SUN-STAR DAVAO (Philippines) 05 October 07 Saving the turtles (Dorothy Bangayan)

It is a Chinese belief that good luck befalls the person who sets a turtle free. If so, then I hope that luck will rub off on those who gathered to witness the flurry of activities that ensued at the Pawikan Sanctuary of Punta Dumalag in Matina Aplaya on September 23.

Scheduled for release was a sea green turtle christened "Liloh." This seagreen was acclimatized first at the Pawikan Sanctuary before he is set free. The reptile is tagged so that sightings can be reported in the future.

Davao City Councilor Leonardo Avila, who officiated the send offs, explained that domesticated turtles forget how to survive in the wild. Instead, they keep returning to the sanctuary and gravitate towards humans thinking that they will be fed. It is the job of the Pawikan Task Force Davao to retrain the survival instincts before sending them back to the ocean.

As one is set free, one is taken in. Another happy event was the turning over of a Hawksbill turtle by former owner, Michael Tan through the help of Vice Mayor Sara Duterte.

Michael rescued the turtle six years ago from some fishermen who were planning to kill it for the shell. Purchasing it for 500 pesos, he kept it under his care, until the day his uncle started talking about turtle soup.

VM Sara convinced him to surrender the pet to the sanctuary. Among the five kinds of pawikans, it is the hawksbill that is critically endangered because of their tortoise shell that are made into combs and bracelets. Hopefully this one can be rehabilitated and be set free in due time.

Originally intended to be a coal plant by the Aboitiz, this stretch of beach is now turned over to the DENR and to the city of Davao after turtle sightings.

In what is the only pawikan sanctuary and nesting site in an urbanized city, 2,638 turtles have hatched within the two years that it has been established.

The place is kept guarded and made conducive for nesting. No lights and loud sounds. After they nest, the eggs are transferred to a hatchery. Aside from poachers and animals, the eggs must be protected from seawater or rain.

The survival rate, if left on their own is only 30 percent. Now, the survival rate has shot up to 90 percent Once out on the sea, only one or two turtles in a thousand survive, a rate of 1 percent.

Pawikans return to nest on their birthplace after thirty years. This means that Punta Dumalag has long been a nesting site. If this spot was left unprotected, it could mean the extinction of pawikans.

Trading, collecting, transporting, inflicting injury and killing are all illegal acts that are punishable by law with a minimum of three months to six years in prison depending on the species. A ban on fishing is also imposed in the area.

Because of this, it has become a spawning area for fishes, as evidenced by the silvery schools of fishes glinting in the sunlight on our visit. Other wildlife have flourished. Several species of birds have been spotted like the egret and the seagull.

Dolphins and whales are sometimes seen in the early morning. The area itself has already become rich in natural resources -- a source of food. Already, WWF has contacted them because a one ton leatherback from Japan was sighted at the Davao gulf.

"We are doing this for our children" Councilor Leo said. Future plans include setting up a marine learning center for educational purposes.
Saving the turtles

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• PHL Press: Saving the (sea) turtles - W von Papineäu, Wed Oct 10 11:31:54 2007