BACOLOD CITY (PNA) – A local foundation is making an urgent appeal to farmers and the food industry here for food support for over 100 endemic and endangered animals in its center in Bacolod, the provincial capital city.

Paul Lizares, President of the Negros Forests and Ecological Foundation (NFEFI) said that the Foundation “is operating on a shoestring budget and with the economic downturn, funds are becoming harder and harder to find. We urgently need help in feeding the endangered animals in our center." said NFEFI president Paul Lizares.

Lizares made a particular appeal to “farmers and those in the food business sector to help us by providing, if possible, free-of-charge on a weekly basis, food such as fruits and vegetables, formulated feeds and grains, fish and meat."

Over a period of time, the NFEFI has been in the forefront of efforts to protect and conserve Negros Occidental’s fragile environment.

The Foundation runs a Biodiversity Conservation Center whose site by Bacolod City’s Provincial Lagoon, serves as a captive breeding and rescue station for many of endemic and threatened animals in the province, including the rare owls and the Visayan spotted deer, regarded as the world’s most threatened deer species.

The Center takes care of these animals found in the wilds up to a point where they can be brought back and released into their natural habitat.

Lizares said they need such fruits, vegetables and root crops particularly bananas, papaya, pineapple, watermelons, camote, squash, pechay, camote tops/kangkong and formulated feed and grains such as safflower seeds, oats, mongo, soy bean, mixed grains (concentrate), mixed bird seeds, cracked corn, dog food, hog mash, hog pellets, freshwater fish and chicken meat.

His list of requested nutrients for the wild animals also include upo, sayote, eggplant, string beans, cucumber, gabi, singkamas, cabbage, carrots, corn in cob; fruits in season like mango, santol, tambis, avocado and lumboy.