Pawikan rescue

KIAMBA, Sarangani (February 4, 2008) – A veterinarian attends to a severely wounded marine turtle, popularly known as pawikan, rescued in barangay Suli Saturday, February 2. Watching and obviously appalled by the pawikan's plight is Mayor Rom Falgui (extreme left) who immediately directed pursuit of the perpetrators. A group of men from the uplands was reportedly butchering the pawikan when residents accosted them. The culprits fled and the pawikan died hours after due to its severely weakened state. Of the eight known species of the endangered marine turtles around the world, five species are known to thrive in the Philippines, mostly in Turtle Islands, Sarangani Bay and coastal areas of Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and Sultan Kudarat. These are the Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas); Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata); Loggerhead (Caretta caretta); Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea); and Leatherback (Dermocheyls coriacea). (Photo by KIAMBA NEWS &INFO CENTER/RDA)