A dark morph dog-toothed cat snake and a white-bellied sea eagle were the first wildlife rescues this year of the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff (PCSDS), based on its post.
The PCSDS stated the dark morph dog-toothed cat snake (Boiga cynodon) and the white-bellied sea eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) were retrieved in El Nido on January 17 and January 18, respectively.
The snake was reportedly turned over by Hero Jeff Isidro of the DENR-PAMO to the PCSDS-Wildlife Trafficking Monitoring Office-El Nido after it was rescued by a certain Jason Amascual, staff of Ten Knots Philippines, Inc. from the Lio Estate. It was handed to the DENR-PAMO by Amascual on January 15.
The sea eagle, on the other hand, was recovered in a joint operation of the PCSDS-District Management Division (DMD)-North, PCSDS-Wildlife Trafficking Monitoring Office and DENR-Protected Area Management Office (PAMO) in Sitio Legad, Brgy. Teneguiban in the same town on January 18.
According to the PCSDS, a concerned citizen reported that a resident named Luming B. Cornelio was in possession of the sea eagle. When interviewed, she said that she found the bird, which they named “Banog”, at Tandol Cliffside in Teneguiban in June 2021.
“At that time, the bird’s wings were injured, so she took care of it and nursed it back to health,” the PCSDS stated.
The dark morph dog-toothed cat snake measures about 200 cm in length and is in good condition. The white-bellied sea eagle has a wingspan of 163 centimeters, a length of 57 centimeters, and a weight of roughly 1 kilogram.
On January 17, 2022, the snake was returned to its natural habitat. On January 18, 2022, the bird was delivered to the DENR-PAMO Diver’s House and would be moved to the Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center (PWRCC).
The dog-toothed cat snake and the white-bellied sea eagle are both listed as “endangered species” under PCSD Resolution No. 15-521, said the PCSDS.
