Two rescued Olive Marine Ridley turtles were released to sea in a marine park in Sarangani after authorities found them in the town of Lebak in Sultan Kudarat earlier this week.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Soccksargen said that they verified calls by a concerned citizen who reported the sighting of the sea turtles, a male and a female, in Lebak.
Authorities added that sea turtles were more likely to be captured or poached between January to June each year because of the abundance of food within the area where the turtles were found, a part of the Sarangani Bay Protected Seascape.
The seascape, which covers 215,950 is home to various endangered marine species in the country and is the only protected seascape within the Soccksargen region.
Sea turtles are considered endangered, according to the DENR’s Updated National List of Threatened Philippine Fauna and their Categories.
Poaching sea turtles and other wildlife species is prohibited under RA 9147, also known as the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act.
READ: 133 sea turtle hatchlings were released to sea in Albay
