Birds of prey that lost their ability to hunt, native monkeys that have become overly dependent on food handouts for many years as pets to “animal lovers,” water monitor lizards, turtles and many others.
These are just some of the animal wildlife sheltered in different Wildlife Rescue Centers (WRCs) in the Philippines, either they are used as evidence in a court case involving illegal wildlife trade or undergoing treatment for injury or health-related problems and undergoing rehabilitation before finally being released back into the wild.
Animal cruelty
Rogelio Demelletes, senior ecosystems specialist at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB), said many animals rescued by the DENR have underwent “torture” one way or the other.
Interviewed via telephone on October 5, Demelletes, a wildlife law enforcer, said even upon rescue the animals may succumb to stress.
“One time, we were able to rescue native birds in Lucena and we had to travel all the way back to Quezon City. Some of the birds died,” he said.
Wild animals being smuggled in and out of territories are tied with a rope or taped and stuck in a small container so that they won’t be detected by authorities in checkpoints, seaports or airports. Some were suffering and were barely alive because of injuries.
Upon rescue, these animals have to go somewhere—a facility for treatment, rehabilitation and, finally, preparation for their release back to the wild.
QC’s Wildlife Rescue Center
One such facility is the WRC of the DENR at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center (NAPWC) in Quezon City.
Being run and managed by BMB, the DENR’s main WRC serves as temporary shelter and rehabilitation facility for confiscated, donated and/or abandoned indigenous and exotic wildlife.
It currently houses 1,055 various native and exotic animals that were turned over to the DENR.
Among those housed in the WRC are long-tailed macaques, reticulated python, brahminy kite, red eared sliders and Burmese pythons.
Other DENR animal shelters
Glenn Maguad, OIC at the Wildlife Rescue Center of DENR-BMB, said, fortunately, the facility in Quezon City is not alone as there are now other WRCs in other parts of the country.
They are either managed by the DENR through its field offices in different regions, provinces, cities and municipalities or by local government units or accredited private institutions and partners of the DENR
The DENR record shows there are WRCs one each in Regions 3, 4A, 11, and 13; three in Region 4B; five in Region 7; four each in Regions 8 and 9; and two in Region 10.
The WRC in Quezon City is augmented by 37 private facilities that also act as DENR-designated WRCs, whose permit to operate range from a zoological park and botanical garden, mini zoo, to a full-pledge WRC.
‘Halfway house’
While some of the animals were voluntarily turned over or were captured because of injuries, many of the animals sheltered in WRCs are undocumented wildlife and were confiscated by authorities from illegal traders.
Some are not as lucky, as they ended up being slaughtered for meat and other byproducts with zero chance of being rescued in animal cages and finally landing in WRCs, the halfway house for rescued animals.
DENR Assistant Secretary Ricardo Calderon said Wildlife Rescue Centers are not supposed to serve as permanent homes to rescued animals.
“They are supposed to be temporary homes. They are designed to be halfway centers, where rescued animals are temporarily kept while being treated of injuries and rehabilitated before they are released back into the wild,” Calderon told the BusinessMirror in a telephone interview on October 2.
Calderon, concurrent director of the DENR-BMB, said rescued wildlife, including those confiscated from illegal pet traders, are given a second chance during rehabilitation.
In Wildlife Rescue Centers, they are taught to be wild again, if possible, they are taught to hunt to be able to survive once released back into the wild, he said.
Calderon said the revolving fund from the Integrated Protected Areas Fund, or fees generated in the operation of a protected area or national park, boosts the operation of these WRCs such as the the NAPWC.
Monkey problems
Caring for monkeys is more complicated than other animals in WRCs which is also a problem because there were instances when monkeys were released back to the wild, Calderon said.
At the WRC in Quezon City, “monkeys are housed individually because almost all are imprinted and have stereotypic behaviors,” Maguad said.
Most of the long-tailed macaques in the center were turned over to the DENR because they are no longer wanted as pets, or because of their violent and aggressive behavior once they become mature.
