Stranded turtle revives calls for preservation of nesting sites in Zamboanga City

Personnel of the City Veterinary Office in Zamboanga City released a sea green turtle at the Paseo del Mar (park by the sea) here on FEb. 13 after it was rescued a day earlier in Barangay Licomo. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY THE CITY VETERINARY OFFICE

ZAMBOANGA CITY—Just a day before St. Valentine’s Day, Nico Ph667-668, a 10-year old male green sea turtle (Chelonia Mydas), spreads his flippers as he descended into the water at the Paseo del Mar, a park-by-the sea ran by the city government at the back of Fort Pilar here.

A day earlier, a concerned citizen found the turtle stranded along the coastline of Barangay Licomo.

but seeing the village’s proximity to a known hatching ground for turtles, an environment official said the turtle could have possibly been looking for a mate when it got lost along the shore.

Arnedo A. Agbayani, assistant city veterinarian here, said the turtle had spent the last 24 hours under the care of veterinarians at the laboratory of the Zamboanga State College of Marines Science and Technology after it was rescued along the coastline of Barangay Licomo, a border barangay 84 kilometers west of here.

A concerned citizen found the turtle stranded along Licomo’s coastline and had turned it over to the City Environment and Natural Resources (Cenro) who, in turn, had it evaluated and assessed by city veterinarians using the ZSCMST facilities.

“Perhaps he was lost from his bale and got stressed along the way,” said Agbayani.

Nico underwent external examination, x-ray procedures and was tested for his buoyancy inside the mini pool of the ZSCMST.

“He was healthy, weighed five kilograms, his carapace was 45 centimeter-long and 44 centimeter wide. There was no internal and external injury,” Agbayani said. “He passed the buoyancy test, so he was fit to return to the water,” he assured.

Aaron C. Hachero, chief of the Cenro’s protected area management and biodiversity unit (Pambcu), however, told the Inquirer that Nico might be in search for a mate or was in the midst of a mating process because he was found stranded very near an area long considered to be the breeding and hatching ground for green sea turtles.

“There are two islands along the west coast where turtles were known to lay their eggs,” Hachero said. “In fact, there has been a resolution at the city’s legislative body to declare those areas as protected because they’ve been identified as nesting grounds of turtles,” said Hachero, referring to the islands under the villages of Seromon, Dita, Tumitus and Limaong.

The islands of Tigburacao and Lung-gong, where PAMBCU personnel documented a number of times when turtles had laid their eggs, are very near Barangay Licomo.

“(From December 26 last year until February 12 this year), we have documented a series of nesting and laying eggs in these two islands,” Hachero said.

“These areas are nearer to Licomo. So we consider these places as protected, where these endangered and vulnerable species are able to find a haven to nest,” explained Hachero, who led the tagging of Nico before he was sent off back to sea. He appealed to fisherfolk and residents in the area to protect the turtles and their eggs; and not to catch or pick them as food.

He said green sea turtles are considered endangered because of their decreasing population worldwide.

“We only have at least seven species throughout the world and five of them are found in the Philippines. In this city we have discovered new nesting ground for one of the five species,” Hachero said.

Nico was released back to sea a day before Valentine’s Day. Could he have found his mate?