BALATAN,CAMARINES SUR— Mayor Ernesto Bagasbas of this coastal town confirmed on Tuesday (Oct.1) that he ordered residents of a fishing village here to return back to sea a rare Leatherback turtle.
The turtle, measuring 182 centimeters in length, 96 centimeters in width and weighing approximately 500-kilos, was found by Balatan fisherman Alberto Pasaba entangled in a local fishing gear called,”barangayan.” With the assistance of Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) technical personnel from Iriga City, a local Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) representative and the Philippine Coast Guard it was returned to its natural habitat.
Bagasbas said, it was the first time that anyone in the fishing town had seen a giant turtle, which BFAR experts said were only seen in the Atlantic waters in Europe.
DENR personnel from Iriga City speculates that the female Leatherback Turtle was the one that laid 105 eggs at the coastal sands of Rawis, Legazpi City last July. The eggs are now under the care of DENR biologists, who hope that some of them will hatch successfully.
According to reports, none of the rare turtle eggs have hatched so far but they are still kept in an incubator by DENR biologists.(SONNY SALES)