IX. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
9.7 Hunting of wild pig
9.7.1 Hunting methods and potential effects on the wild pig population The ancestors of the Batak used traditional methods of hunting wild pig
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makes sense because the monthly food threshold of Php8,393.00 based on FIES only covers food needs.
The months of July and August are difficult for the Batak because there is no kaingin at this time, and the weather is erratic. When they are in a tight situation, some family members like in Tagnaya find extra work as laborers. They also gather almaciga resin even for just one sack, and in extreme cases hunt wild pig. While other respondents never thought of hunting wild pig and selling wild pig meat, one respondent mentioned that sometimes many of them hunt, and whatever is earned, is equally divided among them. He sometimes gets Php200.00. They also borrow from stores by getting goods in advance which they can pay later on for as long they have a job.
In Manggapin, they also resort to borrowing from neighbors and even think of hunting wild pigs even though according to one respondent he could not catch even one. The other respondent never thought of hunting wild pigs because he could not hunt anymore due to health reasons. They remedy their situation by temporarily using the money they received as 4Ps beneficiaries to purchase rice and later replace it with the cash they earn from selling the almaciga resin they gathered.
In Kalakwasan, they practice austerity and some resort to almaciga resin gathering. One respondent admitted that his current work at the government prevents him from entertaining the idea of hunting wild pig and feels there is a law, and that wild pigs should be protected.
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called balatek, and a bow and arrow called busog (left, Figure 7). However, these are no longer used by the Batak. For instance, no one knows how to make busog anymore, and only the old Batak in the village who still keep theirs are familiar with how to use it. Others who are in their 40s or 50s are also not comfortable using it anymore and find more convenience in toka-toka (an improvised rifle), pig bomb, or silo (snare).
Figure 7
Traditional hunting methods of the Batak
Note: Photo by the author
Of the total 17 respondents, 13 of them resorted to using toka-toka, or paltik (Table 3). This makes toka-toka the most used method of wild pig hunting, followed
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by silo and pig bombs. Out of these 13, seven have already stopped hunting for various reasons. The remaining six respondents still hunt, and two of them also use pig bombs apart from toka-toka. Users of busog and bangkaw stopped hunting many years ago due to old age and health reasons but some of them have also used the introduced methods before deciding to stop hunting.
Table 3
Methods used in wild pig hunting in the three study sites
Hunting
Method Traditional
or Modern Passed on or Learned
from
No. of Respondent
Users
Effects on Wild Pig and Other Wildlife
Populations Balatek
(trap)
Traditional Ancestors 1 Instantly kills;
dangerous to hikers/tourists;
constructed in a way it estimates the height of the target wild pig but possible to harm the pregnant wild pig
Bow and arrow (busog)
Traditional Ancestors 2 None
Spear (bangkaw) and dog
Traditional Ancestors 1 None
Pig bomb (home-made device)
Modern Non-IP (Diwan)- Tagbanua
3 Only the wild pig that takes the bait is harmed; disturbs other wildlife during an explosion
Silo (snare) Modern Non-IP (Diwan)- Tagbanua
2 Non-selective; needs a large area of forest to set up; can easily harvest many if a lot is set up; requires many people to harvest
Toka-toka (improvised rifle)
Modern Non-IP (Diwan)- Tagbanua
13 Can choose which to target
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Toka-toka which refers to the hammer part of a gun is made of wood, nails, and pipe or tube with gunpower scraped from three boxes of matches. It is frequently used because it is easier and faster compared to a pig bomb, or other methods. The Batak said they learned it from the Tagbanua, who adopted it from the diwan. Only a few of the Batak know how to make toka-toka. Others buy it from people who know how to make one.
The Batak believe that with toka-toka, the hunter can still choose to target old and mature male wild pig and avoid females, especially those pregnant ones that can easily be recognized with their bulging tummies, almost reaching the ground. A medium-sized wild pig can weigh 25 kilos and a bigger or healthier one like this fruiting season of pangi in November to December can weigh 30 kilos. A wild pig shot by toka-toka is not killed but wounded by a pellet triggered by the hammer or toka-toka, either on the head or shoulder.
Pig bomb is a homemade device for wild pig which contains a piece of cloth, cellophane, and a boiled beehive as bait because wild pig likes the smell of it, although others use fish intestines. According to the respondents they learned to use pig bombs from the diwans or Christians. They believe it is safe to use and will not affect other wildlife because the wild pig who will take the bait is the only one harmed. They only commented that the explosion of pig bomb disturbs the population of the wild pig and sends them running in fear.
Silo or snare is a method of the diwans or Christians. It primarily uses rattan, wood, and a size 12 yellow rope, tied to a tree. Respondents said, it is not selective and may trap a piglet or pregnant wild pig. According to one respondent, a silo is a modified version of their traditional trap for wild chicken (labuyo). A respondent who sets up not more than 10 silo in the lower forest mentioned that he visits weekly, if
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there is no wild pig caught, he proceeds to the upper interior to hunt using toka-toka that he made himself, and if there is still none, he gathers almaciga resin and visits the silo again in going down. He also puts up a pig bomb that he asked a Tagbanua to make.
Of the two respondents who use a silo, they attested that no other wildlife was caught through their silo. Most of the respondents think the silo is for harvesting wild pigs. The diwans more often use it compared to toka-toka and pig bomb because with silo they can easily catch many especially if they set up a hundred silo in the forest.
Silo is used in Tagnaya and Manggapin only. They said Kalakwasan is a small area for a silo to be set up. Only very few of the IPs use silo. The distance is usually farther from each other and 10 are already too many compared with the diwan who put as many as a hundred like in Manggapin.
Balatek on the other hand is made of rattan, and wood, with sharp bamboo looking like spears, positioned along the path of the wild pig. It can kill the wild pig instantly or wound it. The Batak no longer practice putting this up in the forest because they feel it is dangerous considering there are more people now visiting or hiking in the forest. Some respondents have seen their fathers using it a long time ago. If this is used according to them, it should be set up in their area planted with camote, which people cannot access immediately. One of the respondents still knows how to make balatek and tried putting it before in the forest. Balatek is constructed in a way it estimates the height of the wild pig they target to catch. With a large distance, even the piglet that passes by will not make it move to release the balatek. However, it is possible to harm a pregnant wild pig because of its height and size.
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Data reveals the significant role of the outsiders (diwan) and Tagbanua in the use of introduced methods for hunting wild pigs in CNCH. Respondents believe that the non-use of their traditional methods gradually occurred when the diwans arrived.
The Batak saw the activities of the Tagbanua and the diwans, hence they learned and imitated them. They do not think that their current non-traditional methods will adversely affect the population of the wild pig and other wildlife because they hunt based on what they currently need. They however admitted that their activity may reduce the number of wild pigs especially since they are not the only ones who hunt in CNCH but the Tagbanua and the diwans also, whom they claimed hunt more.