Maguad said unlike other animals, while many monkeys are in good physical condition and are supposed to be fit for release, the DENR-BMB rarely release them back into the wild “because of high imprinting and prolonged exposure to humans.”
Once they become dependent to food handouts, monkeys lose their survival instincts.
“When released, they raid houses of humans in the nearby area to forage for food,” he said.
Biting incident
Last year, Calderon said he received a report of monkey-biting incident from the National Power Corp. involving one of its security guards assigned at the Angat Watershed. The incident occurred a day after the monkey’s release in the area.
“When the DENR went to retrieve the monkey, it was nowhere to be found,” Calderon said.
“This happens when the monkey, which has been domesticated, becomes hungry and starts to raid houses in search of food,” he said.
The monkey, which was turned over to the DENR by a resort owner in Bulacan, was recaptured by residents and was turned over to the DENR later that week.
Release protocols
The DENR, Calderon said, observes strict release protocol for rescued animals.
Part of the protocol is to ensure that the rescued animal is healthy and fit for release or is no longer suffering from injuries. The area where they will be released are also properly assessed as the animal’s natural habitat.
More importantly, the DENR official said the local government units and communities of the release site are properly informed of the planned release and are educated about the animals to boost their protection and conservation.
He said only when the conditions for release are met will the DENR, including the social preparation part wherein the people are informed and asked to support the protection and conservation of the released wildlife in the area, will the rescued animals be released to their natural habitat.
“Once the animals are acclimatized or ready for release, we release them immediately,” he said
Wildlife reporting, rescue
Emerson T. Sy, researcher at Traffic, a wildlife trafficking watchdog, said besides strengthening law enforcement to prevent illegal wildlife trade, there is a need to strengthen information, education and communication about wildlife reporting and rescue.
“We need more public participation in wildlife reporting and rescue. We’ve seen success stories in Philippine Eagle and Philippine Pangolin,” Sy said.
He added that there are instances wherein pangolins retrieved in Metro Manila were reported by the public to the authorities. Likewise, public participation is critical to the rescue of several PHL eagles, citing one case last week in Bukidnon.
According to Sy, WildAlert, the USAID-funded project with the DENR, could facilitate the reporting by the public to the authorities.
“We really have to actively participate since zoonotic diseases due to illegal wildlife trade can affect all of us as we have experienced with Covid-19,” he said. Covid-19 is a pandemic that started in China in December 2019. It has infected more 36 million people worldwide, and about 330,000 in the Philippines.
Prevention better than cure
According to Sy, there is a need to be more proactive by going for prevention rather than cure when it comes to wildlife crime.
“We have to change our mindset from being reactive to proactive,” he said, which include engaging the public and educating the people of the long-term benefit of protecting and conserving the country’s rare and unique wildlife species, rather than engaging in illegal wildlife trade.
“Illegal wildlife trade is a short-term gain for a very few individuals and takes away the opportunity for a local community to develop. Wildlife animals, in their natural habitat, will be more beneficial to a local community and could be a viable long-term income generating attraction,” he said.
A living testament
While in very rare cases rescued animals with very little chance to survive are put to sleep, even the injured ones are kept alive to serve a higher purpose—to be part of the campaign to educate the public about the importance of protecting the environment and the country’s rich biodiversity.
Calderon said in the DENR’s WRC in Quezon City, “Girlie,” a Philippine eagle with a blind eye is the poster girl of wildlife rescue in the Philippines.
The female Philippine eagle who is now about 40 years old is one of the attractions in the WRC and part of a tour for young children visiting the park.
Girlie has been in the care of the DENR’s WRC at the NAPWC since 2008.
“She is old, and has one blind eye and definitely, no longer fit for release but we decided to keep her as part of IEC program,” Calderon said.
While the WRCs are a testimony to the successful effort of wildlife law enforcers in fighting illegal wildlife trade and animal cruelty, the animals sheltered there are now living testaments that there’s always hope and chance for survival in wildlife rescue.
Image credits: Gaudencio de la Cruz/DENR -SCIS