Another unbelievable story is making rounds on Facebook after being posted by a certain Christine Mangubat who claims that her uncle caught a real ‘maligno aswang’ on their town. “Eto po yung isa sa mga alagang maligno ng aswang saaming bayan nahuli kanina”
Unfortunately, the ‘aswang’ she’s talking about is a ‘Colugo’ also known as Philippine flying lemur, an endangered specie which can be found in the wilderness of Bohol, Samar, Leyte and some parts of Mindanao. Philippine flying lemur is known for its strange appearance and unique gliding membrane, or patagium, that stretches from the side of the neck to the tips of the fingers and toes, and down to the tip of the tail which enables them to glide and fly through the forest for over 100 metres.
While some others agree as they remain ignorant with what they believe an ‘aswang,’ some others call the attention of the uploader as she’s spreading wrong information. Instead of thanking those who wants to correct, Mangubat ireacted, “Yung iba ang kikitid ng utak. Bahala na nga kayo! Close minded walang alam 😤”
The Philippine flying Femur is definitely not a cannibal. Its stomach is specially adapted for ingesting large quantities of leafy vegetation, but it also eats buds, flowers and perhaps soft fruits, and obtains sufficient water from its food and by licking wet leaves. So blaming this gentle creature for killing a carabao is really unbelievable.
We just hope, Facebook can take down these kinds of profiles and posts spreading lies and hoaxes on Social Media. There’s a lot of ignorant out there that will surely believe these kinds of posts.
Check out Nat Geo’s feature about Colugo:
