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.
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