Vlogger rescues owls in Davao Occidental

Davao Occidental vlogger Ryan Salicala drew attention online after he rescued two baby owls he found on his family's farm.

According to Kuya Kim's report on "24 Oras," Wednesday, Ryan posted videos of the owls he named Pagaspas and Lawiswis on social media and he was met with reactions from some followers.

Comments urged him to "Ibalik mo na lang mie kung saan mo kinuha 'yan. Baka hinahanap na ng nanay 'yan" and "Please surrender it to the authorities."

According to Kuya Kim, the Philippines is home to over 20 species of owls, some of which are endemic.

The two owls Ryan rescued were identified as Eastern Grass Owls, which are medium-sized owls found in parts of Southeast Asia, Australia, and the Western Pacific.

The Eastern Grass Owl is listed as "least concern" globally by the IUCN red list.

Catching and keeping owls is a violation of Republic Act Number 9147, or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act.

Ryan said that he was aware of the need to involve authorities.

"Nag-contact ako agad sa taga-barangay kung saan ko puwede i-surrender. Doon daw sa DENR," he said.

However, due to the distance to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) office from their location, Ryan said that he was given temporary permission to care for the young owls.

The agreement is that Ryan will release them once they are ready and large enough.

Ryan said that he had considered releasing them sooner.

"Ire-release ko na sana ito pero nakita ko po na hindi makakalipad. Magwe-wait pa ako ng isang buwan," Ryan said. —MGP, GMA Integrated News