Researchers at the Palawan Pangolin Conservation Program have discovered that “aspins,” or mongrel dogs, can detect pangolins in their natural habitat just as well...
Mike Allen Gabinete, 19, whose family hails from Aborlan town in southern Palawan, said he made the balintong leaf craft as a project output for their Biology of Forest Plants subject laboratory exercise.
While it’s not entirely clear how this Philippine pangolin (Manis culionensis) wound up on a golf course, the most likely explanation is that it had escaped from the wildlife trade. In the Philippines, pangolins are a protected species, and anyone caught trading them faces hefty fines and prison sentences of up to 12 years. But this hasn’t stopped traders from stealing pangolins from the Palawan region and transporting them to various towns and cities to sell them for meat consumption or medicinal use.
Palawan's wildlife trafficking problem is a complex challenge, as it is driven mainly by the high consumer demand from the exotic pet and food markets of Hongkong and China. Palawan is a key component of the supply and demand equation because of its immense biodiversity, which ironically also serves as a major source of wildlife for the illegal trade.
“The recent rescue of wild animals demonstrates the seriousness of the Philippine government, with the help of community organizations, in enforcing its wildlife trafficking law and its commitment to strengthening cooperation with the fellow ASEAN Member States in campaigns to end wildlife trafficking,” ACB Executive Director Theresa Mundita Lim said.
Jovic Fabello, the spokesperson of the PCSD, declined on Tuesday to disclose details regarding the release site to protect the habitat but pointed out that they intend to enforce stricter patrol measures on the “porous” borders to prevent the same.
