ORION, Bataan- Police and the Pawikan Conservation Center rescued late Tuesday night a female sea turtle estimated to be more than 50 years old that was trapped in a fishing net in Barangay Kapunitan here.
The pawikan is considered as the second biggest so far caught in Bataan.
Chief Insp. Elmer Santiago, Orion police chief, said a fisherman from the village reported the matter to the police.
“Matapos ireport sa amin, agad kaming nakipag-coordinate sa Pawikan Center sa Morong, Bataan,” Santiago said.
The chief of police with three others led in bringing the marine turtle out of the water through a sort of net stretcher.
Manolo Ibias, chairman of the center, said the marine turtle of more than 50 kilos in weight is of the Olive Ridley specie and already nesting. The pawikan measured 66 centimeters long and 68.5 centimeters wide.
“Ang pinakamalaking nahuli sa Morong ay 74 centimeters ang lapad kaya sumusunod na ito sa laki,” Ibias said.
Ibias said he planned to place an identity tag on the marine turtle and release it right in the sea waters of Kapunitan but he found out that it has a crack on its shell.
“Nakita kong may damage, may crack ang shell kaya obligadong ipagamot ito. Pansamantala, ilalagak muna sa Pawikan Center at umagang-umaga dadalhin namin sa Ocean Adventure upang ipagamot,” the center head said.
He pointed to a crack on the lower left portion of the big shell of the pawikan. “Mabait,” ibias said as he touched the shell.
“Walang katapusang pasasalamat sa ipinakita ninyong pagmamalasakit. Dapat talagang pagmalasakitan ang pawikan dahil mababait ang mga iyan,” Ibias told the residents of Kapunitan.
After documenting the pawikan at the Orion municipal police station at almost 10 in the evening, Ibias brought the pawikan to Morong more than 40 kilometers away.
