Wildlife-hunting vloggers on the run in South Cotabato

GENERAL SANTOS, Philippines – Authorities have launched a search for a group of South Cotabato vloggers because of their do-it-yourself videos on social media that promote the hunting and trapping of protected wildlife.

The group has been on the run since February 1 when agents of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and local police raided a house in Barangay Danlag, Tampakan town where the vloggers were believed to have stayed.

Although none of the vloggers were caught, at least 21 wildlife species, mostly birds, were discovered in cages in the house.

The recovered wildlife included a Crested Goshawk and several Short-billed Brown Doves, said Eileen Estrada of the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO) in Tampakan.

The raid was prompted by information that the vloggers, led by a certain DJ Maru, were demonstrating how to make traps and catch wildlife on social media. Their videos appeared to have been taken down after the Tampakan raid.

Mama Samaon, the assistant director for technical services of DENR-Soccsksargen, said the department was preparing a complaint against the vloggers.

He said the vloggers violated the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act, which prohibits the hunting, gathering, and ownership of wildlife species.

The law requires that wildlife species live in their natural habitats, rather than being captured and turned into pets.

“We should let them live in their natural habitat,” said DENR-Soccsksargen regional director Felix Alicer.

Incidentally, Tampakan town is known for its rich flora and fauna and is where the mining giant Sagittarius Mines Incorporated (SMI) is set to mine what is considered one of the largest gold-copper deposits in the world. 

The mining site covers an area of approximately 10,000 hectares and many residents fear the mining activity will have a destructive impact on the biodiversity and habitat of rare species in Tampakan and nearby towns and provinces. – Rappler.com