Rare Giant Leatherback Turtle Released Back to SEA in Philippines
Residents of Balatan, Camarines Sur, give a giant leatherback turtle a send-off. It got entangled in a fishing net and received treatment for its bruises ashore.
MANILA, Philippines – Authorities and residents of a coastal village in Balatan town, Camarines Sur, on Thursday, November 22,
released a giant leatherback sea turtle brought ashore that morning by a fisherman after the creature got entangled in a fishing net in Ragay Gulf.
The giant turtle, a female, received treatment for its bruises and was tagged before it was released.
Ryan Cediño, a research assistant at the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, fully documented the treatment and release of the animal on his Facebook page.
It marked the second time for fishermen to accidentally catch a leatherback sea turtle in the same area, making Balatan town a hotspot for marine turtles.
