Skip to playerSkip to main content
Aired (June 16, 2024): This Sunday, Doc Ferds Recio and Doc Nielsen Donato rescued Philippine cobras from danger outside of their natural habitat. Can they successfully return them to the wild? Watch the full video!

‘Born to be Wild’ is GMA Network’s groundbreaking environmental and wildlife show hosted by resident veterinarians Doc Nielsen Donato and Doc Ferds Recio. #BornToBeWild #GMAPublicAffairs #GMANetwork

Watch it every Sunday, 9 AM on GMA
Network. Subscribe to youtube.com/gmapublicaffairs for our full episodes.

Category

😹
Fun
Transcript
00:00In the moment, when I agitate him, he's ready to spit.
00:26I don't expect what will happen next.
00:35It's a bit smaller than the first one we released.
00:38It's heavy.
00:41It's faster than the previous one.
00:56I'm not born to be wild.
01:10A Filipino Cobra is swimming peacefully.
01:14It's calm.
01:16It's just enjoying the cold water.
01:21But on land,
01:24attack mode on!
01:26Attack mode on!
01:31Last October,
01:34a Filipino Cobra was found inside a university in Nueva Vizcaya.
01:44In front of the College of Veterinary Medicine,
01:48someone asked for a bag because there's a Filipino Cobra here.
01:53So, in the stockroom of this building,
01:57a Filipino Cobra was found.
02:02How did it get in here?
02:05There!
02:07It fits here because there's a hole in the door and the flooring.
02:13That's why it can get in.
02:15Let's go and see the rescued Filipino Cobra.
02:19So, when you first got it, did you see any wounds?
02:23No.
02:25What did you notice about it?
02:27It was a bit gravid.
02:29Was it defensive?
02:31At first, it wasn't aggressive.
02:33It just raised its hood.
02:37I was told that it's a bit defensive.
02:41It likes to spit, so we'll put on a face shield just to be safe.
02:50Wow! Look at this!
02:54Its hood spread out.
02:58When it came out of the box,
03:04my snake hook was attacked by a Cobra several times.
03:14My camera was blocked.
03:16It wasn't released.
03:19It was attacked by a Venom.
03:29It was attacked by a Venom.
03:38It was aimed at my eye.
03:40At that moment,
03:42when I agitated it,
03:45it was ready to spit.
03:47One-fourth of its body length,
03:50it can raise from the ground.
03:53This is its warning.
03:56It inflates its lungs to make it look bigger.
04:00As a warning again.
04:02This one is not aggressive.
04:05They'll only do this one just to protect themselves.
04:12Unlike other brown Cobra,
04:14this one is darker in color.
04:20This is because of the type of environment where they live.
04:26Its ventral scales are beautiful.
04:30I can't see any scale rots or ectoparasites.
04:36Beautiful!
04:37Beautiful!
04:40But the female Cobra,
04:42was about to be rescued.
04:45When did it lay its eggs?
04:47After 3 months in my care.
04:50What happened to its eggs?
04:52When it laid its eggs,
04:54the shells did not form.
04:57It was almost transparent.
05:00It must have been stressed.
05:02That's why it continued to lay its eggs.
05:07Since the Cobra laid its eggs,
05:10it's ready to release.
05:15I'm here with the Northern Exotic Wildlife Troopers or NEWT.
05:20Their mission is to rescue endangered animals.
05:24The Cobra rescued by NEWT
05:27is fit for release.
05:29But wait, there's one more creature that needs help.
05:33Instead of hunting in the wild,
05:35this young black-shouldered kite
05:38in Nueva Vizcaya
05:40is inside a cage.
05:43Its home was destroyed by a forest fire.
05:47Three of its siblings were rescued,
05:51but one died
05:53while the other was missing.
05:57Today,
05:59I will look at the condition of the rescued bird.
06:05Its beak,
06:07the yellow part,
06:09shows that it's still young.
06:12We will feel its pectoral muscles.
06:17Its pectoral muscles look good.
06:20Okay, let's do the wingspan.
06:264, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.
06:31The bird's wings should be complete
06:33and it can fly.
06:35It's time to release it back to the wild.
06:38You can see its wrist area.
06:41There are signs of sores.
06:44Maybe when it flaps its wings,
06:47its wings hit its enclosure.
06:50It gets sores.
