Public pressure is growing for the release of four green sea turtles being held in captivity in a park in Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental, after photographs posted on Facebook, recently, showed their dismal condition.
The green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas), varying in size, are all held in a medium-sized rectangular concrete tank at the Oceanarium in Zamboanguita town, a neglected but once popular facility.
Steve de Neef, an environmentalist and a professional photographer/videographer who works with international advocacy groups, who visited the Oceanarium recently, said he discovered that the turtles are not being properly fed or taken care of.
De Neef, who photographed the turtles swimming in dirty water in the tank, said he also saw people touching the turtles, with one woman even tugging at its fin.
Many online comments reiterated calls for the shutdown of the Oceanarium, and the immediate release of the turtles.
Mario Aragon, chief of the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office II, said they have received similar complaints about the turtles’ condition.
Oscar Mongcopa, CENRO II chief of the Protected Areas and Wildlife Sector, said the last monitoring of the Oceanarium in November 2011 confirmed the need to close it.
The Oceanarium has been issued a Certificate of Wildlife Registration for five green sea turtles years ago, Aragon said as De Neef said he only saw four inside the tank.
Aragon said he has recommended to DENR 7 the cancellation of the facility’s permit, after the monitoring.
Mongcopa, however, said he fears that because the turtles are now used to human feeding, they will not survive on their own if the facility is closed.
The turtle is listed as endangered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. It is commonly found in Philippine waters but it is illegal to hunt them.*JFP
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