Man selling endangered species on Internet held

ENVIRONMENT and security personnel in Talisay City, Cebu province, arrested the sellers of these endangered Philippine birds. TONEE DESPOJO/CDN

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines—Law enforcers have arrested a man trading endangered marine species on the Internet in Pagadian City possibly as part of an international trafficking syndicate.

A search in the house of Earl Frederick Galupo in Barangay (village) Lumbia on Wednesday yielded more than 300 assorted endangered  marine and wildlife products.

The search team, led by Environment Undersecretary Ernesto Adobo, found 30 pieces of stalactites, two  pieces of shells belonging to hawksbill turtles, 29 pieces of  hawksbill scutes (the keratin material that covers turtle shells), 275  pieces of different rare and banned coral species such as black and  red corals, tritons, nautilus and several giant clam species.

Galupo posted photos of the endangered species online, prompting environment officials to apply for a warrant to search his house.

“Galupo had been selling, trading these items online through  www.sulit.com now renamed www.olx.ph. He also posted photos of hawksbill turtle carapace on his Facebook account,” said Arleigh Adorable, director of the Department of Environment in Natural Resources in Western Mindanao.

Citing their investigation, Adorable said Galupo was part of the large-scale network as evidenced by the presence of warehouses and his dealings and business  operations, which reached Japan and other countries.

Galupo was charged with violation of the Cave Act of 2001,  Fisheries Code of  1998 and   Wildlife Protection and Conservation  Act.

Meanwhile, in Talisay City, Cebu province, enforcers on  Friday arrested two vendors for selling endangered birds in an entrapment operation.

After being tipped off about the illegal trade, environment officer Loy Anthony Madrigal posed as a buyer and ordered two owls and two hawks from the two vendors after a three-day negotiation.

Madrigal met the vendors in Barangay San Roque in Talisay on Friday, who presented 10 birds, including nine on the list of endangered species.

These were six umbrella cockatoos, two Philippine hawk eagles and a serpent eagle.

Also seized from the suspects was a newly hatched amethyst brown dove.

The vendors, whose names were kept confidential pending investigation to identify their supplier, were charged with violation of the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act.  Reports from Julie Alipala, Inquirer Mindanao, and Ador Vincent Mayol, Inquirer Visayas