Illegal wildlife trader nabbed in Quezon

Quezon province map. INQUIRER FILES

LUCENA CITY — Police arrested an alleged wildlife trader and rescued a Philippine scops owl (Otus megalotis) in Candelaria, Quezon on Sunday, Dec. 10.

In a report Monday, the Quezon police said the suspect, identified as alias “Edward,” 19, and a resident of Pagsanjan, Laguna, was collared by law enforcers in front of a shopping mall in Barangay Malabanban Norte at around 11:30 a.m.

Authorities said the suspect offered to sell the scops owl for P3,000 to an undercover police officer via an online transaction.

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The report did not describe the condition of the owl or how the suspect got hold of the wildlife.

Scops owls are considered endemic in the Sierra Madre mountain range but stray to adjacent forested areas in Laguna and Quezon provinces.

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As nocturnal birds, scops owls feed on insects and are not recommended as pets because they are not easy to feed.

The owl was immediately turned over to the local office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to be taken care of until its release into the wild.

The suspect was placed under police custody and is facing criminal charges. INQ