06:52It's important for raptors like the black-shouldered kite
06:56to have tight hips and talons.
06:59Because birds have minor injuries,
07:01I will clean it thoroughly
07:04based on my assessment.
07:06The bird is not yet fit for release.
07:09For now, it's being fed
07:11and encouraged by the rescuers of Newt
07:14before it's released.
07:21The cobra rescued by Newt
07:24Good news!
07:27It can now go home to its real home.
07:32We have reached the end of this trail.
07:37Our priority here is that it should be far from humans.
07:43This is where we will release it.
07:48The cobra is now grazing.
07:51Later on...
07:54Instead of being on the ground,
07:57we were surprised to see a cobra on the ground.
08:01It's a cobra.
08:03It's a cobra.
08:05It's a cobra.
08:07It's a cobra.
08:09It's a cobra.
08:11It's a cobra.
08:13It's a cobra.
08:15It's a cobra.
08:17The cobra is now straight into the water.
08:21Here, it is relaxed and gets struck.
08:27It even swims.
08:33Even in the running water,
08:36it will get struck.
08:40When it gets refreshed,
08:42the cobra gets it on the ground.
08:44Here,
08:45it can continue its work as a predator and pest control agent in the wild.
08:59Predators such as cobras and raptors such as black-shouldered kites are important in the wild
09:06because they control the population of small animals and create a balance in the ecosystem.
09:13That's why it's important for them to return to their habitat.
09:17But because they have a high hunting instinct, anyone who rescues them should be careful.
09:24Wildlife rescues are dangerous.
09:27That's why I taught the young members of N.E.W.T. the safe handling of wild animals.
09:34The snakehook can be improvised.
09:37It can be a chameleon.
09:44In rescuing wildlife, it's important to have enough knowledge
09:49because no life should be put in danger,
09:53even if it's just a few people.
10:03On the 11th of June this year,
10:06the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission or PAOCC was established.
10:11It's a rescue operation for animals trapped in illegal cages.
10:19The Philippine Animal Welfare Society is also involved
10:22in examining the health of some of the dogs inside the compound.
10:28This dog was found abandoned inside the facility.
10:33Some of the dogs were also rescued and were locked inside some houses.
10:42We're continuing the implementation of the search warrant
10:45here at the Pogo Hub in Porac, Campanga.
10:49This dog is a bit expensive.
10:52It's a macaw.
10:53We found two of them inside a cage.
10:56We're coordinating this with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
11:03Some of the animals are not in good condition inside the Pogo Hub.
11:07Some of them were left under the sun.
11:12They're not in places where they should be given proper attention.
11:18I don't think they've been fed for the past few days.
11:21They haven't been discovered yet.
11:23Aside from the birds and dogs found inside the Pogo Hub,
11:27they're still looking for other animals that were also found inside the compound.
11:34We were told that there's a chimpanzee or a monkey.
11:38I haven't seen it yet, but we'll verify it.
11:41According to the POCC,
11:43on June 13, the two macaws were surrendered to the D.N.R. Pampanga.
11:51The rescued animals need immediate care.
11:56Fortunately, they were rescued from the abandoned compound.
12:01Now, they'll be given a chance to be rescued.
12:09The Philippine Cobra is one of the most dangerous snakes in the world.
12:20Anyone who touches it can die within 30 minutes.
12:31The Philippine Cobra is one of the most dangerous snakes in the world.
12:36Anyone who touches it can die within 30 minutes.
12:46The 57-year-old father, Ricardo, lives in the compound.
12:51Last month, he didn't expect that he would also face a crisis in his life.
13:01I'm very worried about you.
13:03You're the one who died.
13:05How did the snake attack you?
13:08It bit me.
13:10It didn't notice that there's a hole there.
13:13They already set up their equipment,
13:15and half of it was already bitten.
13:18The hole in the snake's body was watered.
13:22When it came out, it bit our father's foot.
