Residents of Barangay Tanabag in Puerto Princesa City rescued a Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster) last September 23.
The sea bird, with Tag No. 959, was immediately turned over to officials of the barangay, who in turn brought it to the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff (PCSDS) for proper disposition.
After ensuring that the bird is healthy and fit to fly, enforcement staff of the PCSDS released it at the Puerto Princesa Bay on September 25.
Meanwhile, personnel of Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park (TRNMP) expressed gratitude to the people concerned who rescued and released the bird back into the wild.
“We would like to thank the residents and officials of Brgy. Tanabag and the staff of PCSDS and PWRCC, particularly Mr. Salvador Guion and Ms. Aiza Arangorin, for the immediate release of the Brown Booby,” TRNMP said in a post on its Facebook page.
“Brown Booby # 959 is a female bird and was tagged as an adult in Tubbataha in March 2009. Imagine, it was tagged 12 years ago and must now be at least 16 years old! This species has a life span of 20-25 years,” the post said.
From 2006 to 2009, 1,000 Brown Boobies were installed with colored and metal ring bands to collect information on how long they stay in Tubbataha and where they go. “Sighting reports like these help us understand the movement patterns of the seabirds that breed in Tubbataha,” TRNMP said.
Aside from Brown Boobies, Black Noddies, Sooty Terns, and Brown Noddies which are regularly seen in Tubbataha Reefs are also being ringed by TRNMP personnel for monitoring purposes.
