Currently distressed as fuck. I was just having a conversation on skype with Panda and he sent me a link on current news on the creature above, the tarsier. As a child, I used to leisurely flip through this intricately detailed and picture laden cinder-block sized manual of all God's animal wonders and picture a day in the life of them. Well, one such animal I marvelled at and fell in love with back then was the tarsier. So finding out that I would rather have one en lieu of a real life baby but that it's impossible to own one because they're endangered, hit a soft spot just now. We started stringing together these wild thoughts of me volunteering to care for them in the Philippines for a brief period some time after graduation. And that made me tear up, because I know that's never going to happen. What's even worse is that I think if I were to spend some considerable and ridiculous amount of time with one, I would be able to stop taking Prozac. I could see myself a happy hippie with this thing in my palm (THAT TINY!). So allow my misty-eyed self to reminisce on what it would be like to care for a tarsier.
HOW TO TAKE CARE OF A TARSIER [courtesy eHow.com]
Step1 Be careful. Be safe. Tarsiers are a tropical, endangered species that can carry and transmit parasites and worms to humans.
Step2 Protect yourself and the Tarsier. Tarsiers are an endangered species. I may have mentioned that). They are illegal to trap and sell as pets, and may be illegal to keep as pets. You may be looking at a very nice fine if you have one.
Step3 Tarsiers are nocturnal animals that seek tropical forests environments at night to feed on insects and small creatures. If you are keeping one while waiting to give it to a rescue sanctuary, keep a supply of live crickets, termites, grasshoppers around for it to catch and eat.
Step4 Also note the word tropical- heat your place up, install a swamp cooler to add moisture, and plant trees- otherwise the little fistful of joy will go looking for his natural environment. At 4-6 inches in length the little escape artist will be easily missed.
Step5 Do not handle during the day. The tarsier is nocturnal, and disrupting its natural biorhythm will cause it stress- it may stop eating or start head-banging. Tarsiers in captivity live an average of 12 years, as opposed to 25 years in the wild. Tarsiers in captivity have been known to suicide. (DUDE...anorexia? head-banging? suicide? meant for each other much? but seriously, this makes me all the more blurry-eyed)
Step6 If you truly care for the tarsier as a species, don't consider keeping one for a pet. If you have one, contact your local animal rescue, zoo, or primate rescue to inquire about what to do. If you are worried about fines or the legality of your situation, ask anonymously.
*countless sighs...*
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