ENVIRONMENT and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu is urging the public to heighten vigilance against illegal wildlife trade following the arrest of two suspected wildlife traffickers in Pasay City on December 16.
In a statement, Cimatu decried the continuous wildlife trafficking activities despite warnings that illegal trade can facilitate the transmission of zoonotic diseases, such as Covid-19.
To recall, the DENR's Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB) and Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force (AILTF) had arrested in an entrapment two individuals identified as Rowena Pindot and Joel Quimado after they tried to sell pangolins through social media for P75,000 each or P4,500 per kilogram.
Six live pangolins, consisting of five adult males and one adult female, were rescued and brought to the DENR-BMB’s Wildlife Rescue Center in Quezon City.
"The pandemic has spotlighted the lethal consequences of illegal wildlife trade to our ecosystem and the public health risks associated with it. We will not tolerate these activities. We are assuring the public that reports provided to the DENR will be acted upon promptly," Cimatu said.
Pindot and Quimado face charges for violation of Republic Act (RA) 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Protection and Conservation Act of 2001.
Section 23 of RA 9147 states that collection of threatened wildlife including the by-products and derivatives is prohibited.
They shall be allowed only for scientific, or breeding or propagation purposes, and provided that only the accredited individuals, business, research, educational or scientific entities shall be allowed to collect for conservation breeding or propagation purposes.
Tags: #DENR, #SecCimatu, #illegalwildlifetrade, #pangolins