Tacloban
City (14 March) -- A huge green
sea turtle weighing more than 200 kilograms
and is believed to be more than 100 years
old, was literally assisted and helped
back to its natural habitat, on March
13, 2009, at Bantay Dagat Area in Tanauan,
Leyte.
Going
back to its natural abode was a difficult
task for the green sea turtle tagged as
PH1000B, because it was too big and too
heavy, its front limbs could hardly support
the bulk of its weight in the sand.
Mayor
Roque Tiu said that the shores of Tanauan
Leyte has indeed become a sanctuary of
sea turtles. Every now and then, a sea
turtle or two would get entangled in the
fishing nets of local fishermen, he said.
However,
the huge sea turtle came as a surprise
to everyone, Mayor Tiu said. The green
sea turtle got entangled in the fishing
net of Marcial Gabradilla, a 59 year old
fisherman from Barangay Bislig of Tanauan,
in the early morning of March 12.
The
Bantay Dagat team had to ask for additional
assistance because the sea turtle or pawikan
in the local dialect was too heavy and
could not be transferred to the patrol
boat of the Bantay Dagat.
Mr.
Tito Simbulan, the chief of the Protected
Areas and Wildlife Coastal Zone Management
Service of the Department of Environment
and Natural Resources, said that the sea
turtle which he described to be a green
sea turtle, is the biggest he has ever
seen.
Mr.
Simbulan said that the green sea turtle
is the quintessential sea turtle, possessing
a dorsoventrally-flattened body covered
by a large, teardrop-shaped carapace and
a pair of large, paddle-like flippers.
When
measured, the Tanauan green sea turtle's
carapace is 105 centimeters long and 94
centimeters wide.
Despite
the turtle's common name, it is lightly-colored
all around while its carapace's hues range
from olive-brown to black, just like any
other Eastern Pacific green sea turtles.
The turtle is actually named for the greenish
coloration of its fat and flesh.
The
green sea turtle is the latest addition
to the already long list of sea turtles
found and returned to their natural habitat
by Tanauan fishermen who are already aware
that pawikan or sea turtles belong to
the endangered species and must be returned
to the sea after being tagged by the DENR,
Mayor Tiu said.
Aware
of the local government's policy on the
conservation of natural resources, the
fisherman turned over the green sea turtle
to the town's Bantay Dagat members, who
informed Mayor Tiu and the Department
of Environment and Natural Resources about
it.
Mayor
Tiu lauded the fishermen in Tanauan for
their awareness in protecting the endangered
species, the sea turtles. He said that
sea turtles are referred to as the only
living remnants of the dinosaur age, but
maybe not for long. Unless sincere efforts
are undertaken, sea turtles might follow
the dinosaur to extinction.
Sea
turtles, popularly known in the Philippines
as pawikan, belong to the sub-order Cryptodira,
and to the families Dermochelyidae and
Cheloniidae. There are more than 220 species
of turtles in the world, but only seven
are considered marine (saltwater). Five
of these species are present in the Philippines.
These are the Green (Chelonia mydas).
Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), Loggerhead
(Caretta caretta), Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys
olivacea) and the Leatherback turtles
(Dermochelys coriacea).
So
far, two of the five species have been
found in Tanauan, the green sea turtle
which is the most common species in the
Philippines and is found in all tropical
and sub tropical seas; and the olive ridley
which of the five species is considered
carnivorous.
Sadly,
despite the government's Pawikan Conservation
Project, pawikan hunting will remain unabated
elsewhere unless people in the area cooperate,
Mayor Tiu added.
(PIA 8)
