Sea turtles belong in the water, not the dining table.
Yesterday, authorities arrested five vendors in Barangay Pasil, Cebu City after they were caught selling pawikan larang.
What’s that, you ask? Why, it’s sea turtle stew.
According to a statement posted on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Central Visayas branch’s(DENR 7) Facebook page, they found out about the vendors through a tip.
They then conducted an entrapment operation along with the National Bureau of Investigation and the Cebu City local government to nab the sellers.
During the operation, authorities allegedly found around 94.5 kilograms of raw sea turtle meat and about 20 kilograms of the stewed meat, some of which can be seen in videos posted by the DENR 7.
This one shows a close-up of the raw sea turtle meat. Watch it on Facebook with caution:
“The Republic Act 9147 or Conservation and Protection of Wildlife Resources and their Habitats Act expressly provide that the collection, trade or transport of wildlife without appropriate permits from the DENR is punishable by imprisonment and fine,” DENR 7 Regional Executive Director Gilbert C. Gonzales said in the statement.
According to the post, six sea turtle heads were confiscated in the operation.
The Cebu City Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries found that that two of them were adults, two were juvenile, one was a semi-adult, while the other was a yearling.
One of the sea turtles even had a geotag that said “Return to: Turtle Islands Park. Sabbah-Malaysia,” ABS-CBN News reported.
Sunstar identified the suspects as Julio Abunta, Donesa Obatay Bustamante, Clifford Obatay, Cresley Obatay, and Ariesteo Pableo.
They were allegedly selling raw sea turtle meat for PHP200 (US$3.80) per kilogram and the stew for PHP90 (US$1.71) per serving.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, most sea turtle species are classified as endangered as many are poached or over-exploited.
What’s the appeal? Sunstar said that some believe it is an aphrodisiac.
Gonzales said that killing wildlife is punishable by imprisonment of four to six years and a fine of PHP50,000 (US$949.58) to PHP500,000 (US$9,495.92).
He also warned that they can also file charges against those who eat sea turtles.
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