A concerned citizen of Lubao town this province recently turned over to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) provincial office here an endangered Olive ridley sea turtle scientific Lepidochelys olivacea.

 

Local fisher Nimrod Castro of Barangay San Jose found the turtle caught in his nylon fishing net while sailing along the tributary of Pampanga River, between the boundary of Hermosa in Bataan, and Lubao town and immediately took it for temporary custody.

 

Laudemir Salac, chief of the DENR Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) in Pampanga, reported that the rescued sea turtle had a carapace length of 72 cm and width of 67cm with no tagging.

 

“Since the turtle was in good health condition, we immediately released it back to its habitat at the Bangkung Malapad in Sasmuan town,” Salac said.

 

Sasmuan Bangkung Malapad has been earlier declared by environment secretary Roy Cimatu as critical habitat and ecotourism area.

 

DENR Administrative Order (DAO) No. 2019-09 or the Updated National List of Threatened Philippine Fauna and their Categories classified Olive ridley as "endangered" species and prohibits any person, group, or entity to collect and or trade threatened wild fauna.

 

Paquito Moreno, executive director of the DENR in Central Luzon, appealed to the public to immediately report to environment authorities any wildlife sighting and encounter to avert potential danger and threat to their population.

 

“We see this visit of marine turtle in the coastal waters of Pampanga as a good sign that our efforts in cleaning and rehabilitating Manila Bay are making a positive result," he explained.

 

The 24-km coastline of Pampanga is part of the 190-km long Manila Bay coastline.

 

Moreno encouraged the public to be vigilant in monitoring and reporting any illegal trading and online selling of wildlife to penalize perpetrators who pose destruction to biodiversity and the environment.

 

DENR records show that the massive public information and education campaign of the DENR has resulted in the rescue of more than 6,000 wildlife species from illegal traders while criminal charges were filed against 24 individuals. Illegal wildlife trade and other environmental violations may be reported through this hotline number: 0945-368-5303. (-30-)