Advocates ask for aid to save rescued Palawan turtles

PALAWAN, Philippines — Wildife protection foundations are asking for help in saving over a thousand critically-endangered turtles that need further medical attention before being sent back to the wild.

This comes after more than 4,000 turtles were seized in a warehouse in Palawan province by the Provincial Law Enforcement Task Group on June 17 .

More than 3,800 of the confiscated turtles, believed to be headed to Hongkong, are endangered Philippine forest turtles.

Katala Foundation Inc (KF) and the Philippine Center for Terrestial and Aquatic Research (PCTAR) said around 2,400 of the rescued turtles have already been brought back to wild. But the remaining turtles will have to undergo medical examination and nurturing in order to get fit for the environment.

“Approximately 1,000 live turtles – give or take a couple of hundred – will remain in rehab until they are healthy enough for release. These turtles are on an every-third-day treatment schedule, and will be assessed at each treatment,” PCTARS’s Emerson Sy said, citing reports from the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA), who are also in Palawan for the turtle’s rehabilitation.

Sy said the rescue team recorded a few deaths the past days. The shipping of donated medical items, he added, would bring higher chances of survival to the turtles.

“As you can imagine, some items may not be readily available there,” Sy said in a text message.

The Katala Foundation urgently needs the following items:

• Ceftazidime
• Anti-fungal cream (for shell rot)
• Anti-bacterial cream
• Hydrogen peroxide (betadine)
• Syringes (1 to 5 ml size) 
• Dry turtle food

PCTAR will collect the items in the next few days and will send them to Palawan via trucking. – Rappler.com 

If you’re interested to help, please contact Emerson Sy of the Philippine Center for Terrestrial and Aquatic Research (PCTAR) at emersonsy@gmail.com.