthusiasts.

Wildlife encounter is the show wherein the visitors are given the chance to interact with our exotic petable animals and given the opportunity to take pictures with it. During this show, the animal keeper is able to converse with the guest and explain to them the animal’s role in the ecosystem. The keeper can also explain the things that we can do for these animals.

The crocodile encounter is showing to the people how a crocodile would react in a wild once we invade their territory or their life is threatened. It is also that part of the show wherein the people is introduce to behavior of the crocodile, like what it is capable of doing. The amount of food that they can consume and the number of years they can survive. Moreover, it is part of the show that gives us opportunity to push through with our conservation.

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Farm - Eden Farm, Eden Nature Park, Davao

A mountain resort located at 3,000 feet above sea level, Eden Nature Park is 95% human-made! It is a great model of how humans can re-create nature and rebuild a lost environment.

Discovered sometime in 1971, the resort used to be a logged-over area covered only by a blanket of wild grass. Its potential was, however, readily seen by the owners as the property provided an imposing view of Davao City and the Davao Gulf.

Not long after, terraces were carved out of the mountain slope, and thousands of pine tree seedlings were planted. As the pine trees grew it created canopies, allowing other trees and plants to grow and creating a secondary forest. Today, there are over 100,000 pine trees spread in about 80 hectares, providing a refreshing backdrop to the various attractions in Eden Nature Park.