海角大神

Armed with a wooden stick, a bucket, and a headlamp, Philippine construction worker Johnny Manlugay hunts every night for the eggs of聽sea聽turtles聽on the pristine beaches of the northern province of La Union.

He can easily spot nesting sites, having been trained in his youth by his grandfather how to track the animals and their eggs, which his family traded at the time or ate.

But his egg-stealing days are over. Now Mr. Manlugay has turned his skills to helping protect marine聽turtles聽on the provincial beaches favored by the endangered Olive Ridley species to build nesting sites.

鈥淚鈥檝e learned to聽love聽this work,鈥� said Mr. Manlugay, who was accompanied by his two dogs. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 know poaching was illegal and that we should not eat turtle eggs and meat.鈥�

He carefully transferred each egg into his pail, along with some sand from the turtle nests, to be turned over to the group spearheading a conservation program on the beaches, Coastal Underwater Resource Management Actions (CURMA).

All five species of聽sea聽turtles聽found in the Philippine archipelago 鈥� Green, Hawksbill, Loggerhead, Leatherback, and Olive Ridley 鈥� are endangered.

Slaughtered for their eggs, meat, and shells, the聽turtles, or pawikan as they are called, also face threats from trade, hunting, habitat loss, and climate change.

But the conservation effort established in 2009 has transformed聽sea聽turtle poachers into allies, offering incentives and training to help save thousands of聽turtles聽and keep their eggs from ending up in markets and on plates.

鈥淲e talked to the poachers, and it turned out poaching was just another means for them to earn a living,鈥� said Carlos Tamayo, the program鈥檚 director of operations. 鈥淭hey had no choice.鈥�

Sea聽turtles聽lay 100 eggs in a nest on average, while the number of nests ranges between 35 and 40 each聽season, which runs from October to February.

Mr. Tamayo added that the figure had doubled during the first year of the coronavirus pandemic. At a time when disease curbs kept people indoors, there was a rebound in many aspects of animal activity.

鈥淟ast聽season alone, for example, we had 75 nests and we released close to 9,000 hatchlings,鈥� Mr. Tamayo said.

Volunteers receive 20 pesos ($0.37) for each egg collected, or four times what they might earn from selling them. The eggs are transferred to the program鈥檚 hatchery to be reburied in protected areas.

Former poacher Jessie Cabagbag, who grew up eating turtle meat and eggs, said the extra income from egg collection went a long way for his family, which relies mainly on fishing for its livelihood.

鈥淭he incentives help us pay for our food and electricity bill. When I got lucky, I was able to save and use it to buy a tricycle which I use [to ferry passengers] when I could not go out to fish, so that鈥檚 another source of income,鈥� he added.

Mr. Cabagbag, whose wife and 7-year-old son accompany him in patrolling the La Union beach of Bacnotan, has handed more than 1,000 eggs to CURMA since October.

鈥淚 stopped poaching when we underwent training and were taught that what we have been doing was illegal, and that these species of聽turtles聽are endangered,鈥� he said.

Tourists flock to the spectacle of the blue-grey hatchlings scurrying madly down the sloping beach to reach the water after they are released.

The event inspired overwhelming joy in him, Mr. Cabagbag said.

鈥淚 am truly proud. Even our neighbors, they appreciate what I do, because it is not easy. I am happy that I get to contribute to the conservation of the pawikan.鈥澛�

This story was reported by Reuters.