20 'tuko' seized in Davao home

THE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) seized 20 to 30 Philippine geckos at a house in Morales Village, Matina, Davao City, Monday afternoon.

Armed with a search warrant, issued by Regional Trial Court branch 12 Judge George Omelio, NBI agents recovered around 20 to 30 tuko from the house of one Mr. Wang and Mr. Kim, reportedly Korean nationals.

Lawyer Arcelito Albao, NBI spokesperson, said they were not able to arrest the suspects since the latter were not anymore in the country.

"Sa pag adto namo didto, ang naa lang ang helper, pero wala man pud siyay alamag ani," he said.
"Last week pa unta namo ni adtuon pero after pag approve the search warrant wala na didto ang duha ka Koreano, so ginahulat pa to namo nga mag balik pero wala man jud so amo na lang gi-adto jud kay good for 10 days lang man ang bisa sa search warrant," he said.

He said they were able to talk with the Koreans after their helper called them by phone. They knew that the respondents were already in Korea.

"Ana pa ang Koreano gina-alagaan lang daw nila, pero imposible kay sa kadaghan ani murag gina negosyo jud ni," he said.

He said tuko, if sold, would allegedly cost more than P15 million since a tuko weighing 400 grams would cost P500,000 to P1 million.

"Base sa mga silingan, gina sulod lang ug kawayan para dili mahalata pag igawas nila, usahay isulod sa mineral water bottle nga walay sulod," he said.

Albao said they suspected that the house is only rented to keep the tuko.
"Wala'y mga gamit ang balay, wala'y mga bangko, walay lamesa, wala jud," he said adding that the tuko and the respondents stayed in the house for two months.

The tuko are placed inside a large black rubberized container and it is kept under a lavatory located outside the house.

"Around 20 to 30 jud ni sila kay dili pa namo kayo mabilang ka yang uban nailaloman na, naa pud mga ulod sa sulod silbing pagkaon sa mga tuko," he said.
Albao said the smallest tuko would weigh around 100 grams and the largest would weigh more than 400 grams.

NBI regional director Max Salvador said they are still waiting for the representatives from the office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for the proper turnover of the tuko.

"Naa mi memorandum of agreement with the DENR para ani," he said.
He said the suspects would probably sell the tuko abroad.
The agency will file cases against the two Korean nationals for alleged violation of the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act.

Salvador said the NBI has a specialized training on the wildlife act.
He said this is the first time the NBI seized tuko in the region.
He added that the NBI is training its eyes on violators who keep tuko for business.

Source: http://ph.news.yahoo.com/20-tuko-seized-davao-home-013524220.html

Guinness team arriving in PHL to measure croc 'Lolong'

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  Residents from neighboring towns try to take a glimpse of a giant saltwater crocodile in its temporary cage at the remote village of Consuelo in Bunawan township, Agusan Del Sur province, southern Philippines, …more 

A team from the Guinness Book of World Records is coming to the Philippines to measure the 21-foot-long saltwater crocodile caught in Mindanao earlier this month, to make sure it indeed is the world's largest caught alive.
The team may also do a special story on the crocodile, which was caught in Agusan Marsh last Sept. 3, radio dzBB reported early Friday.
Guinness had said it is "awaiting evidence" to show Lolong indeed deserves a world record.
"If the measurements are validated the reported 600-kg croc would be the largest of its kind in captivity," it said on its website.
Guinness said the current record for the largest crocodile in captivity belongs to "Cassius" in 2008, an Australian saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), measuring 5.48 meters (17 feet and 11.75 inches).
It said the largest crocodile of all time is Sarcosuchus imperator, a prehistoric species which lived around 110 million years ago. [Also see story: Lolong's ancestors fought 40-ft snakes over food]
"Recent fossilized remains found in the Sahara Desert suggest that this creature took around 50-60 years to grow to its full length of around 11-12 meters (37-40 ft) with its maximum weight of around eight tons," Guinness said.
Earlier this month, hunters claimed they may have broken a world record in capturing Lolong.
Citing earlier reports, Guinness noted it took a team of 30 men to subdue the creature in Bunawan town in Agusan del Sur, after a three-week hunt.
Lolong has since been transferred to a nearby nature park, although there had been concerns about its recent reported loss of appetite. — LBG, GMA News

