Aired (January 5, 2025): Doc Nielsen Donato visits one of the islands in Banguingui, Sulu, where he discovers that sea turtle eggs are under threat from monitor lizards.
Meanwhile, in some provinces of the Philippines, territorial disputes arise between troops of monkeys and local residents. Watch the video for the full story
Meanwhile, in some provinces of the Philippines, territorial disputes arise between troops of monkeys and local residents. Watch the video for the full story
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00:00We managed to catch a snake that was resting on a tree.
00:06But when it noticed, it seemed like something was pecking at it from behind.
00:14It immediately crawled down the tree and looked for a place to hide.
00:19But it couldn't escape the eyes of the snake.
00:37Look at this. It really looks like a snake bit it.
00:41It's so big. Can you see its head?
00:57Where is it?
00:59Where did it go? Did it go to the sea?
01:01It went to the sea.
01:04There it is.
01:12It's so big.
01:15It's so big.
01:17It's so big.
01:39In the well-known North Cotabato, humans and mongooses live peacefully.
01:45You can see them chasing each other, fighting, and making out.
01:55This is a normal scene for the residents.
02:03The mongooses in Banton, Romblon, Pervisio, and Umano in their fields.
02:10The mongooses are being chased in Patibong.
02:21Each mongoose's tail is worth P150.
02:29This is also the problem facing Basila.
02:34This is where they get the rice.
02:38So this is where they get the rice.
02:45This is where they get the rice.
03:01There are islands that are not easy to reach.
03:07Most of the time, the journey is far and dangerous.
03:15That's why this sanctuary is preserved.
03:25Where they live freely and multiply.
03:45This is the paradise for the mongooses.
03:56This is where they often lay eggs.
04:01That's why the residents there call it Turtle Island.
04:07It's almost morning.
04:22It seems like there's a danger to the eggs of turtles.
04:28Because not only sea turtles live on the island.
04:37They eat the eggs.
04:43Sir, were these eggs eaten by sea turtles?
04:47Yes, sea turtles ate them.
04:50Sea turtles eat the eggs of sea turtles.
04:57Look at this.
04:58It looks like sea turtles ate them.
05:00There's a sea turtle.
05:05A few minutes later.
05:10We caught a sea turtle resting on a tree.
05:16It's so big.
05:19It came down to go around.
05:22And it stopped in the middle of the ocean to enjoy the waves.
05:42When it felt hungry,
05:44it went around the island to look for food.
05:56The eggs of the sea turtles that were born the next day
06:00might be in danger.
06:03But when it felt that it's not alone on the island,
06:07it suddenly ran across the sea.
06:17It went to the sea.
06:19There, there.
06:21This is the first time I've seen a sea turtle swimming in the sea.
06:26This is the first time I've seen a sea turtle swimming in the sea.
06:41I followed the turtle.
06:48But it suddenly disappeared.
06:51It's gone.
06:54Until...
06:56This is the first time I've seen a sea turtle swimming in the sea.
07:05I followed the turtle.
07:08Until...
07:14This is where I witnessed that it could even swim.
07:21It used its tail as a propeller when swimming.
07:34To find out more,
07:36we went with the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy, or MENRE,
07:42of Sulu to get some sea turtles.
07:45Wow.
07:47It's natural for them.
07:50To swim.
07:52We were able to examine a healthy sea turtle.
07:56We have Sir Needs and Sir Bourbon,
07:59who I'm going to train in handling the monitor lizard.
08:03So, there are two of them.
08:06Since we're with the Senro people,
08:08we will take advantage of training them.
08:12Because they attend seminars,
08:14but it's more on lectures.
08:16Pictures.
08:17Now, they will experience the actual handling of wildlife.
08:23It was my very first experience.
08:26I was amazed by your teaching.
08:29It was very well explained and demonstrated.
08:36It's time to return the sea turtle to its natural habitat.
08:41The details of the sea turtle that we documented
08:47were sent to experts
08:49to find out which of the 11 species of sea turtles in the Philippines
08:54we caught in Sulu.
08:56Herpetologist Dr. Arvin Jesmos
09:00was able to observe a sea turtle.
09:04For now, it's the only species we know
09:07that can be found in Sulu and other islands.
09:12Although, in recent years,
09:14there have been groups of herpetologists
09:17who have studied those islands.
09:19They were able to discover
09:21another sea turtle,
09:23which is the 12th species here in the Philippines.
09:27The species or species of the sea turtle that we documented
09:31is a possible relative of the sea turtle in Malaysia.
09:36A lot of study is needed
09:39to understand how the sea turtles arrived on the island.
09:44Although, there is another theory.
09:46There is also a possibility that
09:48this might be a recent invader
09:51that came from many islands across Malaysia.
09:56For example, the nearest would be in Borneo,
09:59in Sabah, and so on.
10:01For now,
10:03experts are still trying to find out
10:05which species of sea turtle we caught.
10:15Meanwhile,
10:17on the island of Corredor,
10:21we caught a sea turtle
10:23resting on a tree.
10:26But, when it noticed
10:28it seemed like something was pecking at it
10:31from the cliff.
10:34It immediately climbed down the tree
10:37and looked for a place to hide.
10:40The sea turtle was alert
10:41and spotted the sea turtle
10:43that was not spotted by the sea turtle.
10:47But,
10:49the sea turtle did not escape the sea turtle's eyes.
10:53The sea turtle immediately flew to the sea turtle's direction.
11:00On the sea turtle's back,
11:02the sea turtle was able to hide
11:04in an abandoned house.
