TAGGED. DENR personnel attach a tag to the rescued Green Sea Turtle. The tag contains a number that is registered to global database, along with the physical features and history of the sea turtle. It helps conservationists track the endangered turtle. (CONTRIBUTED)
An adult female green sea turtle which was rescued earlier with four gunshot wounds in Bato, Toledo City last Sunday was found ‘fit and healthy’ and was released to the wild.
Tañon Strait Protected Seascape (TSPS) Assistant Protected Area Superintendent Lutheran Hernando, who conducted the physical examination, said the wounds of the green sea turtle were apparently from a .38 cal. handgun.
Three wounds were in its carapace or top portion of the shell while one was in its plastron (bottom part of the shell). The turtle did not have a tag.
“This is the first time that we get to rescue a sea turtle with gunshot wounds and whoever did this brazen act of disrespect to our wildlife species should be held accountable,” said DENR-7 Director Isabelo Montejo.
The turtle is more than five years old. It measured 96 centimeters in length with a width of 86 centimeters. It was trapped in a fish cage or bungsod owned by a certain Adriano Bubuli in Toledo City last May 11 at 5 a.m. The Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) are listed as “endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) and Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites).
Though noticeably weak, it quickly swam away when it was released to the sea last May 12 at 9:30 a.m. with a tag of PCP-PAWB-DENR serial no. PH 03541 placed in its left front flipper.
Montejo said killing, destroying, inflicting injury, trading, collecting, hunting, and possessing of these critically endangered species is punishable under the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act of 2001.
Those who kill a sea turtle or any wildlife species listed as critically endangered species shall be imprisoned for six to 12 years and is mandated to pay a fine of P100,000 to P1,000,000.
A DENR staff points to bullet holes in the sea turtle’s carapace. (CONTRIBUTED)
Those involved in illegal trading and selling of wildlife species shall be imprisoned for two to four years and is mandated to pay a fine of P5,000 up to P300,000.
Collecting, hunting and possessing wildlife species is punishable with two to four years imprisonment and a fine of P30,000 up to P300,000. The same penalty applies to anyone who eats the meat or destroys the habitat of these endangered species.
He urged the communities to protect the green sea turtles and other wildlife species as they play a critical role in promoting ecological balance and enhancing biological diversity.
“We are closely monitoring the areas in Toledo City where there are reports of turtles trapped in various fish cages there,” said DENR 7 spokesperson Eddie Llamedo.
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