10 live pangolins seized from Taytay fisherman

Some 10 live critically endangered scaly anteaters (pangolin or balintong) were seized Friday from a fisherman moonlighting as an illegal wildlife trader in Barangay Liminangcong, Taytay town. He was identified as 49-year old Danilo Demolar of Purok Masagana, Liminangcong in the municipality. Demolar was charged for violating Section 27(f) of Republic Act 9147 or Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act of 2001. The section in the Act pertains to the “collecting, hunting or possessing wildlife, their by-products, and derivatives.” Voltaire delos Angeles, Community Environment and Natural Resources Office-Quick Response Team (CENRO-QRT) forest technician 1 and team leader, said Monday that forest protection officers (FPO) assisted in his arrest. He said Demolar told them that he planned to sell the scaly anteaters (Manis culionensis) to a Mindoro-based buyer that is a distant relative of his wife. “Itong si Demolar ay matagal na naming minamanmanan dahil siya ay namimili ng balintong na siya naman niyang ibinibenta sa kamag-anak ng kanyang asawa na taga-Mindoro,” Delos Angeles said.

He added that the Min doro-Based buyer also funds Demolar to purchase the crit ically endangered mammals from unscrupulous local collec tors. e also sells them to Chi nese traders who al e them as food and as traditional medicine ingredient.

e added the li e pango lins which weigh more than fo r kilos were Eo ght Ey Demolar for P to P per kilo from residents who capt re them in the forests of Liminang cong and nearEy arangay T mEod ,sland.

Sagana pa kasi dyan ang Liminangcong lalo na doon sa arangay T mEod na isla sa harap lang niya at malapit lang sagwanin. iniEenta naman niya per kilo ng P may kita siyang P he said.

Delos ngeles said Demo lar kept the pangolins in his make shift farm in a mo n taino s area of Liminangcong where he has a nipa h t and reg larly feeds them termites to fatten p Eefore they are sold.

e said Demolar s nipa h t is complete with dr ms that ser e as enclos res for the pangolins weighing scale and nets to pre ent them from es caping.

Three months na daw si yang E miEili at nagEeEenta ng pangolins at marami na daw siyang naEenta per shipment parang nasa mga se en pango lins k lang k lang na daw. Pinakakain niya ng mga anay pina farm at kapag maEigat na saka EiniEenta he said.

The s spect has already Eeen nder close monitoring Ey en ironment agents when on 2ctoEer Delos ngeles said they had the chance to arrest him Ey decei ing his caretaker to call him to come to the farm.

1aaE tan namin ang care taker niya sinaEihan namin na tawagan siya at saEihin na nak awala ang mga pangolin. Pag dating niya inaresto na namin he added.

Delos ngeles said they are now cond cting follow p operations against other illegal wildlife traffickers in Liminang cong whom Demolar knows.

ng Eilihan dito ng pan golin parang iniik tan lang ng E yers. . ng Eaga pang nir erekorida nila iniik tan at yon ang g sto naming p t lin he stated.

0eanwhile Palawan Co ncil for S stainaEle De el opment (PCSD spokesperson -o ic )aEello in a separate in ter iew said they are now in estigating Demolar so he can help arrest the other traffickers in Liminangcong.

:ala pa tayong iEang information t ngkol dyan E t c rrently na inT est na ang s spect at pat loy tayong naghahanap ng lead sa pang yayari he said.

)aEello said all the pan golins had Eeen released Eack to their nat ral haEitats Ey the PCSD staff in Taytay. (with re ports from ira enesa 0ag dayao