11:07Fortunately, the sea turtle was able to escape the sea turtle.
11:12Sea Turtle
11:14The sea turtle
11:16is a new species of
11:18paradise tree snake
11:20that was first spotted in Mindoro.
11:23This is also the first time
11:25that it was spotted in Corredor.
11:27In our expeditions,
11:29we encountered and caught
11:31different types of sea turtles.
11:34Documenting these sea turtles
11:37greatly helps
11:39the study of experts.
11:42For their presence in the world
11:46to be more understood and protected.
11:50In a shrinking space between humans and sea turtles,
11:57it is inevitable that it will return to the territory.
12:04Who has more rights over them?
12:06Who has more rights
12:11in a place where they both belong?
12:26Sea turtles in Bantun, Romlon
12:28have their own discretion in finding food.
12:30Every move they make,
12:32be careful.
12:35Especially when there are many eyes
12:37waiting for them.
12:40And the sea turtles are expected to be caught
12:43in
12:45Patibong.
12:50In 2018,
12:52the Municipal Ordinance
12:54that legalizes
12:56trapping sea turtles
12:57in Bantun, Romlon
12:59was approved.
13:01Especially because
13:03it is permissible to
13:05go near their nests.
13:07The reward system
13:09for each sea turtle
13:11is equivalent to
13:13150 pesos.
13:15In 2022,
13:17we documented this.
13:19We were able to catch
13:21some sea turtles
13:23and some dead ones.
13:24But
13:26after our story was aired,
13:29the implementation of the ordinance
13:31was immediately stopped.
13:36We just stopped the implementation
13:38because there were
13:40questions regarding
13:42the implementation.
13:44They said that there were
13:46violations
13:48as to the provisions
13:50of the Animal Welfare Act.
13:51We were able to coordinate
13:53with the national agencies
13:55that can help us.
13:57They are still studying
13:59the next step
14:01to stop the implementation
14:03of the ordinance.
14:05This is also the problem
14:07that is facing the Basila.
14:09Whenever the water level is low,
14:12there are groups
14:14that join forces
14:16and are ready to fight.
14:21With the help of the camera traps
14:23that we placed,
14:25they were able to catch
14:27a sea turtle that seemed
14:29to be prepared.
14:31Its body is still moving.
14:33It is just waiting
14:35for a chance
14:37to enter a house.
14:42But it is not alone.
14:52Their leader,
14:54Barotan,
14:56is the lookout
14:58of the group.
15:00Some of their companions
15:02are still balancing
15:04on the beach
15:07just to be able
15:09to enter the house.
15:13These are the ones
15:15that they are destroying.
15:17Is this why you placed them here?
15:19Yes.
15:21This is where my children
15:23go to school.
15:25This is where I stay.
15:27You are just watching them?
15:29The food that they got
15:31was borrowed by Rasmina
15:33from the store.
15:35They said that they
15:37cannot kill them
15:39because of their
15:41religious belief.
15:43What decisions
15:45were made by the people here?
15:47Nothing, sir.
15:49We are afraid
15:51that we will get sick, sir.
15:53That is why the affected residents
15:55asked for help
15:57from the local government.
15:59We have no alternative, ma'am,
16:01because in the religion of Islam,
16:03they cannot eat them.
16:05That is their solution.
16:07If it is possible,
16:09we can collect them
16:11if they are approved.
16:13Sea turtles are also like humans.
16:16They are looking for food
16:18to live,
16:19according to Doc Aloy Duya,
16:21a mammalogist.
16:24That is why they are
16:26frequent in those areas
16:28because it is an easy source of food.
16:30It is not difficult
16:32for them to find food.
16:34They know that
16:36there is a source of food here.
16:38That is a very high risk for health
16:40because the interaction
16:42between wildlife and humans
16:44increases.
16:46Monkeys are mammals,
16:47so the transmission of diseases
16:49is very high.
16:51The potential spillover
16:53of the virus is very high.
16:56But it is not necessary
16:58for them to get sick
17:00to stop the spread of the virus.
17:03In the well-known North Cotabato,
17:05humans and sea turtles
17:07live peacefully.
17:11There are four groups of sea turtles
17:13living in the area.
17:14The most dominant group
17:16is called the Democracy Troop.
17:25They can be seen running,
17:28fighting,
17:32and peeing.
17:35This is a normal scene
17:37for the residents.
17:39The windows here
17:41have wires
17:42so that they can get food.
17:44Because of the number of sea turtles
17:46on the road,
17:48motorists are adjusting
17:50so that it won't get wet.
17:52This is also the chosen place
17:54by biologist Leif
17:56to study more
17:58the behavior of sea turtles.
18:02One of the major observations
18:04is that the sea turtles
18:06move more in the forest
18:08and their range
18:10of movement
18:12is larger
18:14compared to the sea turtles
18:16that we can see in the community.
18:18And what we see as an implication
18:20is that the sea turtles
18:22in the forest
18:24practice their ecological role
18:26such as being seed dispersers.
18:28These sea turtles always
18:30misunderstand humans as pests.
18:32I think the most important thing
18:34is that they are
18:36seed dispersers in the forest.
18:38And they do it for free?
18:40Yes.
18:42They are there for free.
18:44However,
18:46there still needs to be a safe distance
18:48and boundaries
18:50that need to be established.
18:52The sea turtles
18:54do not need to face
18:56bloody encounters.
18:58And while there is no clear solution
19:00in places like
19:02Basilan and Romblon,
19:04there needs to be a long
19:06and deep understanding
19:08of why sea turtles
19:10are forced to live
19:12in the forest.