Source: http://ph.news.yahoo.com/guinness-team-arriving-phl-measure-croc-lolong-015405138.html

Giant crocodile captured alive in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Villagers and veteran hunters have captured a one-ton saltwater crocodile which they plan to make the star of a planned ecotourism park in a southern Philippine town, an official said Monday.
Mayor Edwin Cox Elorde said dozens of villagers and experts ensnared the 21-foot (6.4-meter) male crocodile along a creek in Bunawan township in Agusan del Sur province after a three-week hunt. It could be one of the largest crocodiles to be captured alive in recent years, he said, quoting local crocodile experts.

Elorde said the crocodile killed a water buffalo in an attack witnessed by villagers last month and was also suspected of having attacked a fisherman who went missing in July.
He said he sought the help of experts at a crocodile farm in western Palawan province.
"We were nervous but it's our duty to deal with a threat to the villagers," Elorde told The Associated Press by telephone. "When I finally stood before it, I couldn't believe my eyes."
After initial sightings at a creek, the hunters set four traps, which the crocodile destroyed. They then used sturdier traps using steel cables, one of which finally caught the enormous reptile late Saturday, he said.
About 100 people had to pull the crocodile, which weighs about 2,370 pounds (1,075 kilograms), from the creek to a clearing where a crane lifted it into a truck, he said.
The crocodile was placed in a fenced cage in an area where the town plans to build an ecotourism park for species found in a vast marshland in Agusan, an impoverished region about 515 miles (830 kilometers) southeast of Manila, Elorde said.

"It will be the biggest star of the park," Elorde said, adding that villagers were happy that they would be able to turn the dangerous crocodile "from a threat into an asset."Despite the catch, villagers remain wary because several crocodiles still roam the outskirts of the farming town of about 37,000 people.
They have been told to avoid venturing into marshy areas alone at night, Elorde said.

Source: http://ph.news.yahoo.com/giant-crocodile-captured-alive-philippines-134625838.html

Aussie bodyboarder dies after shark bites off legs

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/aussie-bodyboarder-dies-shark-bites-off-legs-132146130.html

SYDNEY (AP) — A shark bit the legs off a bodyboarder at a popular surfing spot in western Australia on Sunday, killing the man, police said. Authorities were searching for the shark as well as the man's missing limbs.
The man in his early 20s was bodyboarding with five friends when the shark attacked, a police spokesman said.
He died at the scene in the surfing haven known as The Farm, off Bunker Bay near the western town of Dunsborough. The beach was closed after the attack.
About 30 surfers were in the water when the shark attacked, according to a beachside cafe employee, Deb Pickett, who called police and an ambulance after hearing the disturbance.
"We had some sharks spotted far out at sea a few months ago, but they never come this close to the shore," Pickett said.
She said helicopters were still searching the area for the shark late Sunday, while rescue staff searched for the man's limbs, which she believed had been taken by the shark.
Local official Ian Stubbs said it was the first shark attack in the area in more than 20 years.

Source:  http://ph.news.yahoo.com/aussie-bodyboarder-dies-shark-bites-off-legs-132146130.html

Endagered sea turtle freed

ROXAS City — An endangered sea turtle specie that was kept by a fisherman for five days was freed yesterday. Camelo Alaban of Brgy. Cogon, this city, helped release the Olive Ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) back to the sea. Alaban, who captured the sea turtle on morning of January 25, believed that the animal was swept by a strong wave toward the beach in Brgy. Cogon. He said he immediately put the sea turtle on a fish cage for safekeeping, and informed the city officials and other concerned government agencies about it. According to Sherly Villasor, forester I of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) – Capiz, the sea turtle measures 66 centimeters long and 55 centimeter wide, and weighs about 15–20 kilos. The sea turtle is getting weak, the reason why the city government decided to bring it back to the sea near the Olotayan Island. Councilor Powell del Rosario also helped free the sea turtle. He is the chair of the Committee on Environment, and president of the Save Olotayan Inc., a private environmental organization. Witnessing the release were City Agriculturist Salvador Borda, former Libas village chief now head of the city's Bantay Dagat Solomon Alisais, and some town residents and members of the media.