13:25When it bit him, it didn't notice that he was bitten.
13:29The brothers, Richard and Rex, brought their father to the alveolarium.
13:34Last month, it bit him.
13:38It didn't bite his foot.
13:41It bit the thick part of his foot.
13:46This is not the first time that Ricardo's father was bitten by a snake.
13:51In 2004, he was also bitten, but he was saved.
13:57Maybe 20 years ago, he only got a few dry bites.
14:02But this time, he only got one or a few drops.
14:05He didn't get the full potential.
14:08The residents immediately caught the cobra that bit Ricardo's father.
14:14The cobra is in the care of the DNR Nueva Ecija.
14:19Since 2005, there have been 200 to 300 deaths
14:24due to the bite of the Philippine cobra,
14:27according to the World Health Organization.
14:31Most of them work in the rice fields.
14:34We went to the rice fields where Ricardo's father was bitten.
14:39If we see a hole there, there's a big chance that we'll get bitten.
14:50We discovered why the cobra becomes aggressive.
14:54There, in that place, there are people who told us
14:58that they dug a hole where the cobra that bit Ricardo's father came from.
15:09They caught some eggs.
15:11We don't know what happened to the eggs.
15:14Only to find out that today, when we came back here,
15:17some of the eggs are still here.
15:19So today, there are several eggs in a clutch.
15:25They are more protective and more aggressive
15:28if there are eggs being watched by the cobra.
15:32This Philippine cobra was called by a resident of the DNR Accredited Rescuer, Gernie.
15:43He was able to rescue at least 10 snakes every month.
15:53Where did you get this?
15:54I rescued this yesterday in Nueva Ecija.
15:58I rescued this yesterday in Nueva Ecija.
16:01Does this have a companion?
16:02Yes, this is the mother.
16:04Those are her eggs.
16:07Cobra that have eggs are more aggressive,
16:10especially if their eggs are being watched.
16:14Because the cobra are sharp and unharmed,
16:17they can be brought back to the wild.
16:21The cobra, even though they are old,
16:23serve as food for pests in the wild,
16:26such as rats.
16:29If they are not threatened,
16:30the cobra do not attack people or other predators.
16:36We have identified an area where we release snakes like this
16:43in the watershed area of Pantabangan.
16:47That is where we found an area where we can release them.
17:11It can easily hide in the ground.
17:14Why?
17:15Is it because you can't see it?
17:27I found you.
17:30I got you.
17:32Yes.
17:37It is also long.
17:39Look at its legs.
17:42Look at that.
17:43Look at how muscular and robust its body is.
17:51It is just a bit smaller than the first one we released.
17:54It is heavy.
17:57It is huge.
18:00I estimate that it is around 4 feet long.
18:06The eggs are slightly lighter colored than the first snake we caught.
18:12It is more slender, more agile,
18:15and it also has a more ferocious look.
18:19Earlier, when I caught the snake,
18:22I saw that it sprayed.
18:25I thought it wouldn't reach me,
18:27but upon close examination of my face shield,
18:31I saw that there are sprays here.
18:33It's from the outside.
18:34There are so many.
18:35So, it's a good thing that I was wearing this.
18:41What happened to Ricardo is not a coincidence.
18:45Because of God's will,
18:47his family accepted what happened.
18:50It is our father's will.
18:53When he was released,
18:55he told us not to touch the snake,
18:57not to catch it,
18:58and not to hurt it.
19:04Every life is important,
19:06whether it is a human or an animal.
19:09It is just the same.
19:11It should be protected.
19:15And we repeatedly remind you,
19:17if a snake bites you,
19:19immediately go to the nearest hospital.
19:25Balance in nature is important.
19:30Every species plays a role in the ecosystem.
19:35And if one disappears,
19:38others will be affected.
19:42There is no reason for nature,
19:44Doc Ferds Resho,
19:46Doc Nielsen Donato,
19:48Born To Be Wild.
19:49Thank you for watching Born To Be Wild.
19:52For more stories about our nature,
19:56subscribe to the JMA Public Affairs YouTube channel.
Comments

Recommended